Apocalypto (2006)

Run, Jaguar, Run

Mel Gibson seems to have a talent of evoking the audiences' senses. The pain after watching Passion of the Christ and the grandiose battle scenes in Braveheart felt so real and the memories are still fresh with the aftermath of these 2 films. To describe it more comprehensively, try thinking among the lines of our sensory system. The former takes on the sense of touch and the latter, the sense of sight.

Integrate those two senses together and you will probably get Apocalypto, a raw and brutal story of the Maya race. Set in the Mayan era, the story evolves around a certain village in the vast jungle they call their own. That is until one day when the hunters of the village notice a large population of a different tribe abandoning their village. Sensing fear in their eyes, young Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) immediately senses something amiss.

His fears are realized when a group of headhunters announce their arrival by destroying and wiping out most of the village. Being the main hero of the film, Jaguar successfully hides his heavily pregnant wife and his son from the predators. If that is the perk of being a hero, then the downside will be kept captive by those mercenaries. Not only that, he will face the biggest challenge of his life; to escape and save his family before it rains. Rain? Watch it and you will understand.

The lush greenery of the forest is breathtaking and thankfully for that, it manages to take some of the bad taste off the plot. It is a truly magnificent rain forest and to top it off, there is a equally majestic waterfall scene. The entire movie reminds me of Discovery Channel, albeit on a much larger screen.

Truth is, this movie is brutal. It gives the viewers a very raw feeling. The brutality transcends many violent movies. Not because of its gore, but because of the barbaric manner of how the villages die. The movie truly captures the essence of barbaric brutality. Though amateurish, the actors provide something missing from most Hollywood actors; sincerity. It might be the way they convey the message of the movie from their own mother tongue that struck a chord with the audience. And though not handsome nor pretty, their facial expressions seems to suggest that they are eager to tell the audience the story of their history and ancestors.

Though not excellently scripted but Gibson got the senses and feelings right. And who knows? This might be a start of a great run of movies by Mel Gibson.

3.5
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