Apocalypto | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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Where to Watch Apocalypto What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Related Movie News Photos Apocalypto

65%

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202 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The Mayan kingdom is at the height of its opulence and power but the foundations of the empire are beginning to crumble. The leaders believe they must build more temples and sacrifice more people or their crops and citizens will die. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a peaceful hunter in a remote tribe, is captured along with his entire village in a raid. He is scheduled for a ritual sacrifice until he makes a daring escape and tries to make it back to his pregnant wife and son.

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Apocalypto

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Critics Consensus

Apocalypto is a brilliantly filmed, if mercilessly bloody, examination of a once great civilization.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: B-

Feb 14, 2012

Full Review

David Edelstein

New York Magazine/Vulture

Apocalypto demonstrates two things: that Mel Gibson is a hell of a filmmaker and that his imaginative world borders on the Neanderthal.

Jun 29, 2007

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Empire Magazine

Apocalypto is a strange but largely entertaining mix of action, bloodletting, chin-rubbing and arthouse trimmings.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 5, 2007

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James Croot

Stuff.co.nz

A film for the passionate, brave of heart and strong of stomach.

Rated: 4/5

May 5, 2023

Full Review

Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

It makes all of the violence and pain portrayed onscreen feel extra exploitative of indigenous people, history, and fact

Dec 8, 2021

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

Gibson makes people nervous in part because he takes the obscene fascination with violence ... to such absurd heights that the entire phenomenon threatens to become visible and called into question.

Feb 14, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Ebrahim M Good action. The pacing of the movie seemed good but rushed towards the end. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/10/24 Full Review Mary B This movie is stupid. Seems like a white man's justification for the violent destruction of another culture. Most of the scenes are so drawn out and boring that I kept clicking the fast forward to get through. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Motivational G It’s a must see movie. You can feel the pain. Brilliant Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Marlene A I was excited to watch something about the Mayans, expecting at least some basic historic facts. Maybe they should put some dinosaurs so the lack of timeline accuracy would be more explicit. The fall of the classic Mayan empire (as it is depicted in the movie) happened hundreds of years before the Spanish got to the Americas. The "Mayans" look much more like native tribes from the Amazon in this movie. . And to say that is because they haven't seen a modern Mayan city is very hard to believe. The villages were not too far from the cities and a 2 days walk wouldn't be that far for them. I'm not an expert and much is not known about the Mayans, but the movie should have been closer to the evidences actually found so far. Ohhh, and the girl with the dead mom.....is that chickenpox??? How did they get it if they haven't had contact with the Spanish yet???? Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/01/24 Full Review Val H I don't really know if there's any translation of this movie. But I watched it completely in mayan. Haven't understood a single word...but understood the conversation.A packing story, action and despite the cruel scenes it has something magical. It really feels like you're part of that movie.Just discovered it today and I was absolutely entertained Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review Chief B Underrated by critics but definitely a cult classic.I think it's a near masterpiece if not a masterpiece. 5/5 Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Mel Gibson Director Rudy Youngblood Jaguar Paw Raoul Max Trujillo Zero Wolf Dalia Hernández Seven Gerardo Taracena Middle Eye Jonathan Brewer Blunted

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Synopsis The Mayan kingdom is at the height of its opulence and power but the foundations of the empire are beginning to crumble. The leaders believe they must build more temples and sacrifice more people or their crops and citizens will die. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), a peaceful hunter in a remote tribe, is captured along with his entire village in a raid. He is scheduled for a ritual sacrifice until he makes a daring escape and tries to make it back to his pregnant wife and son.

Director: Mel Gibson
Producer: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey
Screenwriter: Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia
Distributor: Buena Vista
Production Co: Icon Entertainment International
Rating: R (Sequences of Graphic Violence|Disturbing Images)
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original Language: root
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 24, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.9M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)