Analysis of the Film Elements in Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto"

In the film, “Apocalypto,” Mel Gibson sets the story at the peak of the Mayan civilization during the 16th century. The film tracks a young man who is put to the test as he undergoes a perilous journey to save his family from a world governed by constant fear and oppression. Nonetheless, Gibson explores the concept of fear and family at the decline of the Mayan civilization through the depiction of brutal violence, demoralizing social repression, and the destruction of natural resources.

“Apocalypto” opens with a quote from Will Durant: “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. ” Set in the jungles of Southern Mexico, the film begins with a small Mayan tribe living idyllically with one another. However, they are brutally attacked by a group of marauding Holcane warriors. Along with the captured villagers, Jaguar Paw is forced to abandon his family and march to a nearby city to be sacrificed to the Gods. In a desperate attempt to return to his family, he manages to fearlessly escape his captors at the expense of losing many of his fellow tribesmen. In an intense race for survival, he eludes the most powerful warriors of the Holcanehis tribe by using his vast knowledge of the forest from the teachings of his father. Recalling his father’s last words, he uses his fear as an advantage for a chance at survival through the many challenges and trials he faces. He eventually rescues his wife and children and begin to seek for new beginnings.

As the protagonist of the film, Jaguar Paw is a young tribesman and skilled hunter of a small Mayan tribe. Along with his fellow hunting tribesmen, he puts a wild tapir out of its misery and divides the internal organs between themselves. Jaguar Paw’s immaturity is reflected as he plays a cruel and obscene joke on a fellow young hunter, Blunted. Due to Blunted’s inability to impregnate his wife, he is regularly mocked and ridiculed by the tribe. Nonetheless, it is evident that the men share a unique bond with each other. When Jaguar Paw is with his pregnant wife, Seven, and his young son, Turtles Run, he displays his maturity through his affection and compassion towards them. During the attack of the Holcane warriors on their tribe, Jaguar Paw instinctively takes Seven and Turtles Run and hides them in a deep pit. As one of the hunters of his tribe and the son of Flint Sky, he takes the initiative to defend his tribe by defeating the Holcane warriors. However, he is faced with his defeat as he is cruelly enslaved and dragged away by the warriors. Not only that, but he is also faced by the unjust death of his father. As the film continues, Blunted is enraged by the defilement and the loss of his own wife. Consequently, he laments to take as many of the captors with him to hell.

As Zero Wolf, leader of the Holcane tribe, leads the captured villagers towards the raider kingdoms capital, they encounter a small girl infected by the plague. She prophecies their fate by warning them of the blackness of night and the man who brings the jaguar. The captured villagers face their fates as the women are forced to suffer the social degradation of slavery and the men are forced to serve as human sacrifices to the gods. Through a coincidental solar eclipse, Jaguar Paw manages to escape his brutal fate; however, the leader orders their deaths through a brutal execution game. Blunted is set to run to his freedom when he is suddenly speared by the warriors. In an attempt to save Jaguar Paw, Blunted uses his last breaths to grab the warrior’s leg, allowing Jaguar Paw to kill the warrior, the son of Zero Wolf. Blunted’s efforts to save a fellow tribesmen by sacrificing his own life is a depiction of the true traits of a warrior. Even through the previous mockery and ridicule, he did not let it get the best of him. He fought until his last breath for the sake of his tribe and for the sake of his wife.

Bent on revenge from the death of his son, Zero Wolf manages to pursue the chase to kill Jaguar Paw. Throughout the film, it is evidently seen that he is identified as a power-hungry leader of the Holcane tribe. His attempts to capture villagers is shattered when Jaguar Paw escapes from the captors. Not only that, but the film stresses the relationship between a father and a son. With the death of Zero Wolf’s son, he becomes bloodthirsty enough to go to every extremity to kill Jaguar Paw.

Despite his injuries, Jaguar Paw manages to flee from his captors towards the jungle to rescue Seven and Turtles Run. Through the different challenges and trials he faces, he finds ways out of his fears by facing them. Meanwhile, Seven attempts to escape from the deep pit; however, her failed attempts cause her water to break. As the pit rose with water from the sudden rain, she is challenged to survive and protect even through her labor. Seven still managed to show the power of a true mother through her bravery and independence. When all hope was gone, she remained strong for herself and for her children. Despite being a woman during that era, she disproves all stereotypes against women by surviving through the difficult time.

Although “Apocalypto” is widely populated with brutal acts of violence, it remains a historical epic because of its hero, Jaguar Paw. Throughout the film, he performs countless heroic deeds to return to his family by being a man for others and most especially for himself. The film adheres to the modern day monomyth as it tracks the painful journey of Jaguar Paw from his departure, initiation, and his return. Apocalypto makes the point that you can overcome fear only by going through it. Jaguar Paw stayed with his fear throughout the entire film and used it to his advantage by eluding the warriors one by one. In relation to the aforementioned quote, Gibson stresses the importance of destroying yourself to find yourself.

Once you have seen what you are made of, you can tap into your full potential. With Jaguar Paw, he uses his vast knowledge of the forest and the teachings of his father to defeat the captors and rescue his family despite his trials. Through the vivid images of war and cruelty, Gibson was able to give us a glimpse into the decline of the ancient Mayan civilization. He showed a reflection of human savagery with the violence, repression, and exploitation of natural resources evident in the film. Nonetheless, Gibson uses the concept of overcoming fear to seek new beginnings amongst all the cruelty in the world.