Mel Gibson has gotten a lot of press in the last year...nearly all of it casting the actor/writer/director/producer in a negative light.  Lucky for Mr. Gibson, I don’t really CARE what he does in his personal life.  I watch movies and I review movies...not movie stars or movie makers.  Unfortunately for Mr. Gibson, most journalists of any nature (even those whose job it is to simply review media) find it much easier and sensational to focus on “the big story” instead of the task at hand.  I can only assume that it is for this reason that the amazing motion picture Apocalypto was given only the most cursory of nods from the Academy (nominations for Make-Up, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing) a scant six months after Gibson’s headline-making actions. 

But whether or not Apocalypto was included amongst such films as The Queen and Little Miss Sunshine for Best Picture, and regardless of Gibson’s inclusion amongst Clint Eastwood and the overstuffed Paul Greengrass for Best Achievement in Directing, the fact remains that this film is amongst the best, if not THE best picture of 2006.  Known now for his powerful tales of foreign lands in bygone times, each given the sort of fantastical embellishment that only Gibson achieves with such success, the director certainly doesn’t fail to deliver here; and in fact only solidifies his place as a master of the historical epic.

Apocalypto takes place in the early 16^th century at the point where the Mayan culture is on the brink, toppling over from a top heavy ruling class, fueled by both the legitimate power of scientific and technological discoveries and the illegitimate and invented favor of the divine sun-god.  Urban areas where humanity is giving way to industry and religious fervor are threatening to engulf the small villages where life still holds a value and duty to family is still the highest calling.  All of this, and it is still only a matter of time before conquering Europeans land on these shores and seal the already unavoidable fate.  But in such places, there are always those who refuse to give in...refuse to accept the ways of decadence and human sacrifice.  Jaguar Paw is one such man.

Taught much by his fellow villagers and especially his father (a respected member of their tribe), Jaguar Paw knows what it is to live free and be at peace with not only those around him, but the very land itself.  Because of this knowledge, he is of the first to recognize the signs of impending danger.  When a group of mercenary kidnappers come to his village to round up female slaves to be sold in the city and gather strong men to be sacrificed to a false god, Jaguar Paw sees everything he has ever loved or known threatened with immediate extinction, and has time only to hide away his wife and child before he himself is taken by the invaders.

As he faces one nightmare after another, Jaguar Paw’s focus is on nothing but finding a way to return to his family...to save them from the dangers this new presence has brought among them.  Soon the young native is on the run, chased by not only a murderous band of villains, but his own inner demons as well.  The amazing jungles of Central America (actually the jungles of remote areas in Mexico were used) play backdrop to a chase in which more than the life and death of a man and his family is at stake.  In fact, the events playing out here just may spell doom for an entire nation...an entire people...an entire way of life.

Apocalypto is a feast for the eyes; the sheer amount of wonders that pass across the screen threaten to overload your optic sensors and during my viewing there were times I even found myself pausing and replaying scenes simply to take it all in at my own pace.  The costumes, props, sets and makeup are astoundingly detailed and bring to life a people who have for so long gone unseen by popular entertainment.  The characters and locales seem to explode from the screen and engulf you in their reality...such dynamic visuals are seldom attempted and even more rarely achieved.

The stunning clothing and weaponry in Apocalypto all had to be designed from the ground up; ancient artwork and stone carvings being the only resource available to the production crew.  There is simply NO excuse as to Dreamgirls and The Queen being nominated for Oscars in costuming (both films where clothing styles can be seen and copied from any stock footage of that time) and this film not even getting the nod.  A more stunning representation of a forgotten era has not been achieved...with perhaps the exception of Peter Jackson’s fantasy masterpiece The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Gibson’s storytelling is as equally beautiful as his film’s visuals.  If there is one strength to Gibson’s narratives, it is his ability to make the peoples of any time and place relevant to us all.  A group of men in one of his pictures, whether Mayan, Scottish or Hebrew, will act, talk, play and work the same as any group of men today.  A woman feels the same emotions and nurtures her family in the same ways...and communities interact and face difficulties in the same timeless manner.  Whether it is the occasional dirty joke, a spat between husband and wife, or just plain old human spirit, Gibson brings a certain amount of humanity to all of his characters that we can all identify with.

Another trend in Mel’s directorial style that is continued here is the use of extreme violence as a means to an end.  There are few who can accuse the director of gratuitous misuse of blood and guts and those who do simply don’t understand the power that is given to an image when it is hard to watch.  Implied violence does little to build a sense of fear and communicate effectively the extent of an atrocity.  Ask yourself, which effects you more...having someone tell you that the neighbors dog was hit by a car or seeing it happen...which would have you running for a leash for your own dog faster?  The use of hyper violent action is an actual skill which Gibson has forged into his own personal hallmark...creating along the way many powerful scenes that resonate with the most important movie moments of film history.

Remarkably detailed production, non-stop tension and dramatic action, believable, familiar and sympathetic characters and a universal tale of the fight against progress and overbearing governments and religions make Apocalypto one of the most exciting, one of the most grandiose and one of the most important films of the last several years.  If you got caught up in all the hype, tabloid headlines and Saturday Night Live jokes and didn’t go see Apocalypto because you were feeling righteous and indignant...there is now an easy way to rectify your mistake: Go buy it.  If you missed it for other reasons, put this one in your Amazon.com favorites, pick it up over the weekend, or just make sure that you give yourself a chance to see what, by all rights, should have been the picture of the year.

-aaron-