Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Blood Lust.

Talk about the essentializing of culture. Mel Gibson's new film is not so much a narrative of the Mayan Empire's decline as it is a fetishizing spectacle of violence and excessive gore. Ignore word of an apparent analogy being drawn to the United States and its method of foreign policy. This is basic blood lust, a flat-out horror film, and a reprehensible attempt to codify and script Mayan culture as inherently brutal and sacrificial. As Lauren put it, it's another colonizing of sorts on Gibson's part under a seemingly noble attempt to represent an entire people and way of life. More to come... F

8 comments:

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

*sighs*
Somebody should just tell him he's irrelevant.
Let's hope he doesn't drink tequila and starts blaming Mayans for Iraq or something though!

Glenn Dunks said...

An F? Whoa. Dems fightin' words.

adam k. said...

I hate Mel Gibson.

If Apocalypto gets nommed for, like, best foreign film at the globes, I will puke.

I'm actually starting to think that Letters of Iwo Jima will steal that one from Volver. But maybe that will make it more possible for Cruz to stage a surprise upset of Mirren (I really wouldn't rule that out).

Sorry, got off-topic. Whatever.

Javier Aldabalde said...

Wow. Can't wait to hear more.

But I'm probably the only one who thought "The Passion" was a fascinating, spellbinding, if mindlessly sensationalistic adventure.

Yaseen Ali said...

Guys, it was scary bad. It really shows how disturbed he is: the fascination with violence, the manipulation of culture for entertainment's sake, the religious superiority complex. It's all present in this movie, and is endlessly questionable in all its implications.

Lauren, what's the fun in giving out an "E"? It felt so much better to give the fucker exactly what it deserved.

The *spurt* is key as well, you are correct.

Glenn Dunks said...

I despised Passion. I would've given it an F I had to give Gibson some credit for having the balls to put that claptrap up on the screen.

J.J. said...

"Fascination with violence?" Definitely.

"Manipulation of culture?" I don't think Gibson's that devious. He needed a template for his fable, and he chose to go Mayan.

"Religious superiority?" Not in Apocalypto. The end of the movie itself is a great equalizer. I detected no judgments by Gibson at all. He could've made a thesis decrying paganism, but didn't. Instead, the movie is about trying to outrun domination. It's downright Darwinian.

Javierag: You're not entirely alone. The Passion has merit.

DL said...

Very glad to hear this was terrible. :P

If there's one thing I hate more than Mel Gibson himself, it's The Passion of Christ.