The action-adventure film has been described as a ‘must-watch’ and ‘one of the best movies of the 2000s.’
Even director Quentin Tarantino has praised it, calling it a ‘masterpiece.’
Fans are now sharing their excitement on social media, encouraging others to see it.
One viewer writes, “Very few films evoke emotions from me, but I have to say, this is brilliant.”
Another person adds, “One of my top 10 movies of all time. Words can’t really explain how powerful and well-made this movie is.”
“I can watch this movie a million times without getting bored,” says someone else.
A fourth person comments, “This should be in the conversation as one of the best horror and action movies of the 2000s.”
Another raves, “A must-watch movie. Don’t miss this.”
The historical action-adventure movie, which Mel Gibson produced and directed, is set in the Mayan civilization of the 16th century.
The description states: “Jaguar Paw, a young man, is captured by the rulers of the Mayan kingdom. When they decide to sacrifice him, he makes a plan to escape death.”
The drama has earned a 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8/10 rating on IMDb.
David Keyes from Cinemaphile commented, “It isn’t simply an effective movie, but an immensely powerful one: a benchmark and a foresight seemingly all rolled into one.”
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said, “Pathologically brilliant. It is bizarre, stomach-turningly violent, and frequently inspired.”
Despite the praise from critics and fans, Apocalypto stirred up controversy.
Many scholars argue that it is historically inaccurate, especially in its portrayal of mass human sacrifice.
Zachary Hruby, a Maya expert at the University of California, Riverside, explained to National Geographic, “The Aztecs are known to have sacrificed large numbers of people, though according to the archaeological record, we are unsure of how many would be sacrificed at one time.
“There are no data to support that the Maya carried out sacrifice on such a large scale.”
Ricardo Cajas, Guatemala’s presidential commissioner on racism, remarked that the film pushed back the understanding of the Mayan people by 50 years.
He told the Associated Press (via The Guardian), “It’s a case of Western civilization imposing its view about other civilizations.”
Despite the controversy surrounding Apocalypto, it didn’t impact the film’s success.
The film was a major success at the box office and won several awards, including the COFCA Award for Best Cinematography.
