In the prehistoric past, D'Leh is a mammoth hunter who bonds with the beautiful Evolet. When warriors on horseback capture Evolet and the tribesmen, D'Leh must embark on an odyssey to save his true love.
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world's finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent.
When his secret bride is executed for assaulting an English soldier who tried to rape her, William Wallace begins a revolt against King Edward I of England.
Director:
Mel Gibson
Stars:
Mel Gibson,
Sophie Marceau,
Patrick McGoohan
World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
Director:
Mel Gibson
Stars:
Andrew Garfield,
Sam Worthington,
Luke Bracey
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
In the Maya civilization, a peaceful tribe is brutally attacked by warriors seeking slaves and human beings for sacrifice for their gods. Jaguar Paw hides his pregnant wife and his son in a deep hole nearby their tribe and is captured while fighting with his people. An eclipse spares his life from the sacrifice and later he has to fight to survive and save his beloved family.Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(at around 35 mins) As a teenager, Mel Gibson was once called "almost" by an older boy, a deep insult. That inspired the line in which a headhunter calls Jaguar Paw "almost." See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 55 mins) The diameter of the tube created with the leaf to shoot the blow-darts was far too large to propel a dart without feathers or cotton to block off the escaping force of breath. A dart alone would barely make it out of a tube of that size, as most of the breath would be wasted blowing right over the top of the dart. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
title card:
"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." W. Durant
See more »
Crazy Credits
The movie is dedicated "In Remembrance of Abel." This honors the Mexican character actor Abel Woolrich, whose career spanned over thirty years of Mexican cinema. Woolrich had one scene in Apocalypto ("Laughing Man") but he died before the movie was released. See more »
I've been a professional archaeologist for 21 yrs. And despite having only worked on a few projects involving the Maya, I am well aware of the vast cinematic license used in Apocalypto - as well as the many aspects of Mayan life that the film's creators got right. My purpose however, is not to discuss ANY of this. Rather, I want to appreciate the film for exactly what it is - an entertaining and heroic story set in ancient Mesoamerica with the usual Mel Gibson attention to atmospheric use of details. The actors speak Mayan, but this is not The Passion of Kukulcan. The script nicely shows the range of customs and culture that actually thrived in Post-Classic Mayan times, and for once, depicts Native Americans as people with senses of humor! The costuming and sets are amazing and the warfare is honestly and brutally depicted.
Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is the son of a chief in a small Mayan lowlands forest village during Post-Classic collapse. These Maya may well be ancestors of the contemporary Lacandon. Refugees have been seen in the forest and foreshadow a coming disaster. That shadow is a merciless battalion of mercenaries working for the patron god of a nearby urban center. They are seeking slaves and sacrificial victims. What can Jaguar Paw do to protect his young child, his pregnant wife, and his beloved village?
Unlike some of Gibson's recent films, Apocalypto is a fairly straightforward adventure story with a lot of brutal action. It also hints at subtle but intelligent critique of religious fanaticism, elitism and classism, and displays a great respect (though not exaggerated, worshipful or patronizing) for the living culture it loosely portrays.
Acting: A
Directing: A
Cinematography: A+
Sets: A
Costumes: A+
Story: B
Script: B
Historical Accuracy: C- (but who cares?)
Worth seeing for adventure fans, and fans of ancient warfare films. But turn to Archaeology Magazine or Latin American Antiquity if you're too concerned with facts to enjoy prehistoric fiction.
21 of 28 people found this review helpful.
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I've been a professional archaeologist for 21 yrs. And despite having only worked on a few projects involving the Maya, I am well aware of the vast cinematic license used in Apocalypto - as well as the many aspects of Mayan life that the film's creators got right. My purpose however, is not to discuss ANY of this. Rather, I want to appreciate the film for exactly what it is - an entertaining and heroic story set in ancient Mesoamerica with the usual Mel Gibson attention to atmospheric use of details. The actors speak Mayan, but this is not The Passion of Kukulcan. The script nicely shows the range of customs and culture that actually thrived in Post-Classic Mayan times, and for once, depicts Native Americans as people with senses of humor! The costuming and sets are amazing and the warfare is honestly and brutally depicted.
Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is the son of a chief in a small Mayan lowlands forest village during Post-Classic collapse. These Maya may well be ancestors of the contemporary Lacandon. Refugees have been seen in the forest and foreshadow a coming disaster. That shadow is a merciless battalion of mercenaries working for the patron god of a nearby urban center. They are seeking slaves and sacrificial victims. What can Jaguar Paw do to protect his young child, his pregnant wife, and his beloved village?
Unlike some of Gibson's recent films, Apocalypto is a fairly straightforward adventure story with a lot of brutal action. It also hints at subtle but intelligent critique of religious fanaticism, elitism and classism, and displays a great respect (though not exaggerated, worshipful or patronizing) for the living culture it loosely portrays.
Acting: A
Directing: A
Cinematography: A+
Sets: A
Costumes: A+
Story: B
Script: B
Historical Accuracy: C- (but who cares?)
Worth seeing for adventure fans, and fans of ancient warfare films. But turn to Archaeology Magazine or Latin American Antiquity if you're too concerned with facts to enjoy prehistoric fiction.