Mel Gibson (movie strutters only, NRR)

rasta · December 2006

Has anyone seen the Apocalypto movie?I missed the Passion movie, but I thought the new movie has merit. Yeah there are the occasional chez parts, but all in all it was pretty decent. I thought it was pretty reminiscent of Braveheart. It had a good plot, and the action was

Discuss.Is Mel

oris he

piedpiper · December 2006

apocalypto is a well done and entertaining movie, but mel gibson is

SPlDEY · January 2007

(SPOILERS!!!)

As, I just watched it.. decided to share with the strut my thoughts.

From the opening 5 minutes that looked like they were filmed in Mel Gibson's backyard.. I knew what we were in for.

The film is shot in digital without any light processing to make it less cinematic and more "realistic". It's like shooting a movie at home except using digital effects (a la burger king commercials) and using Mel Gibsons budget. It kind of works in the High Speed shots, but then there's some shots that have like a camera riding on a stuffed animal boar(and later on panther) that fails miserably.

Oh well.. First 10 minutes and the dialouge makes me want to vomit. I'm sure they're speaking some mayan language, but the script had to have been written by one of Mel's sons. (What's the mayan word for "Ball Eater?")

At this point I was sick of the film, and feeling like the cast were bad extras from King Kong, and Brave New world. I stuck through it. The movie does a semi-alright job of establishing familiarity with a few cast members, but you never got a feeling of reality or that anyone cared about each other. However when the characters are finally brought into the city (and why weren't they familiar with the city?) the production design, costumes, and the digital effects really take you a time cinematically that is beautiful and interesting.

I was hoping this movie wasn't going to turn these people into spear chucking savages. Ultimately though that did happen. The people in the city are seen as bloodthirsty savages, that are going to sacrifice random people for no reason. That just has piles of dead bodies laying around.

I just don't entirely agree with calling the mayan people a bunch of savages that don't know what a freakin eclipse is. The main characters wife pops out a baby, and then surprise surprise some cliche columbus like explorers are coming to kill of the civilization. I was thoroughly fucken sick of the whole thing, and started to walk out as the movie came to a close.
(/SPOILERS)

At no fault to the actors, or the scenery or design team did this movie fail. It was definitely the writing and direction. Storytelling wise this movie breaks no ground it overall feels like a bad 80's movie with pretty clothing.

- spidey

Jazzsucka · January 2007

The trailer to this movie reminded me of the "natives"/orcs in Peter Jackson's King Kong

, and spidey's review confirmed my repulsion to it. I don't really want to see it.
I think Gibson should stick to representing his Scottish ancestors.

Outsider · January 2007

"Everyone said Mel Gibson couldn't play a Scot, but look at him now. Alcoholic and a racist!" - Frankie Boyle

Snagglepus · January 2007

(and why weren't they familiar with the city?)

Yeah ... I found that plot detail a bit curious. In general, I enjoyed the movie. Basically, it amounts to being a pretty fun action movie. But don't look too deep or you'll end up disappointed.

djkingotto · January 2007

i dug this movie too, though i see your points and agree for the most part. the thing i appreciate about mel's movies so far is that they always speak the language of the part of the world they are in. MUCH better than everyone having a generic english accent every time it takes place anywhere but the states.

DjArcadian · January 2007

I would like to hear what Guzzo has to say on this.

Young_Phonics · January 2007

i liked it and believe me I wanted and was looking to find something wrong with it.

Young_Phonics · January 2007

(SPOILERS!!!)

At this point I was sick of the film, and feeling like the cast were bad extras from King Kong

I think that nugget of information speaks more about you and your perceptions than anything else.

but you never got a feeling of reality or that anyone cared about each

We saw different movies. The wife in the cave? Jaguar Paw running back to save his family? The parts showing the aftermath when the village was first attacked? That didn't convey any type of feeling to you?

However when the characters are finally brought into the city (and why weren't they familiar with the city?)

Let me ask you why would they be familiar with the city?

I was hoping this movie wasn't going to turn these people into spear chucking savages.

Again this speaks more about your hangups than anything else.

Ultimately though that did happen. The people in the city are seen as bloodthirsty savages, that are going to sacrifice random people for no reason. That just has piles of dead bodies laying around.

Again we saw different movies, sacrifices where commonplace in some ancient religons. And in this case it was was done to appease the Gods and end their famine. I guess when the high priest was saying all this and it was clearly spelled out in simple English subtitles that might have been hard to understand.

I just don't entirely[/b] agree with calling the mayan people a bunch of savages

wow. see my responses for #1 & #3

nzshadow · January 2007

Albasurfbikinifootball...

its like a dream world. and im living in it.

did you see that ass?

awww man, im going to go skip.

Jonny_Paycheck · January 2007

3rd row, 3rd from the left.

the far right ain't too shabby neither.

nzshadow · January 2007

well goodness gracious if you didnt just read my mind.

SPlDEY · January 2007

We saw different movies. The wife in the cave? Jaguar Paw running back to save his family? The parts showing the aftermath when the village was first attacked? That didn't convey any type of feeling to you?

