Apocalypto (2006)

I wasn't sure I wanted to watch Apocalypto. As intrigued as I was by the concept - it's set in 16th Century South American, and features a cast of ancient Mayans, speaking, well, ancient Mayan - Mel Gibson's last movie as director was the gory (and boring) Passion of the Christ, and within the first 5 minutes of Apocalypto, a wild boar is killed bloodily and graphically. Unsure whether to continue watching (especially as I was eating my tea at the time) I determined to stick with it, occasionally holding my hand up to the screen when anything too bloody was going on. I didn't realise I was so squeamish, but I really don't see the point in dwelling on gore for the sake of it, it does nothing for a plot - my idea of hell would be watching a gore-filled movie like Saw or its ilk.

Once I got past the gore I found Apocalypto to be fascinating and compelling. It's unlike anything I've seen before - perhaps it's a little bit like Avatar's Na'vi, who live in the jungles and speak a foreign language, and they do say the past is like another country. It was refreshing to watch a movie devoid of technology (and much CGI) and that rested on the strengths of the performers, none of whom were recognisable. I think it often helps to get lost in a movie when you're distracted by stars or thinking 'where do I know him/her from?'.

Gibson showed the Mayans as normal people, making fun of each other, with love and death and grief - and there was a lot of death, as the main character, Jaguar Paw, sees his village destroyed and he and his friends are taken as slaves to a 'city' with massive temples and human sacrifices. At this point it became even more like Avatar as the sacrifcial Mayans were daubed with blue paint. Up to here, half way through the movie, Jaguar Paw watches most of the goings on, but he eventually runs free and the last half of the movie is a pulse-pounding frenetic footchase throught the jungle.

Jaguar Paw's motive is to get back to his village where he hid his heavily pregant wife and son down a hole they can't climb out of, before they starve, or drown. Along the way he is chased by vengeful baddies who lob spears and arrows at him, and who are taken out by snakes, waterfalls, jaguars (one has his face bitten off in one of the more disturbing, bloody scenes, this was a real GOL moment, or Groan Out Loud!), and ingenious traps. I really felt for Jaguar Paw and urged him on, silently cheering everytime a baddie was poisioned or impaled.

I'm glad I watched Apocalypto, it was different and made me think about how these races may have existed (I know it's not a documentary and that there is artisitic licence), and to see the world from a none European, Westernised, twenty-first century viewpoint is intriguing. I suppose the bloodyness was necessary to show how savage some of the practices were, but they were a bit too graphic in parts. Why can't that nice(!?) Mr Gibson make a movie without gore - even Braveheart had it's bloody moments.