Jeff Ford went to see Apocalypto, and offers his take (undoubtedly better than the movie*). The bottom line is probably this:
If you’re not partial to the sight of hearts being ripped out while still beating and being shown to their previous owners, you might not want to check this out.
*Which I will see, absolutely, not because I particularly think I’ll like it or it’ll be good**, but because I’ve been reading a lot about that part of the world during that period and I want to admire the make-up and costuming and spectacle of it.
**Actually, it sounds like it probably is good in the way you go see a "good movie," but not in the way I necessarily mean here.
I saw Apocalypto on Sunday afternoon in Danville. In hindsight it probably has a straightforward plot that manages to hide what’s coming by virtue of the captives’ perspective that it takes as its point of view. Once the nature of the situation is made clear, the movie becomes very focused and moves quite fast. Everyone will feel that they understand the crisis.