Apocalypto

B+

It's only natural that Mel Gibson's follow-up to The Passion of the Christ should bear the burden of expectation. If it's any good as The Passion (and not forgetting Braveheart), a movie of the last days of the Mayan Empire could be an instant classic. And for about two-thirds of its running length, Apocalypto lives up to the expectation. However, the movie plunges down in its third act into something that would remind everyone of Predator. This is not only perfunctory, but it takes attention away from the main story.

Apocalypto started well and continued to be better. It starts with introducing us with Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a young warrior in a small village in the rainforest (which presumably would be present-day Southern Mexico), where the small community lives by hunting and gathering around bonfire at night. Early one morning, Jaguar Paw wakes up to his worst nightmare. A band of slave-traders are attacking his village. He barely had time to lower his pregnant wife and small son to hide in a deep pit before he himself is attacked and subsequently captured. He desperately needs to come back for his wife and son had no chance of climbing out of the pit by themselves. The film's second act depicts the villagers' journey into the Mayan capital, all the while being tormented by his captor Zero Wolf (Raoul Trujillo) and his sadistic henchman Snake Ink (Rodolfo Palacios). This is Apocalypto's high-point. We are served with life during the Mayan empire with reminiscent of the Roman streets and Colosseum in Gladiator. Then Jaguar Paw managed to break away from his captors and races back to the forest, with Zero Wolf and his henchmen hot in pursuit.

Mel Gibson shot Apocalypto in a way that is different from his previous efforts. Apocalypto seems to have a documentary quality to it; using hand-held cameras and natural colours, the movie is down-to-earth (it contrasts the lush cinematography of The Passion and Braveheart). This works well because there is alot of running done by the characters and also it creates a uniquely gritty look. But it didn't take long for me to stop noticing the technical aspects and be totally immersed in the story - perhaps a definitive testament to Gibson being a masterful storyteller. Within the first 30 minutes alone, he brings us into the world of a different time, introduces us to the main characters, hinted at the underlying theme of the movie - the insatiable, barbaric nature of men - and at the same time generously throwing humour into the proceedings. Over the next hour, after a somewhat brutal attack by Zero Wolf on the village, Apocalypto shifts into a travelogue as the newly enslavened tribe treks mountainsides and crosses rivers into the Mayan city and its pyramid temples. All this while, it never loses the heart of the story, which lies with Jaguar Paw's survival and his trapped family that faces starvation and floods as rainwater gets contained in the pit. He is the only one who knows where they are. He is the only one who can save them.

Then the third act came, and it plays down the visceral experience that has been so well-maintained. This is where the movie loses focus. It becomes an action movie, and a rather lame one at that: a series of what's-what-in-a-rainforest-that-could-kill- you. It could not have been more predictable. Perhaps this was meant to enliven Jaguar Paw's sprint to his former village, but for a movie that had so perfectly mixed pathos and grandeur, it was not on par.

The performances in this movie are flawless. Actors are chosen not only for their looks (which looks fairly authentic), but also their ability to act non-verbally. The entire movie is subtitled, but all actors are luminous in showing menace or dignity, fear or strength of heart. So while Apocalypto makes an unwarranted mistake towards the end, it still possesses attributes that warrant viewing at least once.
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