Guest Blogger: Eleanor 1

Apocalypto is a brilliant character-driven movie directed by Mel Gibson that brings out the director’s skill as well as his directing style. Apocalypto is a bloody and brutal ride as you follow the life of a man named Jaguar Paw. In the movie Jaguar Paw is the son of the chief of their Mayan tribe that is about to be wiped out and taken by the Aztec tribes for slaves and sacrifices to the Gods. The movie starts out on a routine hunt for Jaguar Paw and his tribe but then turns around when another tribe comes out of the jungle in fear. The chief then says to Jaguar Paw that fear is an illness and to never have fear of anything so that it won’t spread to the other members of the tribe. Later on Jaguar Paw has a dream of a man holding his heart saying “run” and breathing rather heavily. When Jaguar Paw wakes up from his dream there is a dog barking loudly, so he steps out of his hut to listen. As soon as the dog stops barking he knows there is trouble and tries to grab his pregnant wife and child to run from the intruders (Aztecs). Before going back to fight he lowers his wife and child into a cave to hide them and starts to fight the Aztecs coming after him. After almost killing one of the main Aztecs he finally gets caught and tied up to be taken like the rest of his tribe. He makes his main mistake when he tells his father that he is sorry and the Aztec that he almost kills cuts his father’s throat right in front of him. What follows after that is only more suspenseful scenes as you wonder what’s going to happen to his tribe and his family. I feel that this movie teaches the audience that you should always stick together and if you ever fear anything fight it and don’t be afraid because everything that happens to you in your life is your destiny.
Jaguar Paw is played by Rudy Youngblood, a native American, who picks up the role perfectly as the leading actor in the movie. His performance is exceptional because he speaks the language fluently and always has an expression on his face that shows bravery and toughness. Another strong actor in the movie is the other man of the tribe Flint Sky( the chief), played by Morris Birdyellowhead. This man is a great actor because he plays clam throughout the movie and teaches his son many lessons of the jungle. Rollingstone critics say, “Gibson has made a film of blunt provocation and bruising beauty — it's breathtaking to watch a jaguar racing in the jungle alongside the man who is named after the beast. Say what you will about Gibson, he's a filmmaker right down to his nerve endings.” I can agree inmensly with Rollingstone because Mel Gibson has made plenty of movies but this one is a true thriller that everyone (who is old enough) will enjoy to the very end.