Apocalypto [DVD] (2006)

So...I went into this with conflicting feelings. I asked around and got mixed reviews from nearly everyone I asked. I was told things like 'It's just gory, there's nothing great about it' to 'It was really intense.' The truth is, it's all up to the viewer. You can see this as a gore filled film that's not dialogue heavy, a gritty look at how beliefs can lead to destruction of lives or even just a great chase film. I enjoyed it, after the cgi heavy movies that keep coming out it was nice to see something that didn't really have that. Sets were made, I think there was an animatronic like animal used at one point. The story has been done before, main character gets captured, his world is shattered and he must find his way back home, if you've seen 10,000 BC then you know what I mean. What this film does differently is that at some moments the 'villains' are almost relatabley human, they're not seen as these untouchable gods of destruction. I actually liked the pack leader of our band of 'bad guys', he was relatable and almost like our main characters opposite in a way, the two view points of their lives complemented each other. It didn't feel overdone set wise either, in fact I don't know what I was expecting but set wise I was really surprised at the choices. In many ways, this film seems really underrated. I had only heard about it in passing and I'm glad I managed to find the time to see it. At the end of the day, it was a good film, well shot and well paced. Characters motives were done well and didn't feel clunky or like it was done just because they wanted it to be cool. Maybe there were a few cultural inaccuracies but it was not as bad as some films I've seen that border on insulting.And that ending, whoo!

This is what blu-ray presentation was made for. An absolutely stunning film that uses the technology to the full. Every rustle of the grass, every whisker of the jaguar's face, was picked out with astonishing clarity. I almost felt I had to wipe the humidity of the jungle off my brow as I watched it. The story is a straightforward tale of a community ripped apart by violent outsiders and the struggle for one of its inhabitants to flee from his captors and return to his doomed family. But it is in such simplicity that the story is made. The villains are bad beyond redemption and you long for their deaths, you root for the hero from the moment he is taken, and you prey for a happy ending to his plight - may his family be saved. Gibson knows exactly what he is doing and the viewer actually cares about what they are watching. Before viewing the movie, I was troubled about the level of violence contained in the film and, whilst there is undoubtedly some gore - ripping out a beating heart is never going to be pretty - I found nothing that wasn't essential to the plot or added to the menacing atmosphere of the period depicted. Don't let the lurid tales put you off. As an archaeologist, I was also drawn into the debate about authenticity but such thoughts were quickly banished by the pulsating intensity and sheer brilliance of the film. Similarly, the subtitles are forgotten and the foreign language even adds to the feeling that what you are witnessing is real; this actually happened. Apocalypto is stunning - an experience rather than a movie.

I remember being blown away by this film when it first cam out. It's long running time seemed to pass in minutes and it wasn't long before this masterpiece was over and I was left stunned. If your haven't seen this film yet - you must - and Blu Ray is the perfect platform for it. But what of those - who like me - have already seen it and own a copy on DVD? Is it worth buying it again on Blu Ray? The simple answer is yes. And especially at this great price. This, quite simply is one of the sort of things Blu Ray is meant for. The Jungle seems to come alive as birds tweet and flys seem to buzz around your surround sound speakers. The scenery is staggeringly beautiful and the jungle seems that much lusher and denser now we can see it in stunning detail. The colour of the sky and the costumes at the temple scene seem vivd, and the people covered in white chalk dust at the mines, and the men painted blue for sacrifice seem to spring from the screen in their vibrancy. The manufacturers of the DVD seem to realise this too, and one of the extras on the Blu Ray is a selection of 'best for Blu Ray' chapters: an option that takes you straight to scenes from the film that look spectacular on Blu Ray and show off what this format is all about (no doubt this will be being used a lot by shops up and own the country trying to sell you all new TVs) To sum up, Apocalypto is as stunning and enjoyable film at the best of times - but those times just got even better. And at this incredible price of under £7 - they just got even, even, even, better again! [...]

