Exploring Mel Gibson’s Controversial Film ‘Apocalypto’: Cast, Production Challenges, and Critical Reception

2024-04-14 07:51:00
“Apocalypto” was one of the most controversial films of Mel Gibson’s directorial career. (Credit: Icon Entertainment/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Year 2006. Two years have passed since Mel Gibson surprised the world with the premiere of The Passion of the Christ, a film that over the years would become a reference and classic of Christian and religious cinema. With this precedent, it was logical to think that the American director would bring another story related to God, but – far from wanting to tell what happened following the resurrection of Jesus or putting divine matters back on the table -, once morest all odds, Gibson decided present to the audience a historical and wild adventure drama completely spoken in Mayan called Apocalypto.

Directed and co-written by Gibson, one of the things that made the film stand out was its cast made up of Native American and indigenous Mexican actors, including Rudy Youngblood and Raoul Trujillo. Similar to Gibson’s previous work, the film’s dialogue is presented in a modernized version of Yucatec Maya, the indigenous language of the film’s context. This project marked Gibson’s last direction until his return in 2016 with “Until the Last Man”, with which he would make history once more.

“Apocalypto” was notable for its linguistic authenticity, using the Yucatecan Mayan language throughout the film’s dialogue. (Credits: Icon Entertainment/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Set in the heart of the Yucatan region, Mexico, during the dawn of the 16th century, the film narrates the epic journey of Jaguar Claw, a young hunter belonging to the last days of the Mesoamerican era, along with his tribemates. After being stripped of their village by a group of invaders in a time marked by the decline of civilization, they are taken through a journey full of dangers until they reach a Mayan city, where they are destined for human sacrifice.

Upon its release, the film, which had a budget of $40 million, achieved notable grossing of over $120 million globally. It was also the subject of numerous positive reviews that highlighted Gibson’s skill in directing, the cinematography by Dean Semler, and the actors’ performances.

In Mexico, “Apocalypto” surpassed films such as “El Perfume” and “Rocky Balboa” in audience, obtaining a high rating from the public according to “Reforma.” (Credits: REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci)

Although its success at the box office and critical reception was better than expected, the film did not manage to escape controversy and a couple of anecdotes that generated both a positive and negative reaction. From a scene that put an actor in danger of death, to a controversy regarding how the film portrayed the Mayan civilization and took certain licenses in its historical accuracy.

Among the numerous challenges faced during filming, Gibson revealed that the sequence in which a black jaguar chases the protagonist, played by Rudy Youngblood, did not use a CGI animal or any special effects, but rather a real beast that came out to frame.

Rudy Youngblood had to run from a real black jaguar that was tied to a rope as a safety measure. (Credits: Icon Entertainment/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The actor risked his life to achieve what Mel wanted on screen. The feat, although extremely dangerous, ended up being just as the director had imagined.

When talking regarding the real presence of the feline, the American filmmaker explained the following: “The jaguar was completely wild. They cannot be trained. People thought that thing wasn’t in the shot. “They thought we put it in later, but I was actually chasing the guy.”

The filming of “Apocalypto” was surrounded by other complications such as heavy rains, which forced the production to move completely. (Credits: Icon Entertainment/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Of course, this was not a scene where there were no security measures. As dangerous as it was to carry it out, Mel clarified that at all times the feline “was on a leash, a rope, and might be stopped if necessary,” so if something went wrong, the animal might be controlled. .

Although Apocalypto was a great success for Gibson, it also faced significant controversies upon its release, being accused of being racist on more than one occasion by both the public and major organizations.

“Apocalypto” generated controversy among indigenous communities in Guatemala, who accused it of promoting racist stereotypes regarding the Mayan civilization. (Credits: AP)

In Guatemala, activists and indigenous community leaders strongly criticized the film, arguing that it presented a stereotypical and pejorative image of the Mayan civilization. According to them, depictions of Mayans with scars and practicing human sacrifice contributed to a racist and offensive view of their culture.

“Gibson interprets (…) an offensive and racist notion that the Mayans were brutal among themselves long before the arrival of the Europeans and therefore deserved – in fact, needed – rescue,” criticized Ignacio Ochoa, director of the Nahual Foundation, which promotes Mayan culture.

“Apocalypto” was accused of being completely offensive and having a racist notion that the Mayans were brutal towards each other. (Credits: Icon Entertainment/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The controversy spread to the point that indigenous authorities in Guatemala asked the government to censor the film, arguing that it promoted a negative and distorted image of their society. “It seems that the film aims to present a society full of devalues ​​and self-destruction,” said the presidential commissioner once morest Discrimination and Racism, the Guatemalan indigenous leader, Ricardo Cajas.

On the other hand, Mexican director Juan Mora Catlett accused Gibson of plagiarism, alleging that Apocalypto contained scenes strikingly similar to those in his film Retorno a Aztlán, filmed in 1989. Catlett claimed that, following Gibson’s production company requested a copy for his film, he only received minimal compensation.

The director of “Retorno a Aztlán” criticized “Apocalypto” claiming that it was a copy of the film he directed in 1990. (Credits: Producciones Volcán)

Catlett told the newspaper Reforma that he considered all of this a theft given the financial backing of companies like Walt Disney behind the project. “He asked me for a cassette of my film, I said ‘Yes, here, I’ll give it to you’, and they told me ‘I have to pay you for it’, and he gave me regarding 100 pesos,” declared the filmmaker.

Despite accusations of plagiarism, the film earned the recognition of notable figures in Hollywood. Robert Duvall considered it “Perhaps the best movie I have seen in 25 years.” Likewise, Quentin Tarantino called it a “masterpiece,” and Martin Scorsese admired the film for “its directness” and the “strength of its filmmaking.” Edward James Olmos, for his part, said that it was “possibly the best movie I have seen in years,” leaving him “flabbergasted.”

Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino were some of the directors who praised Mel Gibson’s film. (Credits: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)

Spike Lee even included it on his list of essential films of all time in 2013. In Mexico, Apocalypto attracted a larger number of viewers than Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and Rocky Balboa, surpassing notable releases such as Titanic and Poseidon, with surveys by the newspaper Reforma showing that 80% of Mexicans surveyed rated the film as “very good” or “good.”

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