Over the weekend, I finally got around to seeing the movie, “Apocalypto,” which was directed by Mel Gibson. The movie was released in December 2006 and is 140 minutes long. Gross revenues from the film totaled $120,654,337. (Not bad when you consider it was shot for $40 million.)The story takes place in Mexico during the early 1500s, during the decline of the Mayan civilization and just before first contact with European explorers. The story centers on a tribesman who has to escape human sacrifice and rescue his family after the capture and destruction of his jungle village.
I enjoyed the movie because it opened a window into the lives of Mesoamericans and Mayans of that time. (Whether or not the movie was entirely historically accurate remains up for debate.) The characters were compelling, and I think most folks would be able to identify with them and “put themselves in their shoes.”
Be forewarned, this movie is not for the squeamish. It contains graphic footage of hand-to-hand combat as well as beheadings, dead bodies, etc. In fact, there was at least one point in the movie, where I almost turned it off to go do something else. The desire to see how the story turned out was the only reason I kept watching.
In the end, I give this movie an A. Apparently many people agreed because the movie received and was nominated for a number of awards. I was surprised to learn that the movie was nominated for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Direction and for Best International Film.
Have any of you out there seen this movie? If so, what did you think about it?
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