Apocalypto

Damn Mel Gibson anyway. Just when I've declared I'm never watching one of his movies again he goes and releases "Apocalypto"...and I loved it.

Bastard.

Okay, just ignore the director and focus on the movie. Apocalypto tells the story of an Indian named Jaguar Paw and his little tribe of happy-go-lucky 14th Century Central American Indian Tribe. We meet them while they're out hunting a Tapair. They run into another group of Indians who are hauling ass from something. You'd think that JP's group would get a clue, but hey, that's Happy-Go-Lucky Indians for you. Anyway, JP wakes up to the sound of a barking dog and then all hell breaks loose.

The Mayans have showed up looking for slaves and sacrifices. Their little strike-team makes quick work of JP's tribe and the next thing he knows he's seen his father's throat cut in front of him and he's hidden his pregnant wife and young son in a sink hole. Then next thing he knows he and the surviving members of the tribe and being hauled through the jungle and back to the big Mayan City. The men and women are seperated, the women are auctioned off and the men are painted blue and taken to the big temple for sacrafice.

Did the Mayans know how to party or what?

JP is played by first timer Rudy Youngblood and he's outstanding, as is the rest of the cast. Gibson does a great job of keeping the viewer in the story in spite of the entire film shot in ancient Mayan dialects. Do you remember high school social studies? Do you remember when they covered human sacrifice? Do you remember how boring they made it? Well, Mel gives us a front row seat. You have heart carving and then you've got heads rolling. Gibson brings those silent old Mayan ruins back to full and bloody life. He gives the impression of a culture that's living in excess and has become morally corrupt.

Included with the heart-carving and head-rolling, you've got throat cutting, Jaguar face-eating, a variety of arrow and spear wounds, head-crakin', old-school Indian first aid and Tapair-testicle eating.

There's also a classic "Midnight Cowboy" refference. I'm serious.

Here's why you should see it. This movie depicts an ancient culture that most white folks don't know much about. This movie is "Gladiator" for Hispanic folks and as a history buff I think it's about damned time that their ancient history get's a nod. We've sat through Samuri, Crouching Tigers, Jesus, Moses, Julius Caesar, Vikings, William Wallace and his crazy highlanders so why not Mayans?Also, everything you see in this movie actually happened multiple times, this was the real world and I think it will give you perspective on life.5 stars, but it's a soft five. Gibson gives us almost too much story.