SCREEN SCENE: ‘Apocalypto’ immerses viewers in a different world

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, December 13, 2006

When’s the last time you experienced pure storytelling? No movie stars, no familiar formulas – in fact, no tangible similarities to anything you’ve ever seen or heard?

Director Mel Gibson continues his string of epics with “Apocalypto,” an intense, visceral adventure set in the rainforests of Central America during the last days of the Maya culture.

Think National Geographic meets “Braveheart,” and you’ll come close to the atmosphere Gibson evokes with his cast of indigenous peoples and all-Yucatec dialogue. Viewers are plunged into the jungle and introduced to a close-knit band of hunters and their small village, where life is simple and family ties mean everything.

The world changes one day for a young man named Jaguar Paw, when marauding warriors raid the village and brutally capture all the adults. They are led to an immense Maya city, where the women are sold as slaves and the men are prepped to become human sacrifices.

It seems the Maya priests and royalty believe the gods are displeased with them, and have sent famine and disease to plague their civilization. By slicing out their victims’ still-beating hearts and lopping off their heads, they believe they will slake the gods’ thirst with blood.

Sound gory? Definitely. Many people die in this movie; most of them are murdered. Also not for the faint of heart are the tattoos, piercings and ritual scarrings that adorn every character, making today’s street punks look like Amish farmers. The scars and earlobe embellishments in particular are incredible. Look for “Apocalypto” to walk away with Oscars for costume and makeup design.

The first half of the film explores Jaguar Paw’s daily primitive existence and then follows his tortuous trek to the city, where the Maya civilization has reached its zenith and struggles with overcrowding, environmental destruction and corruption. Gibson intended for audiences to sense parallels with the state of Western civilization today, and he traipses into hamfistedness once or twice.

The movie’s second half is a heartstopping chase through the forest, with Jaguar Paw fleeing his vengeful captors.

Native American actor and athlete Rudy Youngblood portrays Jaguar Paw. He and all the other performers were cast for their convincing looks and physical ability, not their professional resumes. The result is a total immersion into Maya culture, with only one error: A couple of the young village wives are almost too beautiful by Western standards.

Though the settings and costumes may be unfamiliar to viewers, the themes are universal: family, justice, conquering fear, preserving one’s way of life. “Apocalypto” does what all movies – and all works of art – should. It shows us a world we’ve never seen, and expands our understanding of the world we know.