GibsonвЂ™s devotion to realism really pays off because, for once, you actually believe that youвЂ™re watching something from the time period. Even more impressive is the recreation of the ancient civilization. Because the dialogue of Apocalypto is in Yucatec, an ancient Mayan language, Gibson keeps the dialogue down to a minimum, which makes the visuals impressive. Mel Gibson has always been a master at visual direction and Apocalypto is no exception. And this is what makes the film the thrilling adventure it is. The crux of the film chronicles Jaguar PawвЂ™s escape from his captives and his journey back home to find his wife and child. He and his fellow tribesmen are then captured. His world is destroyed one morning when the village is ravaged and burnt to the ground by hunters from the Mayan civilization. The heart of the story revolves around Jaguar Paw, a young tribesman who lives with his very pregnant wife, child and extended family in his village in the middle of the rainforests В- the filmвЂ™s world looks like something out of Thomas MoreвЂ™s Utopia. This is sad because Apocalypto deserves to make at least the same amount of money The Passion of the Christ made.

This will undoubtedly hurt its box office numbers. Apocalypto has the added disadvantage of GibsonвЂ™s anti-Semitic rants over the summer. Also, there isnвЂ™t any controversial buzz surrounding the film. However, unlike The Passion of the Christ, it wonвЂ™t have Christian fanatics or churches supporting it. If decapitations, blood, gore and faces being ripped off donвЂ™t appeal to you, then chances are good that you wonвЂ™t enjoy this movie. And like The Passion, itвЂ™s an extremely violent and bloody affair. Like the Jesus movie, it is set in an ancient time period. Like The Passion, it is spoken in an ancient language. It shows us that mankind may have evolved a lot since its beginnings, but our primal animalistic nature still remains.ДЄpocalypto shares many similarities with The Passion of the Christ.

It takes you into a world that has never been filmed before and shows us the genius of a civilization, but also reveals its barbaric side. The directorвЂ™s fourth film is a huge improvement over his previous film, the supremely over-rated and $300 million-grossing The Passion of the Christ.ДЄpocalypto is engaging, involving and, above all, interesting. Only Mel Gibson would make a film as bizarre and sensational as Apocalypto.

Apocalypto review