I found it fitting to make Apocalypto the last movie I watched in 2010. If I wanted to get rid of a full year's worth of aggression and violence, Apocalypto could channel it all away. I suppose it's fitting of its maker in that respect.
In many ways, violence defines this movie. Much of it is unnecessarily graphic and seems to be placed in there only for the sake of making the audience squirm. Nonetheless, it excels at painting a vivid image of the human nature to subdue and conquer. The Mayans understood raping and pillaging just as well as the Huns, the Romans, the British imperialists, and the American colonists. By graphically revealing the violent tendencies of a civilization often held to be the victim of outside aggression, Gibson has highlighted the fact that all civilizations have been, at some point, capable of dehumanizing others and committing atrocities. The good, therefore, lies in whomever has the courage to oppose these atrocities.
While I expected our protagonist, Jaguar Paw, to take down the entire Mayan civilization in two hours, I was satisfied that his battles stayed personal. Though he didn't take a particularly active role in most of the story, being bound to a slave pole, the world through which he traveled, more than compensated. The costume design was extraordinary. The piercings, tattoos, and fantastic feather and skeletal attire were worth every second to behold, though I snickered when I realized that the women and children were dressed according to Christian modesty. I enjoyed the prop design as well. The tapir trap made me cringe, and the ridiculous puppet jaguar made me laugh out loud. Oh wait, that wasn't supposed to happen. Nonetheless, our hero managed to survive it all, despite a soon-to-be-badly-infected set of wounds, though the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in the final moments leaves us less than hopeful for their long-term well being.
Through the despair and violence, anyone who views the aptly named Apocalypto is compelled to sit back and take two things into mind: that there is no final solution and that there is no choice, when faced by utter destruction, but to move on. For its fantastic production design, engrossing plot, and thought-provoking elements, I'd give Apocalypto four stars.
In many ways, violence defines this movie. Much of it is unnecessarily graphic and seems to be placed in there only for the sake of making the audience squirm. Nonetheless, it excels at painting a vivid image of the human nature to subdue and conquer. The Mayans understood raping and pillaging just as well as the Huns, the Romans, the British imperialists, and the American colonists. By graphically revealing the violent tendencies of a civilization often held to be the victim of outside aggression, Gibson has highlighted the fact that all civilizations have been, at some point, capable of dehumanizing others and committing atrocities. The good, therefore, lies in whomever has the courage to oppose these atrocities.
While I expected our protagonist, Jaguar Paw, to take down the entire Mayan civilization in two hours, I was satisfied that his battles stayed personal. Though he didn't take a particularly active role in most of the story, being bound to a slave pole, the world through which he traveled, more than compensated. The costume design was extraordinary. The piercings, tattoos, and fantastic feather and skeletal attire were worth every second to behold, though I snickered when I realized that the women and children were dressed according to Christian modesty. I enjoyed the prop design as well. The tapir trap made me cringe, and the ridiculous puppet jaguar made me laugh out loud. Oh wait, that wasn't supposed to happen. Nonetheless, our hero managed to survive it all, despite a soon-to-be-badly-infected set of wounds, though the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in the final moments leaves us less than hopeful for their long-term well being.
Through the despair and violence, anyone who views the aptly named Apocalypto is compelled to sit back and take two things into mind: that there is no final solution and that there is no choice, when faced by utter destruction, but to move on. For its fantastic production design, engrossing plot, and thought-provoking elements, I'd give Apocalypto four stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment