Apocalypto

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Controversial as always, director Mel Gibson once again mixes history with dynamic action and moments of intense gore, creating a thrilling hellride of a movie which isn't as historically accurate as some people would like it to be. In Apocalypto, a group of peaceful rain forest natives is viciously attacked by Maya warriors, who sell the survivors into slavery after a gruelling trek through the jungle. Upon arriving, we learn about the many ways available in ancient Central-America to dispatch people to the afterlife. Jaguar Paw, a lone hunter, fights to escape the clutches of his captors to return home and rescue his pregnant wife and young son he hid in a sinkhole, for their safety from the raiders, from starvation, only to be chased by a band of ruthless pursuers out for his blood. Viewers who can stand the abundance of gore will be treated to a spectacular action-adventure flick (as was the case with Braveheart) set in an age still hardly explored by motion pictures, but undoubtedly worthy of less bloody cinematic representation. In the meantime, this film at least gets us interested in the subject.

Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena

Directed by Mel Gibson

USA: Icon Entertainment International, 2006