Apocalypto
Director Mel Gibson
Buena Vista Pictures
“Apocalypto” may sport all the features of a
promising indie film ““ subtitles, unknown actors and racy
content ““ but the formulaic plot turns it into another
carbon-copy blockbuster.
For his latest project, Mel Gibson touts the film’s
authentic shooting locations and locally cast players, celebrating
his departure from the classic studio soundstage and use of
established actors.
But as his film proves, no matter how hard he pushes, Gibson
cannot escape the trap of Hollywood convention.
Granted, the film’s setting and circumstance are unlike
anything that has been tackled recently. “Apocalypto”
follows the decline of Mayan civilization, illustrating both the
simplicity and danger of life during a bygone time.
But that is where innovation ends and formula begins. The
ambitious plotline of the descent of the Mayan kingdom subsides,
giving way to the main focus of the film: Jaguar Paw (Rudy
Youngblood).
The story has been done before. A man, Jaguar Paw in this case,
is mercilessly ripped away from his pregnant wife and young son and
spends the rest of the film struggling to survive in order to
rescue and reunite with his family.
The film relies on gimmick: grotesque violence, predictable
romance and tear-jerkingly cute children.
During the first half of the film, which depicts the pillage of
Jaguar Paw’s village, the “poor, abandoned
children” money shot makes its way into the film more times
than the captured parents do.
The extreme brutality takes on a more comical appeal akin to the
“Kill Bill” series as one hunter slashes the head of
another, exposing an artery and resulting in an extended sequence
of blood squirting out of his head in rhythm with his slowing
heartbeat.
Scenes such as this justify Gibson’s decision to use the
Mayan language, Yucatec, and include English subtitles (a device
already proven successful in his previous film, “The Passion
of the Christ”). Since half the movie is consumed with
stomach-churning carnage, dialogue rarely finds a spot in the film
and the foreign language never becomes a distraction.
Regardless, the film entertains ““ albeit, only those who
are easily amused. The action is exciting, but gruesome, even
offensive. The actors are strange and unfamiliar, but still
attractive and charismatic.
“Apocalypto” may not be the unique film Gibson has
claimed it to be, but it satisfies those with low expectations and
open minds.