'Apocalypto'

I watched Mel Gibson's Apocalypto one night. The next night, I watched another film and it had a trailer for the Mesoamerican action-adventure flick.

I could have sworn that the trailer and the film had different actors portraying the main protagonist, Jaguar Paw. I watched it again to make sure. Just sure seems like a different-looking guy. I've searched long and hard to find some mention of this. Couldn't. So maybe I'm crazy.

In perfect Gibson fashion, he found a way to ruffle a bunch of feathers in this film much like in The Passion of the Christ. Most of it is based on his depiction of the Mayan people being bloodthirsty, human-sacrificing degenerates.

Reading arguments, they go both ways. I can only assume that Gibson, as far as we actually know, got it pretty right, or more right than wrong.

Gibson is apparently a fan of language. In both Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ, he opts for the actual language the characters would have used for their actual culture and timeframe. In the latter, it was Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin. In the former, they used the Yucatec Maya dialogue. If nothing else, Gibson wants to be genuine.

This is an interesting film. Tons of action. It's not a feel-good film in the least. It's dark and brooding. Tons of blood with the good guys largely not surviving. Then the Spanish come at the end and all the blood leaves your brain for a minute when you realize what's coming next.