Our class chose to watch this film because it exemplifies many film techniques that we are studying currently including lighting, a variety of angles, and different distance camera shots. In addition, Apocalypto is a perfect example of classicism in regards to film. Mimicking reality and using subtle camera techniques allows the audience to focus on the development of the plot and characters, which is the main objective of films under the classicism category. As a result of that, it was hard to pick up on many of the techniques used by the camera. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie because I like action type movies and Apocalypto was an atypical action movie for modern times with adrenaline-pumping hunting and battle scenes combined with bits of drama throughout the storyline.
Following a tribe in South America from abundant and happy times to times of hardship and enslavement as they are captured by the Mayans and brought to their city on a long and brutal journey, the film touches on the theme of fear throughout. After their village is destroyed, many are beaten and killed, and the children are left behind, a few people decide they must overcome their fear and step up to fight for themselves and their families.
While I did enjoy this movie a lot, there were various points that I did not like about the movie. As I realize it is hard to avoid repetitive scenery while filming majority of the movie in a jungle, it was bothersome to me that most of the hunting and battle scenes looked the same. Looking back on the film, it is hard for me to distinguish a difference between many of the action scenes in the movie. An aspect that I really applaud of this film is the character development. Majority of the characters, minor or major roles, were thought out in great depth and had costumes designed with extreme attention to detail and focus of authenticity. The use of tattoos, body piercings, colors, and clothing to distinguish between tribes and classes of the Mayans was incredible, and one of my favorite aspects of the movie; it made the movie feel extremely realistic. Many of the characters from the original tribe were highlighted on their journey, especially Jaguar Paw who faced the biggest transformation while overcoming the fear he faced. The characters were developed in a unique and relatable way, avoiding many stereotypes.
Cinematography techniques are used very subtly in the movie for the main purpose of highlighting emotions and creating focus on important parts or ideas throughout the film. One scene in particular that left a lasting impression on me was near the beginning when the whole village is sitting together listening to a village elder. This scene stood out to me because of the lighting and shots that were chosen. It was a low-light scene with warm colors such as reds, browns, and oranges, as the only light was the fire they were sitting around. This choice of warm colors and little light made the scene feel cozy and mysterious because we, as the audience, didn’t know what was coming next in his story or in the film. It built up a lot of anticipation, and it created a sense that his speech would be foreshadowing for later parts of the movie. In addition to lighting, the fire scene had a lot of close up shots of the villagers around the fire, the choice of close up shots versus long or deep-focus shots creates an emotional connection between the audience and each character as we experience their facial expressions highlighted by the fire. Another aspect of the film that worked really well was the use of deep-focus and panning shots. These techniques were used a lot throughout the movie to set the scene such as when the villagers were entering the Mayan city. The deep-focus shots allows the audience to get a feel for what the characters of the movie are seeing so we can get a better understanding of their emotions. The use of panning was important during chase and battle scenes in the jungle, such as when Jaguar Paw escapes through the cornfields. This use of the camera allows for the audience to have a more complete view of the characters surroundings and in a scene such as a chase, it creates a high amount of anticipation to see what looms just behind the character that they don’t know about. The techniques used in this film were extremely effective and helped to keep me on the edge of my seat to see what was going to happen next.
I HIGHLY recommend this movie!
