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Once A Villain · 12-08-2006, 12:48 PM

Apocalypto

Still trying to gather my thoughts about it. I have mixed feelings at this point. It was very entertaining, and had some great moments. I could definitely watch it again. However, I wanted an accurate portrayal of the Mayan civilization, and Gibson doesn't provide that.

The Mayans in this film do not appear to care about anything but bloodshed and speaking in tongues to the gods as they gyrate around. These do not appear to be the Mayans that could have built such grand cities or come up with such an accurate calendar. Also, these Mayans appear to be shocked about an eclipse at one point, but the real Mayans would have known an eclipse was coming. Additionally, the ending of the film lets us know that we are viewing the year 1517, long after the classic Mayan civilization had already fallen.

There are far too many liberties taken with history in this movie to see it as anything other than a work of complete fiction. Looking at it like that, however, it's a nicely crafted piece of work. Having watched ROME Season 1 on DVD again recently, I suppose I was expecting something equally great on the big screen about another ancient civilization. Unfortunately, Apocalypto won't replace ROME, but it's worth seeing.

12-08-2006, 12:48 PM	#1852
Once A Villain OUATIJ Creator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,640	Apocalypto Still trying to gather my thoughts about it. I have mixed feelings at this point. It was very entertaining, and had some great moments. I could definitely watch it again. However, I wanted an accurate portrayal of the Mayan civilization, and Gibson doesn't provide that. The Mayans in this film do not appear to care about anything but bloodshed and speaking in tongues to the gods as they gyrate around. These do not appear to be the Mayans that could have built such grand cities or come up with such an accurate calendar. Also, these Mayans appear to be shocked about an eclipse at one point, but the real Mayans would have known an eclipse was coming. Additionally, the ending of the film lets us know that we are viewing the year 1517, long after the classic Mayan civilization had already fallen. There are far too many liberties taken with history in this movie to see it as anything other than a work of complete fiction. Looking at it like that, however, it's a nicely crafted piece of work. Having watched ROME Season 1 on DVD again recently, I suppose I was expecting something equally great on the big screen about another ancient civilization. Unfortunately, Apocalypto won't replace ROME, but it's worth seeing. __________________ Ben Co-Founder Abborado Studios Lead Designer - Once Upon a Time in Japan: Earth Last edited by Once A Villain; 12-10-2006 at 04:02 PM.