![]() APOCALYPTO neatly blends the type of skillful direction we've come to expect from the director with an action-film template that never disappoints. When I heard his latest movie was an action adventure about the ancient Mayans, I was pumped and pretty sure I'd enjoy it. ![]() The focus was on viscera and the downbeat story was just too tough to enjoy. While I enjoyed Mel Gibson's last historical epic, Passion of the Christ, I found it a bit lacking in heart. Reviewed by Leofwine_draca 10 / 10 An all-time favourite adventure film The film ends with the irony that this civilization too will eventually come to an end with the appearance of the Conquistadors. ![]() What kept me occupied throughout most of the picture was how Gibson and his film crew managed to capture all of the action and drama that unfolded and make it look as seamless as it did. With a cast of unknowns, he tells a story of unrelenting violence and a deep commitment held by his principal character to escape from his captors and return to his family and freedom. Gibson brings a unique vision to the screen with this jungle drama, unlike most any other picture one is likely to imagine. Not to mention a literal translation of an implicit threat that heads will roll. A little superstition goes a long way too, as in taking advantage of an unexpected eclipse of the sun to silence and cast terror into the masses. And that leaders of warrior tribes rely on fear, courage, power and the threat of death to maintain their supremacy, not only at the top of their own hierarchy, but in the conquest of weaker tribes. Whether intentional or inadvertent, what director Mel Gibson did here was cast a light on the true history of the world in microcosm, that civilizations rise and fall via the aggressive use of force. Reviewed by classicsoncall 10 / 10 "Beware the man who brings the jaguar."
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