I honestly didn't know what to expect going into Apocalypto. All I knew it was over two hours long and the actors (mainly newcomers) would be speaking Mayan. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. The film is beautifully shot and manages to pull you in. Like Braveheart, it's a comibnation of historical epic action-adventure film.

The Mayans had one of the most impressive civilizations in the Americas. They were known for their written language (similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics), the art, their architecture - the stepped pyramids - and most notoriously, for human sacrifice. According to this film (I'm sure a number of historians would disagree), the Mayans felt the key to their prosperity lied in the building of more pyramids and the sacrifice of more villagers. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youndblood), his pregnant wife and son (Dalia Hernandez and Carlos Emilio Baez) are living their lives in one such village when Mayan warriors attack their settlement and capture many of the villagers. Having been warned of the attack in a dream, Jaguar Paw manages to hide his wife and child away in a deep, cave-like hole. Jaguar Paw and the others are rounded up and then begin the difficult journey to the Mayan capital where they will be sacrificed to appease the gods. As fate would have it, just before Jaguar Paw is to be sacrificed, what appears to be a miracle occurs and his life, and the lives of the remaining villagers is temporarily spared. The key word being temporarily. The last 45 minutes of the film is an extended chase scene as Jaguar Paw tries to return home to save his family.

This film is beautiful to look at. Love him or hate him, Mel Gibson knows his way around a camera and it shows.He also managed to keep the film moving at a steady pace. What Gibson isn't, however, is a writer and he co-wrote this script. I found myself rolling my eyes several times as I read the subtitles. At times, they seemed a little too basic and in one instance, completely out of place. Thankfully, Gibson keeps the dialogue sparse, allowing the simple and straight-forward story to tell itself.

Rudy Youngblood did a terrific job as Jaguar Paw. You can see him grow in strength as the movie progresses. Toward the end, when he gets closer to home, he confronts the Mayan warriors chasing them and tells them, "This is my jungle!" And he says it with such conviction that you believe it.

Much has been made about the violence and blood-shed in this movie. It wasn't as bad as all the hoopla led me to believe. There are a few gory scenes, and as with The Passion of the Christ and Braveheart before it, Gibson likes his violence more realistic than stylized. There were a few scenes (one involving a jaguar mauling a warrior) that were pretty explicit but overall, it was not nearly the 'blood and gore' fest that some reviewers would lead you to believe.

I liked this movie, I didn't love it. I actually teetered between a 'Liked It' and a "Rent It' rating, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Besides, cinematography like this should be experienced on a theater-sized screen.