I saw Apocalypto last night. It was very good, actually. All the characters spoke in a Mayan dialect that is supposedly accurate to the time period. What I liked best is that even though it was a big Hollywood production with a massive budget, dealing with a giant topic–the downfall of the Mayan empire–it never let go of basic human values, like family, friends, love and fear. It was told from a very small-scale perspective, and that is what made it watchable. The characters couldn’t be more different from us in appearance, with their body mutilations and mods, language, clothing, culture, etc., but it was still easy to identify with them and what they were experiencing. I would recommend this film.
Apocalypto
by Kevin Thom | Dec 9, 2006 | 6 comments
yeah I can’t wait to see this…Apparently, the Mayans today are howling at the fact that their ancestors were portrayed as “savages”, Gee first the Jews, now the Mayans…who the fuck doesn’t get offended these days?!! I am offended that people get offended over nothing.
Then you must have some respect for the Germans who never bitch about being portrayed as Nazis in WW2 movies =P
I heard that many people dont like to read subtitles while watching a movie. Being that I grew up with that, not a big deal for me. But how about you? I always like to hear the take on this by people who dont have to do it often.
I don’t think the Mayans were portrayed as savages. I mean, if they had been Chinese, I wouldn’t have been offended by the portrayal. There were some scenes of blood sacrifices to the gods, which some might consider savage, but the truth is, it happened, so there’s nothing to be offended about! 😛
I don’t mind watching movies with subtitles. I prefer that to them making up some fake Mayan accent and speaking English! I appreciate the effort Gibson made in adding this bit of realism, as I did with the ancient Aramaic in The Passion of the Christ. Also, I enjoy watching foreign films, and subtitles are a must there.
I can’t live without subtitles, even if its an English show/movie. And I definitely prefer them to dubbing! Dubbing erases the music, the intonations of the actors – which is a large part of the acting to begin with.
Oops, I just ended a sentence with a proposition.
Yep..I LOVE subtitles…gives film that allure that it’s exotic or different. Bad dubs can kill a movie, no matter how well it was shot, take for example Ong Bak..cool movie but the dubs make everyone look retarded. Case in point…Bruce Lee’s “return of the Dragon” the one shot in Rome…classic Bruce but the dubs made it funny when it shouldn’t be,but humor in dubs also adds to the film too, knowing that most of the original cast from that movie are deceased and a proper dub can never be redone!
yea i have to check that one of these days….