The name given to Jaguar Eye by one of his tormentors, "Almost", sums up the experience for me. I'm no expert on the Mayan civilisation but would be willing to bet there were historical inaccuracies in the film, even without being told! That said, feature films are not history lessons and it is unrealistic to expect total fidelity to known facts in the development of a movie. The story has a hypnotic quality and it is very easy to root for the hero. The suspension in reality that results in the superhuman feats of both hunters and hunted is well-maintained, and the backdrop is suitably stunning. Subtitling can be off-putting but in this case, resistance is quickly overcome by the momentum of the story, and the strength of the characters. The quality of acting, direction, photography and sound is outstanding throughout. Other film anoraks may like to note the similarity in theme to Gibson's earlier project, "Braveheart", where ingenuity takes on brute force and sort of half wins. I've held off giving five stars simply because this is quite a harrowing film, and probably not one I would want to watch over and over. There is cruelty a-plenty, which generally speaking is not often to my taste, but it is definitely worth seeing the film at least once.

I first saw Apocalypto when it was released on DVD about a year and a half ago. I found the film to be original and impressive; a breath of fresh air in a historical genre that had become predictable and stale. Whatever you think of Mel Gibson as a person, it's hard to deny that he's a good director. Apocalypto was a huge financial risk on his part, considering he'd taken a very obscure part of history and put his own inventive, original twist on the story. It took a lot of guts to cast unknown Native American actors and have them speak in the Maya language; a risk that most conventional directors would have never taken as it would have beeen box office suicide (especially when you consider the 18 rating). The result is one of the most breathtaking, exciting and vibrant historical epics of the last few years. Gibson took a story that most Hollywood film executives wouldn't touch, and made it into a heart pounding and exhilirating action-adventure. Although the film might sound like your typical art film (subtitles, unknown actors, elaborate costumes, 138 minute running time) Gibson manages to make the film easily understandable without sacrificing its substance. The film although set in the past, is hardly a history lesson. If anything, the film has been widely criticised for its numerous historical inaccuracies, perhaps the largest being that the film is set during the 16th century, but Classical Maya Civilisation had already collapsed between the late 9th and early 10th centuries. With that in mind, it's worth covering the story which is simplistic but displayed with a lot of verve. It revolves around a young hunter named Jaguar Paw who lives in a isolated village, deep in the Yucatan Jungle. Soon enough, the idyll is disrupted when vicious Holcane Warriors descend on the village to slaughter and enslave its people. Jaguar Paw sends his pregnant wife and young son to the relative safety of an abandoned water well, but is himself captured. He is led off on a trail that takes him to the decadent Maya city to be sacrificed to the gods. Making his escape, he must find a way back home to save his family, a journey fraught with danger, where the Holcane Warriors are never far behind. The film is more action adventure than historical drama, and it works very well in that regard. The chase scenes are heart poundingly intense, while the fights are great, although considering its a Mel Gibson film, they are predictably gory - which is not to mention the scenes of human sacrifice - which Gibson portrays with disturbing relish. This is the first Blu-ray film I've purchased and I chose it because I knew that the film was visually stunning: from the colourful costumes and sets, to the scenes of the natural world. I wasn't disappointed with the image quality, as it is displayed with crystal clear clarity on my 1080i screen. I had a copy of the Apocalypto DVD at hand to compare the two, and I can confirm that there is an obvious rise in quality, as the DVD version seems muddy and unclear in comparison. The sound is also brilliant, as you can hear every leaf rustling in the background, and would no doubt be even more impressive on a good quality sound system (I only have small speakers). In terms of special features, the Blu-ray is no different from the DVD. It contains a Backstage director's commentary from Mel Gibson and writer Farhad Safinia, as well as a short and rather pointless delted scene (in very poor quality) complete with its own commentary. There's also a 'Making of' documentary called Becoming Mayan, which explains the backstory for the film. The only original material is a section called 'Movie Showcase' which displays some of the best scenes from the film to showcase you "The Ultimate in High Defintion Picture and Sound". This section is rather pointless considering you'll see these scenes anyway if you watch the film. Overall this is a great film on a brilliant Blu-ray. It could have had more special features, but that aside it's a worthy purchase for anyone with a Blu-ray player. Blu-Ray Features: No of disks: 1. Rating: 18 (contains Strong Bloody Violence and Gore). Running Time 138 Mins (2 hours 20 mins approx). Image: 1080p High Definition/ 1.85:1 plus bonus 1080i & 1080p Definition. Audio: Mayan 5.1 Uncompressed (48khz/24-bit)/English 5.1 Dolby digital. Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish. Bonus English SDH.

