Apocalypto follows the story of a young hunter named Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his travails as his village is invaded by an Aztec raiding party. He and his mates are captured and taken to the Aztec capital, where the real battle to stay alive begins. There's actually not that much plot Gibson takes his time establishing the world setting and letting us get to know Jaguar Paw and his family. As soon as that's comfortably accomplished, bam, here come the Aztecs, accurately, as history informs us, portrayed as a pretty rough bunch of guys (the casting of the leader of the war-band is just tremendous; the actor just exudes arrogance, experience, and power). We linger for a while on the road to the Aztec capital, a lengthy and unpleasant experience for Jaguar Paw and his pals, but all this slow pacing pays off terrifically when we reach the city. Up until now, it's been all rivers and jungle, but when you step into the Aztec city it's a whole different world, and brilliantly, little of it is explained. Given that the Aztecs had very different aesthetic ideals than we do, a lot of Aztec culture just comes off as weird and lurid. It should that's the whole point here, and the fact that none of it is explained makes it even more terrifying.
The performances are all strong throughout the film. It hits all the right notes we find it very easy to like Jaguar Paw, and his nemesis, Zero Wolf, is a cocky, arrogant jerk; you're pleased and relieved when their showdown comes. For the most part, though, Apocalypto is interested less in straightforward drama than it is in submersing you in another world, one we don't often see, and there it succeeds marvelously. It should be noted that that world is cruel, violent, and bloody, but then the world of the Aztecs was all those things. There are a few nitpicky details that sort of get washed over how can Jaguar Paw return so quickly to his village when it took so long to get to the capital on the way in? but these are minor concerns overall, and easily overlooked amidst all the spectacle. Apocalypto probably isn't for everyone it gets a little rough in spots but it is a visual treat, and the story satisfies well enough. If you have any interest you'd probably better go while it's on the big screen, as this would lose something on the smaller home screen.
The performances are all strong throughout the film. It hits all the right notes we find it very easy to like Jaguar Paw, and his nemesis, Zero Wolf, is a cocky, arrogant jerk; you're pleased and relieved when their showdown comes. For the most part, though, Apocalypto is interested less in straightforward drama than it is in submersing you in another world, one we don't often see, and there it succeeds marvelously. It should be noted that that world is cruel, violent, and bloody, but then the world of the Aztecs was all those things. There are a few nitpicky details that sort of get washed over how can Jaguar Paw return so quickly to his village when it took so long to get to the capital on the way in? but these are minor concerns overall, and easily overlooked amidst all the spectacle. Apocalypto probably isn't for everyone it gets a little rough in spots but it is a visual treat, and the story satisfies well enough. If you have any interest you'd probably better go while it's on the big screen, as this would lose something on the smaller home screen.