Mayans vs. Us ..

I saw Apocalypto today. It’s that Mel Gibson movie about the Mayans. it’s a well known fact that I cant stand blood and gore. Therefore, if you’re like me…I suggest you not watch it. However, if you are really interested in history or anthropology, then watch it. I hav found a balance btwn the two.. I’ve watched half of it .. Haha =) . It is archeologically and historically correct, the acting and cinematography is pretty good and the violence does give it a realistic feel of how primitive it was back then. There is a lot of nudity, which takes sum time for you 2 get used to. But once the story starts picking up, you hardly notive that at all, because theres so much stuf goin on, onscreen that it just is not significant anymore cos you’re concentrating so hard on the story. The movie addresses things like pride and honour, paganism, survival of the fittest and love. In the beginning, thr’s this really horrible scene whr the main character ( Jaguar Paw ) ‘s father is forced to stand up and has his throat slit by a member of the raiding tribe. There was no fear in the older man’s eyes and he said, “My Son” before he dies so he could look into his son’s eyes one last time. As warriors, they belive that they most be proud even till their last moment and not show fear. Paganism is a main theme in this movie, whr the men of Jaguar Paw’s village are brought to be sacrificed to appease ‘The Gods’. The fittest tribe captures the men from weaker tribes and bring them to their death, which shows a Predator vs. Prey kinda scenario. The love Jaguar Paw has for his pregnant wife and son is also very touching. He tries his vry best to save them even while a man is charging at him, trying to kill him. I would say this is a film you have to watch at least once. Yes, it will shock you and give you nightmares for a few days. But, when you see the scenes of children being killed and women being raped, you cant help but think that all this is still goin on now. We are more intelligent, supposed to be more evolved . However, these tragic things are still happening today. Is the world backtracking? Instead of becoming more civilized, are we becoming barbaric and primitive?? Let me know if you are involved in anything that addresses the issue of violence towards women and children. I would love to be more active in fighting this plague of violence. To all reading this, thanks for taking your time to hear my views and opinions. June 25 2007, Tuesday