Whether intentional or inadvertent, what director Mel Gibson did here was cast a light on the true history of the world in microcosm, that civilizations rise and fall via the aggressive use of force. And that leaders of warrior tribes rely on fear, courage, power and the threat of death to maintain their supremacy, not only at the top of their own hierarchy, but in the conquest of weaker tribes. A little superstition goes a long way too, as in taking advantage of an unexpected eclipse of the sun to silence and cast terror into the masses. Not to mention a literal translation of an implicit threat that heads will roll. Gibson brings a unique vision to the screen with this jungle drama, unlike most any other picture one is likely to imagine. With a cast of unknowns, he tells a story of unrelenting violence and a deep commitment held by his principal character to escape from his captors and return to his family and freedom. What kept me occupied throughout most of the picture was how Gibson and his film crew managed to capture all of the action and drama that unfolded and make it look as seamless as it did. The film ends with the irony that this civilization too will eventually come to an end with the appearance of the Conquistadors.

"Apocalypto" is a film about the demise of the Mayan civilization. The story revolves around a mesoemedan tribe who has to survive human beings after his village was broken and saved his wife and child...

Gibson obviously has fetish for quasi-historical movies. He sets historical stage and plays fictitious events on it, but so convincing that it is easy to believe they really happened. He's good actor, but much better writer and director. Also, improvement in his movies is evident. He started with typically Hollywood spectacle Braveheart in 1995. Decade later he made hideous The Passion of the Christ, but improvement in directing and production is huge. And two years later we get Apocalypto that overcomes both predecessors beyond comparison. Although it is less historical than previous two, it is much more believable and stronger. I'm anxious to see if the newest Hacksaw Ridge is even better.8/10

(Originally reviewed: 26/02/2017) Mel Gibson can tell a story and here is a film that has originality, respectable acting from an unknown cast and great direction from Gibson himself. I will admit I found the film slightly too violent at times and a bit nasty but at least there was no cannibalism present. The story is utterly engaging, you want to know what's going to happen next, as the film is always interesting and usually unpredictable. The cast are extremely impressive; these actors should be cast in some American films as well as they give solid performances here; this included Rudy Youngblood (Jaguar Paw), Dalia Hernandez (Seven) and Morris BirdYellowhead (Flint Sky) to name a few. I think the cinematography was brilliant and the camera-work exceptional, though the film is all subtitles, I could see that the dialogue was thought out and well chosen, and the picture has a decent sense of humour at times.There were one or two things I didn't like; one is the opening scene, where they kill an animal of some sort and divide it's heart, testicles's and so forth; and within this scene they are joking and one guys eats the balls and I felt slightly uneasy with that disturbing sequence but thankfully it was only a five minute scene, I also didn't see why Gibson needed to show s couple of the prisoners being sacrificed and having their heart cut out and head chopped off and thrown down a flight of steps; this seemed slightly over the top for me; I think one person would have been efficient to show that point. I also didn't like how the film slowed down during the middle where the protagonist and his village; well what's left of them, are captured and it takes a while for them to get to their desired location and it felt like that for me as well; however fortunately it picks up after that and the last half hour or so are entertaining and compelling as hell. Gibson also wrote and produced this picture; which really proves how talented this guy is; his storytelling is always comprehensible and clear, and his visual outlook of the Mayan civilization is equally as good. Overall Apocalypto is an engaging piece of filmmaking with strong performances, solid direction and originality; it's one of those films that has the guts to try something different and continue to surprise; good work Gibson.