Very naughty boy Mel Gibson’s latest is a violent, epic, action/adventure flick, not short on history and musings on civilization. You know the kind. Whilst some have shouted 'exploitation', certainly no other film in recent memory resembles this.
It chronicles a man’s journey during the times of the Mayan Civilization (Native Americans) - around the same time Columbus was discovering the Americas. The man's idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, and he is taken on a perilous journey. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life. Following his most recent The Passion Of Christ, Mel’s quest for authenticity sees Apocalypto spoken in the ancient Maya language and stars a cast of unknown Mexican & Native American actors.
Good ol’ Wikipaedia says of these people: "noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, its spectacular art and monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems."
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
Great story hard to follow with subtitles and very very gruesome Just wish had been dubbed into english
I was loathe to watch this because I'd heard it was half a chase movie. I envisaged another Last of the Mohicans but found two main differences: mesmerizing cinematography with lush colours, complex scenes, and fascinating panoramas; and a simple story. The chase is 50 minutes of 120 minutes but I never lost interest.
This is an amazing film. It is as athentic as it could possibly be. It depicts the horror of the raids carried out by all of these ancient civilizations to secure an endless stream of human sacrifices. This film speaks of the love, devotion, courage, and the inexhaustible human spirit when faced with near impossible odds. It is an incredible film.
Mel is positively saintly.
I liked it very much. I would love to see more films set in the early days of Aztecs, Mayans and the like.
The first hour, with its emphasis on suffering and high production values, is a bit of a trudge because Gibson - a master of overstatement - is never content to tickle your senses when he can boot you in the crotch. However, once the actual chase gets going, Apocalypto is outrageously entertaininng and thrillingly kinetic...
Dextrous with the action-adventure elements but clumsy in its handling of the central message, Apocalypto is a strange but largely entertaining mix of action, bloodletting, chin-rubbing and arthouse trimmings...
Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but that sadomasochistic anti-Semite knows how to shoot a movie...
For the most part, Apocalypto is just a bloody great thriller set against a fascinating and vividly rendered ancient world...
It's pure adrenaline -- a tremendously exciting chase movie, shot in Mexico, that just happens to be set in ancient Maya with dialogue spoken in Yucatec Maya, with English subtitles...
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Monday, 11th Dec 2006.
Release date: December 11th 2006.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
