Apocalypto (2006)

Mel Gibson writes and directs a film about the Mayans and it is all subtitled, I was not that interested in this film. When it first came out I was not interested and would not have watched it but for the fact that it was on in the Coach when I was in Mexico. I had just been to visit the Chichen Itza and our guide, Victor, who was of Mayan descent, after speaking to us for hours all day told us that Mel Gibson had done the film correctly. He thinks that it is one of the truest representations of the people we had been hearing about all day. So I thought two hours on the bus, might as well settle down and enjoy the film as it was the only film on offer so that had to be worth something.

You follow Jaguar Paw as his tribe hunt a creature and you very quickly are pulled into the tribe set up and the very basic nature of their relationships and how they live. On the way back to the village they encounter a tribe of fisher people and with a warning they ignore, their troubles begin. You follow Jaguar Paw as he is captured and he vows and endeavours to return to his pregnant wife and young son. Along the way you meet the Mayans and you find out that they are a blood thirsty race out for sacrifice and how they treat the other tribes. The title Apocalypto comes from certain prophecies within the film and what the ending foreshadows.

This film was filmed using some natives that had never acted before but the set pieces and overall look and feel of the film was excellent. The story lacks a bit for me and there was a difference between the end of the film and what Victor had told us but then a little poetic licence is always needed in these films to get the message across. Overall though whether it was more to do with my day or the film itself I really enjoyed it within the context of seeing it. This is 7 out of 10 for me but if you do watch it on this recommendation just remember my view may have had a slight tint to it.