8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
A mythic action-adventure set 600 years ago against the turbulent end times of the once great Mayan civilization. When his idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, a man 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.
Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead, Carlos Emilio BaezEpic | 100% |
Action | 82% |
Period | 75% |
Drama | 43% |
Foreign | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Mayan: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Mayan: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A breathtaking account of the downfall of the Mayan civilization, Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" (2006) is a film of unparalleled imagination. Pondering the causes behind the subtle demise of the Mayan civilization while resorting to controversial themes about violence, racial superiority, and the erosion of human values pic blends perfectly heart-stopping action with stylish cinematography. In the United Kingdom "Apocalypto" is released by Icon Film Distribution.
While hunting, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his fellow tribesmen encounter a large group of Indians running away from an evil and very powerful clan. Unaware that soon they will also have to run for their lives, Jaguar Paw and his friends return to their village. They dance, laugh, and enjoy the gifts of nature.
Soon, their tribe is attacked and practically exterminated. Those who survive the massive carnage are taken away to a large city in the middle of the jungle. There, the captives are prepared for a ritual bloodbath meant to appease the powerful Mayan God Kukulcan. Moments before Jaguar Paw is to be beheaded, a solar eclipse occurs. His and his tribesmen's lives are spared temporarily. The captives are taken away from Kukulcan's temple and thrown into a large gaming filed. There, they are to be killed in a perverse game of survial. The game takes an unusual turn when Jaguar Paw manages to escape.
Jaguar Paw
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p, transfer Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is distributed in the United Kingdom by Icon Film Distribution.
The transfer for this release appears to be identical to the one seen on the US release by Buena Vista. Detail is breathtaking, contrast absolutely astounding and clarity amongst the best I have seen on Blu-ray. The color-scheme is equally strong: the lush colors seen throughout the film are so impressive that at times it is nearly impossible to focus on the story (or reading the subtitles). The rich greens of the jungle, the blues, browns and yellows prevalent at the Mayan city as well as the deep blacks (the well fragments) are all simply perfect. Grain on the other hand is practically unnoticeable. Given the manner in which Apocalypto was shot, the sharp, at times piercing, visuals are indeed a byproduct of Mel Gibson's stylistic and technical preferences. This being said, during fast-motion scenes, occasionally you will notice a tiny dose of blurring, but I must assure you that this is also something that is inherited from the original master elements. The effect is by no means related to the actual Blu-ray transfer. Finally, I must also note that the actual quality of the transfer provided by Icon Film Distribution is nothing short of spectacular - it is free of dirt, specks and debris. (Note: This UK-produced disc is region-B "locked". Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
Apocalypto boasts a terrific uncompressed audio track: PCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) in addition to a standard 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. It has been awhile now since Mel Gibson's film was released on Blu-ray but to this day I remain convinced that what Buena Vista delivered, and in this case what I hear on this UK disc, in terms of audio quality is amongst the top-jobs we've heard from the majors. There is terrific depth, excellent surround effects, and clarity of sound that you will hear on this PCM 5.1 mix. Furthermore, everything appears to be balanced extremely well and even during some of the more problematic scenes (the temple executions) where there are multiple lines of noise arriving from all directions the mix handles everything very well. To those of you interested in nuance I recommend that you listen very carefully to the release scene where the main protagonist and his fellow tribesmen are thrown into the playground and asked to run for their lives. The subtle movement in the surrounds here is incredible and it truly feels like flying stones, arrows, etc are falling right next to you. The actual dialog on the other hand is handled just as impressively, it is crystal clear and very easy to follow. The ambient soundtrack by James Horner is the icing of the cake as it effectively grants Apocalypto with a distinctively dark flavor that compliments the impressive visuals superbly. To sum it all up, the audio treatment here is practically flawless and truly indicative of what Blu-ray is capable of. Optional English, French, Spanish, and English HOH sub-tracks are offered.
In addition to a "Movie Showcase" where one gets direct access to what the producers of this release believe are the most impressive scenes on this disc there is also a large deleted scene with an optional commentary by the director of Apocalypto Mel Gibson as well as writer and co-producer Farhard Safina. I don't believe that the scene adds substantially more to what the film achieves easily but the comments that are provided with it are quite interesting. Next is "Becoming Mayan: Creating Apocalypto", a massive documentary tracing the history of the Mayan civilization as well as focusing on a lot of the challenges Mel Gibson and his crew faced while working on the film. The authentic footage from the sets is very interesting as it shows the degree of detail that was demanded and achieved by the producers of Apocalypto. The costumes, body language, and accessories are all important elements to keep an eye here. Finally, this Blu-ray disc offers a full-blown commentary with Mel Gibson and Farhard Safinia where the two go discuss in detail the message of the film, its history, how it was made a reality, the enormous difficulties they faced, and most importantly how specific scenes were shot (the bloody temple scene comments are indeed worth every penny).
For better or worse, the release of Apocalypto inspired a lot more critics to talk about Mel Gibson's persona than his film. In fact, it got downright embarrassing to listen to the never-ending streaks of disclaimers explaining how the director's antics were more indicative of his work than his...work. I hope this is all over now. This said, after The Passion of the Christ, and now Apocalypto, it is clearer than ever that Mel Gibson is just as effective behind the camera as he is in front ot it. Very Highly Recommended.
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