Review of Apocalypto (2006) by Zack S — 30 Sep 2011

*Films Owned On DVD*.

Apocalypto is one of my all-time favorites and one of Mel Gibson's best films for sure. What makes it such a strong film is that instead of being a bombastic historical epic, it's instead a human story where it allows us to care for the captured natives in this film and hate their captors. The film however is mainly centered on the character Jaguar Paw and we really root for his character to survive as he's determined to return to his pregnant wife and child. Some have criticized this for being too violent and I even read one review where they hated it for having subtitles. Whatever, it's obvious they failed to see how flawless this film really is. Featuring some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. The landscapes and even the whole Mayan civilization looked amazing. The visuals here are simply stunning. Of course, I can't forget about the film's action sequences which are highly entertaining and there's never one dull moment to be found in this film. I don't know the actors and actresses in this, but I loved the performances and it was for the better they are mostly unknown actors rather than someone we commonly see. Mostly because it gives the film a more realistic tone and you can actually take the performances seriously. I also loved the soundtrack by James Horner as well as it fit the film perfectly. Definitely one of the best films I've ever seen featuring strong performances, amazing cinematography, great action sequences, and a brilliant script and storyline as well. If you really look deep into the movie, you'll also see that it's also portraying the fall of a once-great civilization.