Apocalypto [Blu-ray ] This is easily one of my all time favourite movies, and I've seen it many times now. It wasn't until recently though that I was updating my Blu Ray collection and I made sure this was one of the first to be purchased. After stumbling across this movie one night on T.V, it quickly became a firm favourite, I hired the DVD soon after that first viewing to take it all in again. After initially watching it I was suprised I hadn't heard about it before, so I guess there will be lots of people who have seen this movie, yet plenty who haven't. If your one of the people who are thinking of making a blind purchase on this film, then just do it. It may not be a movie thats packed with huge stars, and yes it is subtitled, but its a superb production and top notch Blu ray that will blow you away with its visuals and sound. Apocalypto is a movie with relationships, friendships, family and survival at its core, all glimpsed through the ancient Mayan culture. As such, this is not a film that tries to portray the civilisation through historical fact, but uses this period to tell its tale. The settings of the movie are simple stunning, we have lush green leafy jungle, which is the home of our hero and his tribe, who live a peaceful hunter gatherers existence by respecting their jungle home and gods. The movie is also set in the more 'sophisticated' and developed city with its looming temples, markets and sacrificial sites. Without spoiling the movie, it is when our hero Jaguar Paw, arrives at the temple that we are treated to what I feel is one of the greatest blu ray reference sequences that can be viewed, the colours, clarity, definition and depth are purely breathtaking and I defy anyone to not be impressed.I would recommend that your T.V is calibrated, even using the simplest method as this can make a huge difference, I first watched this movie on my friends T.V in HD, then watched it on my calibrated set, the contrast of the chalk covered bodies compared to the painted blue ones was amazing and I noticed this more because my set is calibrated, this is a good example for calibration. If you are looking for a movie to show off your home theatre kit, then just pop this chapter in on the disc and blow anyone away with the experience. This is a movie that Blu ray was made for. As stated, I have seen this movie many times, but I honestly could not believe the difference in the picture quality. Close up camera work reveals levels of detail in objects that I had previously not noticed, these include the tribal tattoos, jewelry and weapons, once again creating a new viewing experience for me. I've already watched this movie twice since purchase and there's so much detail to take in, my eyes were darting around the screen trying to observe every little detail, and I'm sure I'll be watching it again really soon. On par with the picture quality, the audio is fantastically matched on this disc, dialogue is crystal clear, the rustling of leaves during chase sequences is great, the chants of shamans on temples, rhythmic and hypnotic drumming all come alive and help to immerse you in the experience, thankfully as closely as you would like to be in some scenes, for this is not a movie for children as it is extremely graphic in parts, and the level of violence, although not gratuitous, is very realistic and clear. Natural tribal nudity is also on show, and is in no way offensive. To offset this violence there are scenes of joy & happiness that will have you laughing along, and they will endear you to the jungle tribe, but this can quickly take a turn of events, and your emotions will dip and raise like your riding a roller coaster. The extras on this disc are also in HD and feature some good in-depth features, so another notch for the production work done. Finally, all I can say is that I picked this movie up as a used purchase and its probably the best money I've ever spent. For just over the price of a pint of beer, I've got something that I can watch again & again, impress my non blu ray believer friends who can't tell the difference between DVD/ Blu ray, and I can treasure a great piece of film making.

One of the best made films ever. It was not perhaps recognised as such for several reasons, and if only because Mel Gibson has been appropriately ostracised for inappropriate behaviour in his personal life. But the film was also perhaps misunderstood because most people have little understanding, appreciation, or interest in the history or culture of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Thirdly, the film's dialogue is in original local (Mayan) languages with English subtitles. This can be " off-putting" for some viewers. There is also violence that some might consider gratuitous, though, in fact, it is not. The film does an excellent job of portraying life as it most likely was. (Gibson had well known and highly regarded professional/academic advisors on the project.) It was filmed in Mexico and Costa Rica. The cinematography, film editing, and acting are of Oscar quality. Remarkably, the actors -- and there are hundreds of them -- are 99% locals, mostly untrained. They are there because they are authentic, though costume design and make-up are also extraordinary. Once viewed, the film commands additional viewings. One cannot watch this film once. There is also a Director's cut on most DVDs that features Gibson and his co-writer viewing and commenting on the film together, which offers interesting background and perspective on the making of it. In sum, Apocalypto is a worthy effort and a superb film. And regardless of what one may think of Mel Gibson as a person, he is a superb filmmaker.

It was worth the purchase.