Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 9 wins & 23 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
fresh:
Mel Gibson is a real artist as a director.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
11 Dec 2006
fresh:
[Gibson] has learned how to tell a tale, and to raise a pulse in the telling. You have to admire that basic gift, uncommon as it is in Hollywood these days, though equally you have to ask what obsessions goad it on.
– Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
11 Dec 2006
rotten:
As a piece of filmmaking it's certainly strong enough to restore his commercial viability. Whether that's to the good is another question entirely.
– Tom Charity,
CNN.com,
30 Dec 2006
rotten:
This is by no means a boring film, then, but it is a grotesque one, and that brings it pretty close to camp.
– Ben Walters,
Time Out,
30 Dec 2006
fresh:
Apocalypto demonstrates two things: that Mel Gibson is a hell of a filmmaker and that his imaginative world borders on the Neanderthal.