07-05-30 Apocalypto (2006)

Seen: May 26th, 2007
Format: Blu-Ray
Rating: 7

You've gotta give Mel Gibosn credit. He may be a bit crazy. He may not exactly have his finger on the pulse of popular anything. But the man has passion and commitment to that passion.

Imagine trying to sell the idea of this picture to investors.

"It's a story set in ancient Mayan culture, with all the dialogue in Mayan, using many Mayan actors, shot in a rainforest, about a man escpoaing catpture and death and trying to make it back to save his family."

This film cost about $40 million to make. Would you have forked that over? Good thing Mel had his own bank from that little religious picture. But enough about Mel.

This is a gorgeous picture, one of those that makes me happy I'm a gear head and completely HD compatible. There's beutiful scenery. There's beautiful moments. There's lush jungle everywhere. There's colorful critters. There a majestic city finished in lavish style. There are amazing costumes.

The attention to detail in this film is stunning. Not that it's completely accurate, but each and every actor and extra is done up in startling completeness. There's a lot of makeup work here, a lot of prosthetics. It's all so impressive and yet so seamless.

The film was made digitally and is so crisp and clean it's almost painful. There are camera moves aplenty. Some excellent angles and transitions. Having listened to commentary on Braveheart I learned that Gibson is very aware of and adept with the camera. Look for a favorite trick of his where he changes the film speed (fps, not ASA) to give a more dynamic feel to the action.

The acting is great. It's a huge bonus to not recognize any of these people. I have not reason at all not to belive that they actually are the characters they're portraying. I'm no anthropologist, but I have no problems buying into the society that's created here.

The only issue, and it's hardly a big one, is the story. Ultimately, at it's core, this is a very fundamental story that's been done many times. While the setting could lend a completely new take on the old standard, it really doesn't reach that far. The plot stays simple and true to form. The arc isn't really that surprising and ultimately we get pretty much what we expect. It's really the only thing holding it back.

See this one if you haven't. It's a decent yarn that's been lovingly rendered. It'd be a different world if every filmmaker showed this level of passion and dedication to their work.

The Good: Visually stunning in all particulars

The Bad: Slave traders

The Ugly: "Run Through the Jungle" stuck in my head