Apocalypto
photo taken from wikipedia.org
After the phenomenon he had with Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson once again wanted to make another dark and violent foreign-language film. After a year of filming in sometimes unbearable weather, Gibson released Apocalypto. The story revolves around the decline of the Mayan civilization. The story is told though the eyes of a jungle hunter named Jaguar Paw, as he witnesses his people relocated and killed as the civilization is reaching its decline.
As many of you may be thinking, the word apocalypto simply means “a new beginning.” It is similar to our interpretation of the word Apocalypse. It simply means a big change is about to happen, whether it be bad or good. This film showed how the Mayans were declining and were soon to be conquered by the Spanish conquistadors. Gibson most likely made this film with a Christian interpretation in mind. He wanted us to realize a change is happening similar to the Mayans’ experience.
The main message of this film, which could definitely be used as a metaphor for modern-day usage is taken from a quote by William James Durant: “No civilization is conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.” Does that make you think?
