Review of Apocalypto (2006) by Melvin W — 14 Sep 2011

Jaguar Paw: I am Jaguar Paw! This is my forest! My sons and their sons will hunt here after I am gone!

"When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go".

Apocalypto, after a dumb start, turned out to be a really powerful and rewarding film from Mel Gibson. The movie was a lot more then I thought it was going to be. It turned out to be a story a fight to survive not for ones self, but for the ones he loves. The film, if looked at purely as one man doing what he has to to survive for his family, is actually pretty heartwarming. Which is weird because the rest of the movie is a big, violent, bloody epic.

The movie is stunning to watch, with mesmerizing cinematography. There are a few scenes that really stand out from Apocalypto that are pretty much flawless. Among those scenes is an outstanding human sacrifice scene. Anyone who has studied Mayan civilization has an understanding of these sacrifices and it is brought to screen with amazing authenticity. Although there are some perfect scenes, the movie isn't perfect. It drags for good portions of the movie.

If you can make it through some slow areas what you're going to get is an extremely well made film from an extraordinary filmmaker. The movie feels real and the camera work, sound and special effects just add to a great story. This is a movie I wish I had seen in theaters. If it looked this good on my little IPad screen, I would have loved to have seen it on the big screen.