Is Mel Gibson's movie "Apocalypto" intended as a warning ?

Question

Great movies aren't just action packed wrestling matches.Real art contains a message. In this movie,a Super power (The Maya empire) is bullying weaker communities (nations) in the name of God (Mayan Gods) and righteousness, and in order to maintain its way of life(maintain enough human sacrifices for the gods). The media in this super power(The blood priest) lies deliberately and sells fear and false dreams to the people to glorify the government(the Mayan king and queen). The bullied communities keep resisting, causing unexpected losses to the super power and keeps it busy and weakened until the time other foreign powers enter the arena(Europeans landing with their ships at the end of the movie)??
Could it be Maya=USA, Iraq=The Indian ravaged village, The Spaniards =China and Russia?
If not, then why that ominous quotation from the great historian Will Durant at the beginning of the movie about great civilizations conquered from within before getting conquered from without?

Answer 1

I think that the great thing about any sort of art is that it's open to interpretation, there is no one correct interpretation (though there it the interpretation of the film maker).

Mel Gibson said this in response to being asked about the quote and the parallel between our society and the Mayan society depicted in the film: Civilizations rise and fall. It's happened to every single one. I don't think we're crumbling. I just think this is not our finest hour. The destruction of the environment, the corruption of power, the use of fear as a tool to manipulate the masses — the news frightens me these days. The rot starts from within and then translates to the outside and creates circumstances where you fall. But then that's necessary too — to start again. It's a wise man who understands that every day is a new beginning, because boy, how many mistakes do you make in a day? I don't know about you, but I make plenty. You can't turn the clock back, so you have to look ahead.

Answer 2

Despite his typical depiction as a die-hard pro-Bush conservative (fostered mostly by his fan base of pro-Bush conservative Christians who love him because... he made a movie about Jesus), the movie is partially intended as a political allegory about civilizations in decline. Said Gibson in September of 2006: "The precursors to a civilization that’s going under are the same, time and time again... What’s human sacrifice if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?"

In 2006 Gibson told a UK film magazine that the "fear mongering" depicted in his film Apocalypto "reminds me a little of President Bush and his guys." He has criticized the Iraq War in interviews.

You have more or less correctly interpreted the message of the movie (though the China/Russia extrapolation may be a bit too specific).

By the way, Will Durant is a historian but to call him a great historian implies that he was, in some way, revolutionary or innovative. His books brought important historical and philosophical aspects the larger public but his views are essentially taken from others. Indeed the quote used in Apocalypto is essentially Will Durant parroting Edward Gibbon's assessment of the Roman Empire in his work "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" finished in 1778. Will Durant was a good man and an interesting storyteller but he was not a particularly great historian.

Answer 3

Mel Gibson isn't really an artist, he's a performer of other people's ideas, and a master at combining different elements which resonate with us in this culture at this time; not all of his work is received with acclamation or critical approval. I'm not sure that any message from any of his movies is particularly profound, but since he started making movies which actually have story lines, he does seem to be making almost the same movie over and over again; the strong over the poor; power corrupted; it's a Celtic theme for many thousands of years now, since Rome tried to crush the Celts in Europe and then in what is now France and Britain. Gibson is very much a Celt; a storyteller concerned with justice

Answer 4

yes, it could be considered a warning for those who act with complacency and still believe in their invincibility against other foreign countries. I believe that one of the nations could be symbolically North Korea.because I believe they have the belief that they have nothing to lose. We must also take into account the entertainment aspect as well. With the advancement of sophisticated weaponry all countries especially a superpower had better keep the back door shut or it could lead to a fall greater than that of 5 years ago. Apocalypto is a good title for the movie for the Mayans believe that some earth shaking event will occur by December 2012 when the sun enters the middle of the Milky Way, a thing that happens every 26000 years, could it be the author believes that is when the US will be defeated by a lesser superpower?

Answer 5

The Mayan knew things through astrology/astromony and they understood the laws that control every aspect of creation beyond what we understand at all today - there was a reason Einstein was a determinist. Things move in cycles, history repeats itself, and man is mechanical.

Regardless to what the nations of the wolrd may represent, the point is history repeats itself. It's all cyclic. It's light/dark, life/death, etc rense repeat etc.

Answer 6

It could very well be. Since you asked the question, take a look at this documentary by Aaron Russo.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-4312730277175242198&q=income+tax

It is about one hour and fifty minutes long.

This country is being conquered from within through the means of money. Watch all of the documentary. Then you will understand.

If nothing else ... GAIN KNOWLEDGE. GAIN INSIGHT.

Answer 7

I have to agree with the first poster here... that these things are open to interpretation.....

I don't think it is a matter of a predisposed ideal of something to come to the world as we know it.....

No..

but, I think it is a matter of thinking along the lines of what we are unto ourselves based on the historical significance and value of what we do not/did not know about other civilizations.....

I looked at the movie, not as having any relevance to a future unknown, but as a historical nature of humanity to destroy itself based on what religion is to us and how we treat each other as human beings...... as well as our understanding as it relates to what we call "god".....


your sister,
Ginger

Answer 8

Haven't seen the movie yet. but I like it. You just sold me on watching it!