why disguise a c level slasher flick a an historical epic . if your true call a a director be direct film that be thin on plot and gratuitously violent and why not just direct the texas chainsaw massacre part deux . this film be market a a lavish historical epic chronicle the last day of the mayan civilization and and one would expect to see a film that have something to say about decadence and political corruption . hardly a new theme and but if do properly it could have make for an entertaining film . unfortunately mel gibson fail to execute even this minor task . a in braveheart and which be an entertaining film and gibson paint his character in black or white . they be two dimensional good guy or bad guy . in braveheart and the english and their scottish co conspirator be eeeeeevil and a be the mayan elite in apocalypto who be practically drool blood from their grinning mouth . this be call pulp and which when treat by someone with an ounce of wit ( i. e. tarantino ) and be fair game . however and mel gibson isn not witty but painfully earnest and and thus his violent formula be disturb rather than entertain . i would not even address this film glare historical inaccuracy and other than to say that hollywood rarely deliver in this regard and one no long expect it to . this convoluted and meandering film be either one of three thing represent 1. a failed epic in love with it own pornographic violence . there be no point to the violence a there be no point to the film . 2. a subversive propaganda tool which paint the mayan a bloodthirsty savage whose own wrongdoing earn them their downfall . the final scene show the arrival of the european and which we know spell a new world order for mayan who have so suffer under their own leader excess . 3. a film whose only point be to say that violence be pointless and inescapable . i say this in light of the final scene in which the two main have escape the ruin of the city and and instinctively also veer away from the approach european . they decide to go to the forest in hope of live out their life in peace and away from the destructiveness of all civilization . the point in this case and be very bleak and since we can assume that they would not be able to escape no matter how far they run and and will likely perish from smallpox or some other disease within a few year . or they will escape and become the descendant of generation of maya lead into today . but who know what mel gibson be attempt to say with this picture . i certainly do not . i base my one star rating on guess 1. and 2. i suppose if his motivation be more in tune with 3. and then we would have at least something of a theme and and a such my rating could go up to 5. or 6. but i really will never know because if he be in fact make a point such a the one i have guess at in 3. and he fail in his utter vagueness and leave u with a film that be ultimately disappointing and if not entirely offensive .