Way too much much gore and violence for any child 17 and under to see. I believe it shows graphically what happened to the Mayan - and even earlier - societies. Though extremely hard to watch (I spent most of the time hiding my eyes), it shows clearly what can happen to cultures when respect for humanity, other than their own, is lost. It also shows that love can produce amazing courage and strength. This is definitely a movie that isn't easily forgotten.

I think this may be the most violent non-horror movie ever. My father-in-law got it for the older kids, who are 13, 12, and 10. He didn’t think it would be very bad. I was fairly disturbed by the idea of children watching it. Kids should definitely not watch this movie.

I really liked this movie! It was very entertaining and had great imagery and also had it's humor. It isn't really recommended for kids. But I loved it. The only thing I didn't love was that I was left hanging about a few issues in the movie.

I'm grateful that I saw this at home rather than on big screen. While I can admire the cinematography, the costumes, the use of native language, and even the thin plot line revolving around love of family, all that was overwhelmed by the gratuitous violence. There were elements of the story that were ludicrous - the pursuers left a killing arena armed only with a few weapons, but when chasing the captive through the rainforest they all had torches (and means to light them). The pursued man was badly wounded but didn't even slow down. And in the fast and furious pursuit through the immense forest, the pursuers knew exactly which way the prisoner ran. But overall it was the violence that left me cold, and made me feel that Mel Gibson's ultimate intent was to see how gruesome and gross he could be. It's unfortunate that he hasn't grasped the concept of suggestion - that it is possible to convey a point powerfully without making the viewer feel that he's stepped into a bloodbath.

If you have a stomach for graphic violence lots of gore. Patience to read subtitles due to the film being spoken in their native tongue (very impressive) this is a film for you. This is not suitable for any child under the age of 15. The film is rich with culture, the cinematography is just perfect. I really felt that I was taken back to another place and time. Excellent film making.

the chase part is what u would enjoy the most especially when he finally decided to fight his captors. brutally violent but overall i think its a great movie, there's this desire to come back for his family so he better keep himself alive

I was left with my jaw dropped, I loved the whole movie and was on the edge of my seat biting my nails. Yes it is violent, yes it is gory, no don't take the kids..but there is a love story and a will to live within the movie that captures the audience. Rudy Youngblood is an awesome artist and actor...thank you Mel Gibson!!

Wonderful, fabulous, action packed. A hero protecting his family during turbulence.

Good educational movie, a little too bloody and gory for younger viewers. I personally loved it. It was very realistic and the language was a little bad too.

i like the movie but besides the gore it is a good movie i like how jaguar paw fights to rescue his family but the gore eww a guy gets impaled on the head by an arrow

The violence could give little kids nightmares. It's not an extremely great movie, but still recommendable. Children under the age of 12 shouldn't watch it, as it has powerful, graphic images (not as much as The Passion of Christ). It does have some sexual references, so that's something that shouldn't be overlooked.

No matter how you look at it, apocalypto is an extremly violent film. Most of it is completly unnecessary however, and it really spoiled what could have been an EXCELLENT movie. The plot is pretty basic, as is the acting, but some of the sets and extras really take your breath away. Now, i'm no expert on mayan history and culture, but i'm pretty sure that they didn't glorify horrific acts of violence as much as they do in Apocolypto. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT age-appropriate stuff. Adults only, or mature teens who can handle some of the really stomach churning scenes.

Don't get me wrong. This was an amazing movie, and I loved it a lot. However, it is not family material. There are sacrifices, beheadings, deaths galore. It is very violent, and I sometimes think it may not have been best for *me* to see it. There is some nudity, although it's mostly not in any sexual context. There are a number of not so subtle sex jokes. It is, however, a great movie.

this film is so dirty and disgusting it doesnt deserve a rating. i couldnt even finish it. if anything common sense media was too lax on it i found it the most repulsive thing ive had to watch. waste of money.

who needs to sit and read a history book to see how the mayans lived, buy it and see history for yourself, its so good

Mel Gibson, no matter what you may think of his personal life, is a very good filmmaker. Passion of the Christ and Braveheart were excellent, very violent films. His latest, Apocalypto, is a disappointment. This movie is full of nonstop, mindnumbing, and over-the-top violence. Eventually it gets so over-the-top and gruesome you feel the urge to laugh! The violence ruins the movie, and makes it almost impossible to enjoy.

I am appalled at the review that was given for "Apocalypto" by Common Sense Media. This is one of the greatest chase movies of all time. But- it is only for adults or kids who have a lot of experience in really gory stuff, a tiny bit of language, some mature sex-related parts and scary stuff throughout. Apocalypto is the most violent movie I've ever seen. Worse than Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator and Black Hawk Down and all those violent war films. There is a lot of blood, many throats cut, a brain is exposed, a man's face is eaten and ripped apart by a jaguar, men are sacrificed brutally by being cut open and then having their hearts removed and their heads cut off, one man and an animal called a tapir are speared through with a lethal ancient trap invloving a lot of spikes, (in which the tapir is cut open by some hunters and its innards are given as presents to the other men. One of the innards are the "balls" which are given to a man to actually eat, and he does, and we see it)many men and women are brutally dragged about and tied up and put in slavery, arrows go straight through men's heads and chests, a man's head is crushed on a rock at the bottom of a waterfall and a lot of blood is shown, and about half the movie, and I really mean that, is a long chase scene that is very scary and involves many frightening parts. And all of this is put in very scary, bloody, and violently explicit terms. Think about that for a second. Do you think your kid or you should see this? I apologize if what you just read disturbs you, but all of that does happen in the story and a lot more. There are two words for language, the d-word and one f----d. Also, throughout this movie, there are naked bottoms because the ancient mayans don't dress eevrything up. Men and women are also shown topless a lot as well, but more the men than the women. Also, a man and his wife are really pressured to have a baby by the wife's mother. To "help" him, a man gives the husband some leaves to rub around his you-know-whats that are supposed to help. But later on, the man and the wife run out of their room. (Young ones, DO NOT read on here.)The man wahes his you-know-whats and the woman drinks water, indicating... well... you know. If you don;t know, however, you shoudl not be reading this review and shouldn't even think about watching this movie. As for social stuff, well, this movie shows the Mayans and aztecs and all of them as cruel, horrible, violent and terrible civilizations. This movie is also so violent that it amy tell kids that violence is OK for everything. But overall, its an excellent action/adventure thriler chase film. My favorite Mel Gibson movie so far, although I haven't seen The Passion of The Christ. I lvoed it, but was appaled by some of the content in it. Very mature and violent content. Parents, you should always see it with your child. However, they won't see very mcuh of the film because you'll be covering their eyes most of the time.