Jesus, you people are dumbshits. Gender politics? The Mother-in-law thing was, like the infertility cure joke, intended to show that people who live in the jungle aren’t some alien race, but are in many ways just like us. In fact, in a way it was intended to do more than that, since the Mayans are supposed to be, or represent, us (Americans). Gibson is telling you cretins something about yourselves and the sick, decadent society you’ve created that you’re altogether too blind and too vain to see or understand. Still, leaving that aside as requiring more education than a mere forum board can grant, to ascribe the Mother-in-law bit to “gender politics” is so far out in Cloudcuckooland as to render a rational man embarrassed.
So is Gibson going to follow up with another movie in the same setting but with some conquistador carnage?
Finally saw this over a couple of nights last week. Not bad. Some amazing cinematography, and the hair/make-up and costume people deserve some serious accolades. Considering the actors were speaking in Mayan, I thought the direction was excellent as the non-verbal cues really helped convey the feeling in many of the scenes. Funniest moment of our watching the film was when the little girl was pronoucing the prophecy on the band of warriors and my wife says to me “Turn it up some, I can’t hear her.” Um, honey, she’s speaking in Mayan… ;-)
I’m not sure I get how this was supposed to be a reflection of American politics though. The Mayans were suffering disease and degradation of their society brought on by overpopulation and the gulf between the classes in the society. They tried to remedy this the only way they knew how, by turning to religion and throwing themselves into a frenzy of religious ritual. So how does that relate to our current situation?
Is that sarcasm?
…it was?
That’s what people have claimed.
I can see the allusion to a civilization in decline, and even the high priests being corrupt as a slant on modern day corruption in our government. But the slave taking, the human sacrifice, even the appearance of the visitors at the end, none of that correlates to anything specific in modern times, yet all are pivotal to the plot of the movie.
You clearly haven’t seen the thing about the Roswell affidavit in Everything Else!
I’m also pretty sure the triumphantly-thrown hive was a sly reference to the cellphones wiping out the honeybees.
Uber necro.
I avoided watching this for a long time because Braveheart is such a rubbish film.
I’m watching it now, came into it expecting it to be truly shit.
Quite enjoying it.
I’m at the scene after the convenient eclipse, where the boys in blue have to run to the cornfield and beyond.
I can already guess how it all ends but it is enjoyable.
I was really rooting for the non blue guy to get killed in that field.
Edit : the jaguar scene made me smile.
I make that 2 deus ex machina so far, the eclipse and then the jaguar.
The help from his dying fat friend is more believable though.
I think this is a minor classic. A simple action movie, in many ways, but the unique setting makes it special.
Could say this about the Passion too? I know Mel Gibson is kind of polarizing.
You… you… you take that back or you’re going to make me cry. Thread necro just to make me sad… haha
I loved that movie. Made me interested in scotish/english history of that period. On the other hand, I didn’t watch it in 20 years, I don’t want to break my wonderful memories of it.
When I see medieval battle in movies, my brains adds the music of braveheart.
I guess I should see apocalypto.
That’s all it ever was to me. People made too much of a deal about how inaccurate it was (or that it was racist, or he was trying to make some statement), but at the end of the day it was just a standard chase film in a non-standard setting. Never mind that he mixed and matched from several cultures, visually, it was pretty fantastic.
It’s The Naked Prey reframed for South America, ironically minus all the racial baggage of a white dude being chased by African tribesmen. Say what you will about Mel Gibson, but it was an incredibly savvy move to turn it into indigenous warriors vs indigenous hero. Too bad about Gibson’s real-life issues sucking all the air out of the room.
I had to leave the theater during the final Braveheart scene, it made me physically ill. This is why I never watched Apocalypto. I’m not interested in watching slasher movies.
Apocalypto is also a “chase” movie with near-constant frenetic terror and action, so you might like it even less.
Sort of. The actor playing the protagonist is from the US not Mexico/Guatemala, and looks IMO too much like an modern sports athlete to pass as indigenous (at least compared to the rest of the cast). Kind of seemed out of place to me a little bit.
Hold up, you resurrected a 13 year old thread but didn’t wait to finish the movie first? That’s remarkably odd, but carry on.
Were the Mayans in decline at this point? I thought that didn’t happen until Europeans landed and infected everyone with plague, among other things.
I was seriously impressed by the film, needed to get those thoughts out!
I finished the movie, not sure |I liked the ending.
actually, after the convenient eclipse, minus the gauntlet scene, not sure I vibed with it.
highlights were the bee hive and the poisoned darts, confusing/not good parts for me were the viper bite (was that accidental or a trap?) and the pig trap, the sudden leaving alone of Jaguar Paw on the beach at the end and also, when Mr Crazy leader kills one of his guys to encourage the rest to jump over the waterfall.
I didn’t get that last because the dissenter was actually suggesting a safer, surer route to catch the prey.
And, in real life, I think one of the others would have stabbed uber leader and been done with it.
Man, we all have opinions but really? I’m not sure if I should feel foolish for saying it’s one of my favorite movies of all time.
I agree with you Apocalypto is enjoyable though.
Braveheart is the epitome of a certain kind of 90s epic. It’s the best Kevin Costner movie that Costner didn’t make. I absolutely loved it in high school, but I haven’t watched it in a very long time.