Darcy and I went to see “Apocalypto” (I mean, “Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto”) this past weekend. I think I go into a Mel Gibson-directed movie the way I go into an authentic Chinese restaurant–I’m sure I’m going to really like some things there, but other stuff, like squid, I’m not going to like. It might give my stomach a ride I didn’t want to take.
The film is about a guy, Jaguar Paw, who lives in Central America somewhere in the 1500’s, with his family and his peaceful village. Then some bad Mayans show up, all decked out in human jawbones, and enslave everybody. He’s led off to the Mayan capital, where he and his friends are supposed to be sacrificed to the sun god. I won’t give away more there, but I had read enough to know what to expect. And I imagine you can imagine…Mayan human sacrifice didn’t involve anything related to velour or fine scotch.
Anyway, the violence is quite strong, although I thought not quite as strong as either Braveheart or Passion of the Christ (for some reason I want to compare Apocalypto to Mel’s other movies and not just other violent movies, like Gladiator). The story is good, the set pieces are good, the action is taut and the acting, although all the dialogue is in a Mayan dialect, is actually good too.
Here’s my problem, and I suppose it’s more of an observation. This was an entertaining movie, and I might even want to see it again. But Mel’s two last movies, for lack of a better way to put it, mean more. Braveheart is very bloody, yes, but it inspires. I’ve heard countless mens’ and students’ talks on living one’s life for eternity, for refusing to settle for mediocrity. I remember thinking more than once, “Man, we need a new movie!” And we all know about the Passion…it’s not the highest grossing rated-R movie because people like watching people get crucified. It’s affirmed faith all over the world.
But then we have Apocalypto. Yes, it’s interesting. And it’s relevant–slavery, man’s inhumanity to man, frailty of culture–this will always be relevant. But the violence in Mel’s other movies underscored the gravity of his topics. This time it just seems like a by-product. The Mayans were brutal…human sacrifice is bad…the desire to survive is strong…but we knew all that.
