Apocalypto

Apocalypto

Starring Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead

Directed by Mel Gibson

In the final years of the Mayan civilization, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his village is attacked by other Mayans who take the men captive.  Before they attack he's able to hide his pregnant wife and young son in a well so they're not spotted, but can't get back to them because he gets captured.  As he and his people trek to the Mayan pyramids, his mind is always on his family and how he could get back to them.
After escaping his captors, Jaguar Paw uses his forest to aid in getting back to his family and stopping the enemy Mayans from re-capturing and killing him. 

The movie begins with a quote: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." W. Durant.  After the critical success of "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson decided to tackle what might have happened to the once great Mayan civilization by showing how it cruelly treated one another, which culminates to a possible reason why it was destroyed - because it was already destroyed from within.

Say what you want Gibson, he can direct an epic saga.  The scenery is absolutely awe-inspiring, the acting is amazing, and the movie keeps you riveted from beginning to end.  Sure, it's not in English and you have to read subtitles, but there isn't a lot to read.  The real acting is in the movements and expressions of the actors, and it leaves you really feeling for Jaguar Paw and hope that he'll reach his family in time.

My Rating: A-