Brett's Review

"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within" - W. Durant 

This Mythic action-adventure set against the turbulent end-times of the once great Mayan civilization.  When his idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, a man 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 despite break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life. 

*** Warning: Spoilers Below ***

This movie starts with the main character, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), out hunting boar with his father, Flint Sky, and other male members of his village. They encounter refugees on the run from something which has "ravaged" their land, but Flint Sky restrains his son from asking questions. Soon the village is attacked by a Maya war party. Jaguar Paw is awakened by a premonition-like dream, and is able to lower his wife and son into a small well to hide them. The war party capture as many villagers alive as they are able to, but sadistically and unnecessarily kill Flint Sky in front of Jaguar Paw, establishing the sadism of some of the attackers and the authority of their leader, Zero Wolf, who saves Jaguar Paw as a captive. Seven and Turtles Run remain left in the cave, but one of the Maya cuts the vine that is hanging down as their means of escape.  The captive villagers are taken on a long trek toward the Maya city where they encounter the previously met refugees as prisoners, failing crops, poverty, and slaves producing plaster and building edifices. They also encounter a small girl with "the sickness" that the Maya shun, but she prophesies doom will follow the darkness of the sun in day and the man who runs with jaguars. In the city, the female captives are sold as slaves, while the men are painted blue and taken to the top of a step pyramid to have their hearts removed, be decapitated, and have their headless bodies thrown down the front steps of the pyramid, a direct representation of what is known about the most extreme forms of human sacrifice in Aztec culture, including the blue paint. Similar methods were adopted by the Maya as portrayed in the film, including the "safe" letting of blood by a high figure over the pyramid's apex.  Jaguar Paw and most of the male captives are saved from death when an eclipse occurs while he is being held on the altar. The captives, now spared as sacrificial victims are taken to an open space by their captors and are allowed to run for their freedom in pairs while the Maya attack them with javelins, arrows, and rocks. Cut Rock, the son of the leader of the war band, waits at the end with a stone axe to finish off anyone who survives the gauntlet and acts as a 'finisher'.

Jaguar Paw is able to reach the end, despite being shot with an arrow by the leader, and when his friend gives his life to give him some time, he is able to pull out the arrow and stab Cut Rock in the neck. Meanwhile, Jaguar Paw is able to make it into the jungle while the captors are in hot pursuit. While on the run, he hides up in a tree, only to come between a jaguar and her cub. The jaguar chases him, and when one of the pursuers tries to capture the running Jaguar Paw, the jaguar kills the pursuer instead. Some of the members of the war band are noticeably distraught as the eclipse and man running with the jaguar was part of the prophecy from the small girl with smallpox, yet they continue pursuit.  Jaguar Paw seems to recover from his wound, and leads them on a chase throughout the night. The next day, just as the pursuers are getting close, he comes to the top of a giant waterfall and jumps over. After taunting his pursuers from the bottom, their leader force them to all jump as well (killing some in the process). After nearly being trapped in a mud pit, Jaguar Paw seems to be revitalized and now begins to actively fight back against his pursuers, first by throwing a beehive at them, then finding a poisonous frog to envenom blowgun darts.  Jaguar Paw continues to elude his pursuers in the village, although is shot again by an arrow from the war band leader, whom he then tricks into walking into one of the tapir traps established at the beginning of the movie. As the last two of the war band chase the wounded and exhausted Jaguar Paw onto the rainy beach, he is spared by the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.  The film then cuts to Jaguar Paw, Seven, Turtles Run, and the new baby heading farther into the jungle to avoid contact with other men, particularly the men from the ships.

Well on to the review, first off being somewhat of a history buff (which is why I like movies that are based on history), lets start with the obvious this civilization is really not Mayan rather it's the Aztec.  The Mayan Civilization was gone by A.D 900; the Aztec was ascendant during the time of the Spanish conquest, the inception pictorially near the end of the movie (the Spanish explorers first reached Maya homeland in the 16th century).  Also since the time period for the movie seems to fall between the 8th and 10th century, the rise and fall of the Maya civilization this would make the ships an anachronism.  Now with that out of the way I thought the overall story was pretty ok, not great just ok.  One of the things I am liking about Gibson's latest movies is the fact that he is using languages that are correct at least partially i.e.: the Yukatek Mayan language in this movie and Aramaic and Latin in Passion.  The movie apart from the violence and gore is incredibly well shot, the locations, the camera angles and the overall cinematography is brilliant.  I did enjoy the movie even after realizing the flaws; however I'm not sure I would watch it again. 

Overall Review: 3 Stars. Re-Watch Value: Low (this could be a rental, there are some scenes that the big screen would bring out, but meh).

Trivia: Because of heavy rains in Mexico, the released date had been changed from 4 August 2006 to 8 December 2006.

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