Apocalypto - A rare review

Yeah, it's been really long since I found something apparently strong enough to motivate me to write a blog entry. I watched Apocalypto today, and I was mighty impressed! And that's why I call it a rare review, for it's really hard for the common movie-watcher to look beyond the throbbing hearts with blood oozing out, and the graphic scenes of blood and gore. But this review talks about none of that. I know how queasy most people feel watching such stuff, but if, and only if, you are able to digest it, can you really appreciate the movie. Mel Gibson is probably known for his predilection for graphic violence (recall Passion of the Christ?), and knowing that probably helped me to expect what was coming.

First and foremost, I liked the underlying theme of the movie: fearlessness. As Flint Sky, the father of the protagonist, Jaguar Paw, says: "Fear. Deep rotting fear ... Fear is a sickness. It will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages it ... I did not raise you to see you live with fear." And he passes on the same message to his son in his dying moments: "Don't be afraid." The entire movie then shows how Jaguar Paw gradually loses his fear of anything and everything, enabling him to conquer those who seemed far more powerful than him.

I loved the setting of the movie - deep inside the forests of the Yucatan peninsula in the age of the Mayan empire. It was so close to nature, devoid of all the sophistications of the modern world that you normally see in action flicks .... so raw, so real!!! The adrenaline rush that one gets watching them attack each other with clubs and spears is ten times more than watching Neo skittle the "Agents" with his guns - the latter awes you, but it doesn't get under your skin as much as this does. The reason, I think, is because of the realistic nature of the whole thing, giving you the feeling that you too could be on either side. It transports you from a third person view to a second/first person one.

The first half of the movie has a generous dose of humour, allowing you an insight into the lifestyle of the tribals. But once the struggle begins, it's a grave story of life and death. The role of the little diseased girl, though small, leaves an ominous impression. Some of the scenes are just amazingly shot, my pick being the waterfall scene, where Jaguar Paw takes a giant leap of faith for the sake of his survival. Seemingly trivial things, such as the use of giant ants for stitching a wound, and making blow-darts from the venom of a Poison Dart frog, showcase the immense knowledge of Nature possessed by the Mayan people. James Horner's (The Titanic) background score also deserves a mention.

So is there something I didn't like in the movie? Yes. The sequence in which the captives are being taken through the city to the sacrificial altar was a bit too stretched, I felt. Also, if there's something I was simply unable to accommodate in my region of believability, it was the scene where Jaguar Paw's wife delivers a baby underwater (yeah, you read that right!) and then pulls him out of the water, all wet and crying! I'd have imagined the baby to atleast choke a bit?

In the end, Jaguar Paw does survive despite all odds, but not before he espies the Spanish conquistadors making their way ashore in boats. In response to his wife's query if they should go and greet the strangers, he says: "We should go to the forest. To seek a new beginning." And thus continues the story of life ... and death.

Peace.