Afilmmaker with completely unrestricted creative freedom is almost nonexistent. In order to achieve that powerful status, you need to have created and/or directed a multibillion dollar franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg skyrocketed to the upper echelon of the industry not only because their films are usually gigantic hits, but because the projects they pick are safe. Whereas Lucas has ridden the 'Star Wars' phenomenon and since 1977, Spielberg mostly chooses event films headlined by a huge celebrity.
But ever since 'Passion of the Christ,' which is the most successful independent film to date (not counting 'Deep Throat'), Mel Gibson has enlarged his celebrity and reputation enough to have obtained directorial freedom. Now, since Gibson can literally do whatever the hell he wants, he has announced his next project: 'Apocalypto,' an action-adventure set in the Mayan civilization some 3,000 or so years ago.
'Apocalypto' will have no recognizable stars and will be entirely spoken in the Mayan tongue of Yucateco. Gibson's press conference last week skimped on the story details, but it is known that while the script, unsurprisingly, has lots of action and violence, it supposedly will not be 'a big doomsday picture or anything like that.' The word 'apocalypto' is Greek for an 'unveiling' or a 'new beginning,' and some rumors have started that the film will concern Mayan calendar predictions of what is called the 'Fin de los Tiempos' (End of Time), when the sun and the center of the Milky Way Galaxy will be astronomically aligned (this rather disturbing prophecy predicts that our world will end in fire in 2012 and be reborn in a different, more evolved form).
Whether the film is about the world ending or being 'reborn,' the story details are as vague as can be. Gibson only described the plot as 'a story about a man and his woman, his child and his father, [and] his community' in which the man is 'put in an incredibly heightened, stressful situation' and has to 'overcome tremendous obstacles.' We also know that the movie will be filmed in Mexico and is slated for a summer 2006 release.
Let me just stop and ask this: What other director on this planet could pull this kind of stuff? Lucas and Spielberg wouldn't touch something like this with a 10-foot pole, and it's doubtful that even filmmakers with mammoth epics on their r??sum??s (Ridley Scott and Peter Jackson immediately come to mind) could convince a studio to fund or distribute it. Gibson sidestepped funding concerns by taking on most of the financial risk himself, as he intends to pay for all of the production himself (as he did with the $25 million 'Passion'). With the lure of no production costs whatsoever, Disney has already snapped up distribution rights for 'Apocalypto' after other companies actually passed on the script.
However, 'Apocalypto' is a much dicier endeavor than 'Passion,' as it has no built-in religious audience (I doubt Jerry Falwell's going to buy thousands of tickets for people this time) or lucrative controversy as of yet. I believe that this will be Gibson's biggest test as a filmmaker; without the religious theater-going hordes as a safety net, 'Apocalypto's' actual, intrinsic quality will play into its financial success. Sure, curiosity will not carry it nearly as far as 'Passion,' but 'Apocalypto' could usher in more open-mindedness and patience among moviegoers. Audiences currently detest subtitles and basically expect a familiar face in anything they see (even most prominent independent movies), but if 'Apocalypto' is as impressive as 'Braveheart,' that could start to change.
I also feel that Gibson will be able to indulge his appetite for onscreen violence in a much more thematically appropriate setting. It wasn't the alleged anti-Semitism or the extreme violence itself that made me dislike 'Passion;' it was how prevalent that brutality element was, with the flogging scene as its gruesome centerpiece in a film purported to be a 'divine statement of faith.' Although it didn't deserve to be called a two-hour snuff film, 'Passion' was nonetheless a problematic film in which Gibson's adeptness in staging graphic violence overshadowed his most-likely genuine spiritual intentions. 'Apocalypto,' on the other hand, is fully intended to be an action adventure, and knowing Gibson, that means we're going to see a lot of Mayans slaughtered intensely and artistically.
So whether you think Gibson is a risk-taking genius or a complete fool, 'Apocalypto' is an intriguing idea that, if done well enough, could be groundbreaking. Only time will tell if 'Apocalypto' is a self-indulgent flop or a trendsetting, radical work of brilliance'and chances are, most of us will end up seeing it either way.
