The Internet Monk gives a more positive review of Apocalypto than I would have. Nevertheless, I think he makes some good points:
“His [Jaguar Paw’s] journey takes him into the heart of a dying world. It is a world of stunning, impressive accomplishments and conspicuous consumption, but it is also a world where self-justifying desperation gives birth to tribal violence and captivating religions that encourage and approve of atrocity. Jaguar Paw journeys through an adventure where arrogance, ecological disaster and unleashed depravity are bringing down a world that believes it can never end. It is a chilling and remarkably relevant vision that will stay with thoughtful film-goers. Unlike the clumsy anti-conservative Bushisms of V For Vendetta, Apocalypto takes a much grander view of what threatens a culture, going to the heart of the many factors that combine to bring a world to the brink of collapse, all the while thinking it can last for a thousand years.”
Here’s the whole thing.