Apple...you said you saw this...I want to see it, because we really enjoy the Mayan culture 'mystery' since we have visited the ruins in Mexico. My brother-in-law saw pieces of it while he was doing security at the movies (he's a cop)...he said it was gory. (very bloody) So how was it? Good story line? I love Mel Gibson movies anyway.
ok, im my honest opinion. i did not find it that gory. only cause i think that it was more historal and factual than it was say like a thriller or horror movie. the only thing that bothered me was one scene with a baby and antoher with an animal. violence against animals always turns my stomach. it is subtitled as the movie is in mayan but it is easy to follow. there is more action and movement than dialouge which ifound great. the acting is great, the story is so interesting and touching. (yes i cried). its thought provoking and very very well put together and kinda gives you a good insight into the culture. i would highly recomend it for anyone. i say go see it definately
More action in the jungle than in the city. Looks like Mel took a very specific period in Mayan history and showed about a weeks-worth of what happened to a village warrior's life and family. He sides with the experts who believe that near the end of the Mayan civilization they had become more self-destructive and had by that time had adopted certain practices of their Aztec bretheren of human sacrifice. I like all the innuendo from the city scene...such as the nobility and priests appearing to continue the bloody ceremonies not for rain, good crops, and the banishment of a deadly illness, but to keep the masses under control and keep them from rioting. Seemed to me the commoners and the nobility were on edge with each other and obviously some hostility. Too bad less was devoted to this delicate relationship and more to peeps running through the woods like a MesoAmerican version of "Last of the Mohicans".
We saw it the other day and I agree with Apple and Micheal's review. It is a great movie. It's not gory, OK there is one scene of squirting blood but the guy deserved to die. :evil: It has cute spots like the jaguar cub. All in all, it's a must see movie. OK, maybe not for 6-8 YOs or less but for everyone else. Jamie
I think I saw a couple peeps leaving during the sacrifice scenes. BTW...did anyone recall that initially confusing short shot of faces, sky, and ground whirling at the temple? I decided a short time later that was supposed to be what the severed head was seeing as it bounced down the stairs. Yesssssss, somewhat unsafe for the little ones.
I have not seen it yet but lots of people whom I respect are panning it, saying it is an inaccurate representation of Maya culture. Here's a review from my pals over at the Yucatan Living blog: http://www.yucatanliving.com/editorial/mel-gibsons-apocalypto.htm
I don't completely agree with some of the arguments. For one thing, this film is based solely on a specific period lasting less than a week in all the centuries of history of the Maya. The characters reside in a small specific area in the entire thousands of square miles occupied by the Mayan city-states. I went to see this film knowing that, and I believe others also did the same. But I also know that there are many many peeps whose first glance into another's alien culture is this film and they come away or will come away with a jaundiced view. I mean, if you're not prepared or inclined to understand the setting, who wouldn't have a skewed opinion? As far as inaccuracies go, there is def. a severe shortage of cross-eyed people with slanted foreheads. Some areas of Central America still do this to their kids, so maybe Mel could have fished out some actors from that pool. The striking numbers of peeps in the big city in which several temples are still under construction appears unrepresentative of the actual trend of society at that time. Certainly, head after head after head rolling down the temple stairs occurred less frequently by the time the Spaniards arrived. I dunno...to my mind the precious few films involving Native American cultures tend to be filled with inaccuracies or involve taking a slanted glimpse into society. But, that's very true...who's going to pay $9.00 for a seat and another $9.00 for popcorn and soda to watch women grinding corn and men fishing or working with an ancient calendar? Borrrinnnnng. I can watch the Discovery Channel, the History Channel or some other educational programming to catch that. But I'm less interested in flaws than the fact that some kind of attention at all is finally drawn on the big screen to the Mayan civilization. People are talking. People are reading. People are becoming interested. Because before the film, I had the feel that the Aztecs were still hogging the press when it comes to world-wide exposure and interest of MesoAmerican cultures.
Thanks for the link, River Girl. It's now officially past my bedtime and I went to the link and found several other links to commentary from respected sources. The evils of the Internet indeed...thank God for a bit of willpower! I'll continue reading tomorrow. BTW, I heard that it'd be released much, much later in Mexico. Any word on when?
