•
Rating:
Mel Gibson - Apocalypto - 2006
It has been several years now that, shocked by the claustrophobic experience of multiplex cinemas, I wait for the corpses of films to appear on TV. Yesterday, I happened to watch Apocalypto on La7. The film was bombarded with negative reviews, to the point that some saw it as a shift towards splatter cinema, and at the box office it was a half flop. But I must say that despite some historical discrepancies - the Mayans of the '500s were already nearing extinction, while the civilization of bloodthirsty priests and warriors in the film more closely resembles the Aztecs - I said that the film grabs you, nails you to the sofa, excites you; in short, it's a great film. While I was never convinced by The Passion-Gerini, Celentano, and above all that lame fish Bellucci are completely faked and out of place-Apocalypto, thanks to the excellent casting - using the right non-actor faces, native Americans acting in the Mayan language, convinces you, makes you live 2 hours of a space-time tunnel in pre-Columbian America.
It cost 60 million dollars, and it shows: the use of special effects is enjoyable, the load of special digital camera equipment for countless shots this time does not make you miss the film, the costumes are fantastic, the lights too, Mel’s good moral is not invasive, and for this reason, it can be interpreted in a way that pleases both the public and the critics. An excellent choice was to have the Spaniards appear only at the end, with the ships that seem like UFOs upon landing, as they are objects foreign to the fighting warriors, champions of two civilizations nevertheless destined for extinction.
Perhaps only Jaguar Paw has some extra chance of making it, seeking a new beginning in the forest, distrusting the Europeans. Fatalistic about the cyclical decline of civilizations - forest versus city, family versus corrupt State, hunters versus urbanized and decadent "Mayans", I saw in the film the tears and blood we are paying with our hearts, our skin; the bewildered and epileptic priest is the former premier, the speechless president is the emperor in the background, the sacrificing priest is the minister of economic development, Monti holds the heads of the decapitated, and the dumb populace cheers at each goal.
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By jackas
Gibson was accused of using disturbing and violent images in an exaggerated and disrespectful manner and of not respecting historical accuracy in the depiction of the Maya civilization.
It is still worth watching, with all its flaws and peculiarities: an original film in direction, well-crafted, blending history and action into a product that is, after all, interesting and enjoyable.
