The tranquility of utopian jungle living is disrupted when a group of slave traders kidnaps our heroes in order to sell them off for divine sacrifice.  ‘Jaguar Paw’ manages to escape, and must evade re-capture in order to be re-united with his stranded family.

How should we assess Mel Gibson’s directorial ability?  First of all, he clearly knows how to frame a shot.  He uses a bewilderingly wide array of angles and shot types to frame this film, and the result is that we rarely see a scene in the same way twice.  Hand held close-ups, wide shots, steady cam, and crane sequences are all used to great effect, but it is the aerial shots that really steal the show here with some truly beautiful moments.

Gibson’s other real achievement in Apocalypto is how he has managed to extract some great performances from a largely untried local cast.  It is a testament to his directorial prowess that all of the major characters, and most of the multitude of extras, are completely believable.

Sadly, though, he does have his weaknesses.  This film is vastly under-cut.  The first act drags along so slowly that I found myself fighting to maintain attention.  Long stretches of time are given over to character set-up that ultimately goes nowhere and serves only to delay the arrival of the chase sequence that forms the core of the film.

So, would the film have worked if Gibson had cut the waffle and moved along more speedily to the final act?  Unfortunately, no.  The film suffers far more fundamental flaws that reside in the underlying premise of the movie.  The movie opens on a quote from Will Durant: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within", the implication being that the Spanish were only able to subjugate the Mayan civilisation due to its internal moral decay and spiritual disharmony.  In fact, of course, the Conquistadors finally conquered the Mayans (after nearly two centuries of failed attempts) due to superior arms.  Furthermore, the Mayan peoples exist to this day and maintain a distinct culture and language.

Nevertheless, there is a level on which at least part of this film works.  If you can make it through the soporific opening to the core chase sequence then you will find a fairly solid - if unspectacular - mix of Homer, Die Hard, and Predator that comes together to tell the story of a man fighting against the odds to get home to his family.  This is entertaining and thrilling, if occasionally far-fetched, and works in isolation from the flawed elements in this film.

Finally, I can’t sign off this review without mentioning Apocalypto’s costume and make-up, which is extraordinary.  Every one of the hundreds of extras and cast is completely believable, and the artistry that has gone into accomplishing this goes a long way to drawing us into the world of the Mayans.  The sets, too, are remarkable in their detail and depth, and the city scenes in particular really benefit from the effort that has been put in here.

Ultimately this film fails, but Mel Gibson is obviously a talented director, and I really hope he can move beyond the spiritual clap-trap that infects this movie to do something more compelling in the future.