Movie Review: Apocalypto

it being 2012, i had this fascination of the Mayan culture... don't ask me why but I just am and Apocalypto has been on my list of movies to watch for a very long time. For anyone who has seen Passion of the Christ know that Mel Gibson is pretty gruesome when it comes to depicting torture or physical anguish. With that being said, let that be a disclaimer for anyone who wishes to see this movie for themselves, it is NOT for the faint of stomach, but if you could get past the 3 scenes that deals with these gruesome acts, the movie as a whole was very entertaining and defied my initial impression of the movie.

Think of Rambo set in time during the Mayan civilization. It is an action/adventure type movie which i didn't know at first coming into the movie, and yes it is entirely subtitled but adds to the authenticity of it all. How many times are you tired of watching movies set it very old times yet everyone magically has "english accents" but still speaking in english to try and fake the age of the movie (yes prince of persia i'm looking at you). At least this movie stuck with the language and opted for subtitles which I commend actually cuz if they all started talking in english I would have probably pressed stop a long time ago.

The setting, direction, and cast were all great, albeit very dark at times; which makes me question what really goes on inside Mel Gibson's head. But try not to think of it that way, leave him be to whatever he is and just appreciate this movie for what it is. Pacing was done very well and the action was great. I don't think at any moment did i stop and think to myself "no way not possible" as I do in some other films. This was very realistic which I like. I also like to commend that this movie was shot entirely using a digital camera instead of the film cameras many of us are used to. You can tell the difference if you watch the movie knowing that ahead of time, and quite honestly it made the movie seem more realistic rather than the Hollywood Makeover most other movies have these days.

For anyone who hasn't seen the movie, loves action, and can stomach a few gruesome scenes, i recommend this movie. Didn't think i would enjoy it as much as I did but afterwards i was thoroughly pleased.