From an insightful friend who just saw Apocalypto:
I found Apocalypto truly repulsive. There really is no point to this disgusting movie. Unfortunately, it appears to justify everything negative we’ve heard about Mel’s predelictions. I still haven’t seen The Passion, but now when I do, I’ll be unable to view it without a lot of baggage — the result of watching Apocalypto. … Something’s wrong with Gibson. It’s pretty sick. … I cannot fathom how anyone could bring themselves to recommend it, but I suppose I’m in for a surprise come opening day. The Variety review and Rolling Stone review are head-spinners.
And now this… David Ansen in Newsweek (via GreenCine Daily):
Once again he returns to his favorite theme: nearly naked men being tortured. Repeatedly. Imaginatively. At great length…. The harder Apocalypto works to shock and excite you, the less shocked and excited you become, until you may find yourself beset by the urge to giggle.
It is suprizing to me that someone who hasn’t seen the Passion would first see Apocalypto. I would like to hear what the person thought about the Passion after viewing it or some other tough voilent movies (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1 and 2).
It’s really tiresome to keep hearing about ‘The Passion’ being so violent. When I went to see it I was expecting… well, I am not sure what. Something gory just for the sake of being gory. I didn’t find that at all. It’s a movie about a crucifixion. What on earth did people expect it to be? I’m sure the real thing was even worse than that!
As to this new film, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll catch it on DVD. I was very excited when I first learned of it, just because it seemed like something fresh and original. My reservations about seeing it are not for the violence of it (though I don’t particularly like it or wish to see such things!) but rather because of Mel’s hinting that this is supposed to reflect Iraq in some way. If you’re going to make a movie about Iraq, then make it be directly about that. Sneaking in misguided political ideas into a film that has *nothing whatsoever* to do with that in it’s plot is annoying and makes me feel cheated. That’s not what I’m paying to see.
In response to Berryman’s question, what about The Apostle?