Apocalypto is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat action movie. The pace never lets up, and the action sequences are on par with some of the best moments from Miami Vice. The violence is raw and gruesome, but never too much to handle. Much of the filmmaking is old school and calculated, such as the build-up of tension and even the action itself (taking out enemies one by one). Something I respect about the movie is that Gibson doesn't make this just an action movie; it is also a statement about society. One thing I like is how minor details are brought back later on in important ways--it really hits home Gibson's message about fate and destiny. It was really cool to see Jaguar Paw "become" a jaguar and also change from being the hunted to the hunter.Well, I went in thinking it would be an epic story, but it turned out to be a simple action movie (albeit a very good one). A lot of situations seemed to go on too long, although individual scenes worked extremely well. The camerawork and editing overall were somewhat unimpressive and uninspired, but there were several key shots that were just stunning (for example, when the priest holds up the heart in front of the crowd after the first sacrifice). Also, Gibson had this strange fascination with slowing down the video in the most bizarre of places, which made for a really jarring effect sometimes. Taken as a whole, though, this is a fantastic action movie and highly recommended.
IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0472043/