Mayan action movie
The story begins at the end of the Maya civilisation, and centres on the story of Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his tribe. Jaguar spends his days hunting with his tribesmen, including father Flint Sky (Morris Bloodyellowhead) and best friend Blunted (Jonathan Brewer), who is often teased for being infertile. Peace was abruptly shattered when men from a more advanced Mayan society plundered the village to gather slaves for trade and ritual sacrifices. Able to hide his wife and child in a deep pit before being captured himself, Jaguar must now find a way out of his predicament before flood or starvation claim his family’s lives.
Controversial director Mel Gibson takes the two most redeeming feature from his Passion of the Christ – gritty realism and language authenticity – and puts them to better use in this entertaining action-thriller. You heard that right. Despite the full adherence to ancient Mayan language and beautifully photographed backdrop, Apocalypto has the plot equivalent of The Punisher. Action aficionados, worry not. This is not a talky art-house movie. Film connoisseurs, be warned. The only kind of substance this movie has in abundance is of the crimson, splattering variety.
The action mainstays have long been cops/ex-marines/martial artists fighting gangsters/terrorists/mercenaries in a contemporary American setting. For something as commercial as an action movie, it’s business-sense to have characters, settings and languages that are familiar to modern audiences. However, Apocalypto does everything in the direct opposite, setting its action in a world as isolated and foreign as the Mayan’s. Historical inaccuracies and some unflattering portrayals of Mayans aside, the unfamiliar environment makes action feel new again, because by ditching the mainstays, you are also doing away with decades of recycled action movie clichés. No opportunities for ranting police chiefs, talking killers and heroes leaping away from explosions here. There is still a hero with people to save (or vengeance to take), and a bunch of villains waiting to be killed, only now with more greenery and lesser semi-automatics. But the fresh settings provide an illusion of unpredictability that are enough to camouflage these minor conventions, at least for the duration of the movie.
Nice to know that there is finally a Hollywood talent with enough financial clout to go against the grain, make new ideas happen, and make them work too. We should thank Jesus for that. - BMF
For the record:
In terms of violence: Passion of the Christ > Apocalypto
Predator > The Punisher > Apocalypto
What's missing in Apocalypto: an actual, earth-shaking apocalypse
Directed by Mel Gibson (Passion of the Christ, Braveheart) and also written by Gibson and Farhad Safinia (debut). Stars Rudy Youngblood, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead and Raoul Trujillo. |