I've seen better character relationships in lethal weapon films. 2 dick jokes into the movie, and this felt like I was watching a corey feldman flick.

Let me ask you why would they be familiar with the city?

Cause it's a huge fuckin city just across the river. Come on.

Again this speaks more about your hangups than anything else.

Cause I don't like exploitive and racist movies. I see my bad.

Again we saw different movies, sacrifices where commonplace in some ancient religons. And in this case it was was done to appease the Gods and end their famine. I guess when the high priest was saying all this and it was clearly spelled out in simple English subtitles that might have been hard to understand.

So According to you and Mel Gibson, Sacrifices defined the mayan culture? Alrighty.

-spidey

Pistol_Pete · January 2007

Albasurfbikinifootball...

its like a dream world. and im living in it.

did you see that ass?

awww man, im going to go skip.

what are you talking about?

nzshadow · January 2007

Albasurfbikinifootball...

its like a dream world. and im living in it.

did you see that ass?

awww man, im going to go skip.

what are you talking about?

the truth my friend, the truth.

im talkin about a shining beacon of hope in a world otherwise empty of sweet sweet sweetness, im talkin about the good lord answering my prayers in 2007 and bestowing upon me surf frollickin.

oh lordy, i love life right now.

djdaze · January 2007

i liked it and believe me I wanted and was looking to find something wrong with it.

why don't you try starting with the quote he opened the fucking movie with, that shit was so degrading to the Mayan/Aztec culture it was stunning.

I didn't put it together until he showed the conquistadors coming over in their boats at the end of the movie and my roomate said "of course mel gibson had to toss some christianity in there". Which is fine because it DID happen but...then it hit me that the movie opened with a quote that said something like "a civilization cannot be destroyed from outside until it destroys itself from within"

fuck that movie

SPlDEY · January 2007

SO, I became interested in what Mel had to say about all this. Before, I'm later further upset with this movie stealing awards from far more deserving directors.

CS: What was it about the Mayan people or that era that got you interested in trying something like this?

Gibson: Well, no, it wasn't that. At first, I was just trying to make a chase film, but I wanted to make it a chase film that didn't have automobiles, so I thought of a foot chase. And I thought, "Well, where would you have a foot chase? You'd have a foot chase in some place that was a long time ago. And let me see, where can that be? Oh, this is interesting. No one's really looked at this much before. And what's more interesting is that the civilization dates back to millennia before the Europeans arrived." And that to me, musing on what might have happened before Europe arrived—because we have this conceit that history began when we got here--I thought that was interesting. Most people do it when the boats arrive, and then the fun starts, but I wanted to do it the other way around, and look what was before all that

CS: How do you think all those people of different races and cultures ended up there?

Gibson: How they came there? Well, I leave you to extrapolate that. Those cities were there, and they gathered for safety, for community, they gathered for culture, they gathered for the love of one another, and identity. Like people root for football teams, you just gravitate to something. Why do people go to cities now? They want to make something, they want to do something, they want to be something. Men have these aspirations from the year Dot, and they want to be in each other's company and in a society and build something together. They'll often be corrupted together. The locations were key because where they built these cities was where they were safe, and where they knew they could have an abundant food supply, and the people used to come from all around and become part of that big society.

Gibson: Yeah. But I just felt a compulsion to tell that story in that way. It's hard and it's brutal, but I think it's appropriate for the time and the subject matter. I've been criticized ...

Loder: By people who haven't seen movies like "Hostel," apparently, which is a far more violent picture.

Gibson: Well, I think so. "Hostel" was a horrifyingly violent film. I don't think ours is gratuitous. I think it's less violent than "Braveheart." It is violent, yeah. But it was a violent culture. Just thank God we didn't show you the enemas.

Loder: The enemas?

Gibson: Yeah. There are whole Mayan wall murals devoted to guys getting enemas from these women in public. It would have been like public enema number one. So we did spare you that. Critics who call this movie a bloodbath — I don't know, I think that's a little over the top.

Loder: At the end of "Apocalypto," the first Spanish explorers arrive in the Mayan empire, and they're carrying a large cross. I know you're Catholic: What do you think was the effect of Christianity on these pagan cultures?

Gibson: Well, there were only a few hundred conquistadors, and their weaponry wasn't that far superior. The Mayans could pierce their armor — these cleavers that they had could cut a side of beef in half. So how did the conquistadors take power? I think that the majority of the populace was really discontented with what was going on. They didn't dig it. Twenty-thousand people being bumped off? It was like, who's next? And they began to rebel. I think the conquistadors led more of a revolution with the help of the people.

But many of these conquistadors were pretty wild guys — you weren't getting the cream of the crop from Spain, okay? They considered the people to be animals, without souls. And so indiscriminate killing was also part of what they did. And they actually recorded that it was the Franciscans baptizing these people that saved them from being killed — the conquistadors wouldn't kill them because they figured they must have a soul. I think that Christianity gets a bum rap a lot of the time in the history books. But you've got to consider who's writing them.

I have alot to say on this but no time.

- spidey

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Mel Gibson (movie strutters only, NRR)

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