MEL GIBSON’S APOCALYPTO
by Mel Gibson
not anti-semitic
APOCALYPTO opens with a wild pig being chased through the jungle. Eventually the group of hunters on his ass lure him into a trap that impales him on a set of wooden spikes. Victorious, the hunters step through the leaves and reveal themselves to the camera. They’re Mayan so they’re half naked, covered in ritualistic scars and tattoos, piercings through their noses and chins. We’ve seen guys like this in movies before, they’re called “savages.” I just saw a more fantastical version in the “300″ trailer before this movie. You see these type of guys, they might as well be bloodthirsty aliens, you just can’t relate.
But then they drop down to the ground and start cutting up the meat, whoo-hooing and laughing. And you realize, these are just some dudes. They could almost be high fiving each other. The hero Jaguar Paw (who looks like Jada Pinkett) cuts up the parts and distributes them, and he tricks his friend Blunted (not a pot joke) into eating the balls. (see, that’s why I knew I could call the pig a he in the first paragraph.)
This is a brilliant opening, because Gibson sets up what appear to be authentic ancient Mayans, speaking their real language, but also portrays them as ordinary relatable people. I can’t think of many movies with Mayans in them, but if I could I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t see them joking and laughing too much. They’d be serious, either angry or noble, speaking in mystical broken English. Of course, Gibson ends up overdoing it a little. By the time you’re 15 or 20 minutes in and Blunted is screaming in pain, dunking his dick in a water trough because of an outrageous POLICE ACADEMY style prank, you remember that this was made by a talented man most people agree has lost his mind, and you wonder if he’s ever gonna get on with it. Luckily, the wacky hijinks pretty much disappear, except for one “oh jesus, what were they thinking?” reference to MIDNIGHT COWBOY’s famous “I’m walkin here!” scene. (more…)
