Bloodbath and Beyond

Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto Balances Violence
with Epic Storytelling

Every action movie has a formula: the Hero, the Damsel, and the Villain. Mel Gibson, in his latest film, Apocalypto, has broken free of this calculation and created a truly original film that keeps your heart rate up and your jaw dropped for the entire hour and a half.

Jaguar Paw is a young Mayan, played by Rudy Youngblood, living peacefully with a wife, children, and friends. Without warning, another, fiercer, tribe attacks his village and takes Jaguar Paw and his companions (which ones they leave alive) prisoner. The prisoners are taken to the home city of their captors to be sold as slaves and sacrificed to a vengeful god. Jaguar Paw is fiercely determined not to let himself be sacrificed, as he has left his wife hidden in a dangerous location and he needs to reach her before she succumbs to the elements. Through a twist of fate, he escapes and what follows is an adrenaline-pumped race against time.

 

Controversial film director Mel Gibson has delivered one of the movies of the year with his bloody spectacular Apocalypto.

Mel Gibson is, characteristically, a bloody director. With films like Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ under his belt, Gibson has shown us time and time again what he can do with gore. This is definitely the case in Apocalypto; battle scenes leave you cringing and ferocious images of sacrifice and brutality linger throughout the film. However, the blood is not horror-movie disgusting, instead, it reminds us of the horrors that are committed in the name of progress.

Rudy Youngblood is admirable; he handles his role as the protagonist smoothly and without the caricature bravado of a normal action star. His character is just a man trying to get back home, and Youngblood captures this with strength and beauty. We can only hope that Youngblood will be showing up more around Hollywood; he has obvious talent and displays it in Apocalypto with raw emotion.

There is not much dialogue and all of it is in the ancient Mayan language, but each actor rises to the occasion; honoring it with awesome skill.

Speaking of beauty, the setting of Apocalypto is stunning. Even without the story, Gibson could have kept the audience captivated with huge Mayan temples, steps covered in blood, or with lush Mexican jungles that teem with life. Not only are these images candy for the eyes, but they perpetuate the story. There is such a transition in mood as Jaguar Paw leaves his forest sanctuary towards his almost certain doom; the eyes and ears are assaulted by harsher settings and by poverty, forcing both him and the audience to realize the grim situation.

Possibly the most amazing part of the film, Gibson must be praised for the historical accuracy of the film. With only a few differences, Apocalypto is a fair representation of the Mayan culture and, not only, the stories but the wonder it left behind. The only inaccuracy is a cameo by the Spanish who have come to explore the jungle where the adventure takes place.

Apocalypto has Gibson’s trademark theme: historical fiction with a steel-toed kick to the senses. With blood and with natural beauty, Gibson reminds us that we, the human race, have committed atrocities in our search for answers. Of course, it is not always pleasant and often the reminder is like a panther to the face, but, after all, without destiny, what would we be?

Apocalypto is a spectacular feat for the entire cast; with each scene it became more evident that this film is an important one to our society. So long as we remember what we are capable of, anything is possible. Including more great cinema from Mel Gibson. Perhaps his next project should be an expose on the Reformation.

Apocalypto is rated R, for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images. It is currently playing at Regal Cinemas in Boone.