ScreenArt

Mel Gibson, the director, moderately succeeds in trying to tell a compelling moral tale in the first half. In the second half, he cuts to pure narrative and succeeds in telling a simple tale compellingly. Apocalypto opens with a Will Durant quote which says that a civilization rots from the inside. A Mayan village in 16th century, just before the arrival of Spanish ships is the setting. The chemistry between a husband & a wife, between a father & a son, between a family & it's neighbour, between a tribe & the next one is all told in a 'this is how you do it' style by the super skilled director. The essential set-up makes it clear that this is nothing but the calm before the storm. Marauders arrive - the king's army is scraping the nook & corner for healthy men to be sacrificed for their angry god who has let out incurable diseases on men and crops.

The second half is nothing but a lengthy chase scene - Gibson again proves that he can entertain audiences no matter what the setting or period is. To use on of my earlier phrases, this sequence is as refreshing as a splash of cold water on a desert walker's face. Brilliantly brought to life wilderness of the Yucatan region, breathtaking music and high-octane expressions by Rudy Youngblood, the hunter who is being hunted, all add up to a treat for the mind and the eye. Gibson continues his love for blood & flesh here - heads are chopped after the heart if clinically ripped off living men. Deam Semler's camera, James Horner's orchestra and the editor's scissors all come together to produce a thorough entertainment. At the center of this good vs evil drama is love for one's family, a theme that is being avoided by Hollywood except in the animation studios. This isn't a great movie, but has elements of greatness.

Labels: Apocalypto, Deam Semler, James Horner, Mel Gibson