I wouldn't call Mel Gibson intelligent, but he is certainly crafty. He knows how to make films that will sell well. He gets every Christian imaginable to come to see his Passion of the Christ - and even gets the Jews to come to see whether it is as anti-Semitic as some have said.
Here, in Apocalypto, Gibson has decided to make a film which will appeal to that most important of demographics - the teenage male. As such, it needs two basic things. A juvenile attraction to everything sexual - especially the male genitalia - and, of course, violence and gore.
Something else about the film - which could also be said about the Passion of the Christ - is that it is highly homo-erotic. Underneath all his machismo, I wonder if Gibson even realizes this fact. The main leads are, almost to a man, stunningly gorgeous and sensual. And of course, given the fact that they are almost completely nude makes this film a gay man's dream come true.
That said, I think that the film has to be divided into two parts. First comes the peaceful everyday life of the Mayan villagers - which I must say came across to me as so completely juvenile in its attempt at humour that I wonder how Gibson can hold his head up in public, never mind be a father to children. Eating tapir testicles, making jokes about a man's concerns about not being able to father children - and giving the same man a supposed cream to help him which in fact burns his genitals (and his wife's mouth)...get it? har har...)is adolescent in the extreme. The second part is made up principally of blood and gore, as people are sacrificed with their hearts ripped out, their heads severed - and during a chase scene just about every manner imaginable is used to kill the trackers of our hero.
So - sex , blood and gore. What more do you need to get those young kids to come into the theatre?
I have given this film a vote of 6 out of 10. If I am less than happy with the facilities of the script, I have to admit two basic things about Apocalypto in general. It is cinematographically gorgeous... it is a visual cornucopia that fascinates from beginning to end. Secondly, it has some of the most striking make-up and costumes to have ever been put on film; head-dresses, tattoos, body "armour" and jewellery, piercings, hairstyles - the imaginative delights never seem to stop. To hell with the story - I could watch those beautiful and expressive faces and body trappings for hours and never be bored.
So the film gets a six - for the visuals despite the pathological subtext.
Here, in Apocalypto, Gibson has decided to make a film which will appeal to that most important of demographics - the teenage male. As such, it needs two basic things. A juvenile attraction to everything sexual - especially the male genitalia - and, of course, violence and gore.
Something else about the film - which could also be said about the Passion of the Christ - is that it is highly homo-erotic. Underneath all his machismo, I wonder if Gibson even realizes this fact. The main leads are, almost to a man, stunningly gorgeous and sensual. And of course, given the fact that they are almost completely nude makes this film a gay man's dream come true.
That said, I think that the film has to be divided into two parts. First comes the peaceful everyday life of the Mayan villagers - which I must say came across to me as so completely juvenile in its attempt at humour that I wonder how Gibson can hold his head up in public, never mind be a father to children. Eating tapir testicles, making jokes about a man's concerns about not being able to father children - and giving the same man a supposed cream to help him which in fact burns his genitals (and his wife's mouth)...get it? har har...)is adolescent in the extreme. The second part is made up principally of blood and gore, as people are sacrificed with their hearts ripped out, their heads severed - and during a chase scene just about every manner imaginable is used to kill the trackers of our hero.
So - sex , blood and gore. What more do you need to get those young kids to come into the theatre?
I have given this film a vote of 6 out of 10. If I am less than happy with the facilities of the script, I have to admit two basic things about Apocalypto in general. It is cinematographically gorgeous... it is a visual cornucopia that fascinates from beginning to end. Secondly, it has some of the most striking make-up and costumes to have ever been put on film; head-dresses, tattoos, body "armour" and jewellery, piercings, hairstyles - the imaginative delights never seem to stop. To hell with the story - I could watch those beautiful and expressive faces and body trappings for hours and never be bored.
So the film gets a six - for the visuals despite the pathological subtext.