Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, Essay Example

Like jelly and toast, the cinema screen was the perfect match for telling the historical action-adventure epic of the Mayan civilization—or so one thought. Gibson shot the film with a high-definition digital video camera, used exotic jungle vocals and sounds, hired make-up artists versed in tattooing, scarring, piercing and earlobe extending, and employed actors from Mexico City and the Yucatan to display modern film genre at its best as while relating the Mayan story. However, it failed to be a timeless historical adventure because a most necessary principle of an art form was missing—balance. Every art image needs symmetry and balance. Consider the Asian concept of the yin and yang—two mirrored shapes contained within a circle. The absence of balance destroyed what could have been genius cinematography depicting a famous Meso-American story of civilization. This paper will present the problem supported by relevant criteria, and then suggest solutions and their anticipated outcomes: the problem is presented through analogy.

Consider an elegant bride in full regalia, but her shoe is missing—a glaring error in completing her spectacular ensemble. Compare this scenario to a sweeping adventure epic heavily portrayed with brutality, violent death, torture and bloodshed. What was Gibson thinking when he relayed the on-screen Mayan experience as if it were a Grand Theft Auto video game full of blood-squirting and human trauma? More importantly, where is the balance? Balance is evident in Mayan visual and sculptural art, architecture and hieroglyphic language. It is woven into their daily lives as they balance family, farming, community and deity worship which is firmly woven into the threads of their civilization. There is a natural balance to their heavens, calendar and environment. What Gibson presented on-screen was one endless bloody massacre portraying their bloody rituals to worship their deities. A stunning visual without balance is worth nothing when considering true art form. This is the major weakness in the film Apocalypto, and what follows are some possible solutions.

Violence does not have to be a film weakness. Portrayed correctly to enhance a film’s story, it can be a necessary tool to show realism. Violent scenes perform best when they are juxtaposed with their counterpart, passivity. A possible solution to Apocalypto’s heavy-handed violence would be to intersperse jungle and nature scenes portraying the quiet calmness of the rain forest. Nature scenes could have easily been enhanced with the serene flow of a waterfall, insect and/or wild animal life and sounds, or the natural rhythm of the forest and activity within its canopy. Another solution would be to add scenes concerning the development of a counter-storyline telling of the advanced, ornate lifestyle of the Mayans and the contrasting simple life of the Meso-American tribesmen. Gibson made a sloppy attempt at providing hazy details to the Meso-American tribesman’s simple life in the jungle, but the tribesman’s wife did not have to remain in a pit with her unborn child and toddler throughout the entire movie. There could have been meaningful flashbacks of her caring for her toddler and preparing for the unborn baby to bring some relief to the scenes of violence. Both solutions would have lessened the negative impact of constant heavy bloodshed. Judging factors for these solutions would be to elicit input from South American Indian historians, film critics, artists trained to examine the structure of a film and determine if it has enough art concepts to positively influence an audience. Another way to judge a film’s strength is to offer preview showings in random cities and measure audience reaction. This would benefit the filmmaker because it would be measuring actual viewer reactions and feedback before the film is released. A final judging factor would be to present a shortened version via the television and watch for critical reviews that follow. I believe the best solution to Gibson’s use of extreme violence for the entire film would be a combination of both jungle versus nature scenes and expanding the story line to draw comparisons and contrasts to the everyday life of a Mayan and a small-tribe Meso-American living in the confines of the jungle.

Works Cited

Apocalypto. Dir. Mel Gibson. Perf. Rudy Youngblood, Morris Birdyellowhead, Gerardo Taracena. Icon Productions. 2006. DVD.

Puig, Claudia. “’Apocalypto’ Soaks the Screen in Gore.” USA Today 8 Dec. 2006. Print.

Sheffield, Rob. “Apocalypto.” Rolling Stone 19 Oct. 2006: 90. Print.