Apocalypto is a 2006 film directed by Mel Gibson set in Central America 600 years ago during the decline of the Maya civilization and before the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Plot
Apocalypto is a mythic historical drama set 600 years ago, prior to the 16th century Spanish conquest of Meso-America, against the turbulent end times of the once-great Mayan civilization. When a man’s idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family, he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.
Background
Mel Gibson filmed Apocalypto mainly in Catemaco and Paso de Ovejas in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Gibson uses the Yucatec Maya language in Apocalypto, in the same way he used Aramaic and Latin for his religious blockbuster The Passion of the Christ. Apocalypto features a cast of unknown actors from Mexico City, the Yucatán, some Native Americans from the United States, and locals from Los Tuxtlas and Veracruz. While Gibson is financing the film himself, Disney has signed on to release Apocalypto for a fee in certain markets.
Release date
The film was slated for an August 4, 2006 release, but Touchstone Pictures has delayed the release date to December 8, 2006 due to heavy rains interfering with filming in Mexico.
I wonder how many people will sit thru a "foreign language" film. With Passion of Christ, it was due to the subject matter that people went to watch it.
This is a great movie! Be warned: this is an extremely thought provoking yet a violent movie and not for the faint hearted. It reminded me of the movie Lord Of The Flies
Gibson has hit a gold mine with these terrific non-English language stories. He is doing what IT industry is doing: outsourcing. All the actors are unknowns to the american audience, story is told in a foreign language, yet the story and movie making is phenomenal! Gibson stands to make a few 100 million with this movie too.
Great movie, great story! Luxury Item gives Apocalypto two thumbs up! :k: :k:
I heard his next movie is gonna be either about the Jewish people being led by Moses crossing the Red Sea which should be interesting as it will redeem his anti-semetic remarks.
He is also thinking about doing the Battle of Karbala, the Sunni-Shia thing. I think he got some Shia and Sunni writers to write a script to explain the sectarian war raging in Iraq.
i loved it! great action packed movie. the direction was amazing and the men were hot.
great depiction of the violence in the mayan civilization (which was a cause of their own doom) although the movie is long it has you at the edge of your seat the whole time.
His directorial capabilities were sooooo evident from his best work thus far 'Brave Heart'. My all time favourite movie. I wont mind seeing this movie and apparently this movie is getting great reviews all round.
i liked him as an actor lets see how is he as an director:)