Apocalypto (2006) Poster Analysis

Apocalypto (2006)

This is the poster for Mel Gibson’s 2006 film, Apocalypto. Straight away we notice that this is quite a dark film poster, using mainly muted greens and greys. This suggests that this will be quite a serious film. They are also quite natural colours, suggesting that this film may happen in a location that isn’t very urbanised, and the trees in the background of the poster suggest a location such as a jungle, suggesting a sense of isolation; a theme prominent in the Thriller genre. In the foreground there is a man doing what appears to be running away from a horde of people in the background behind him. He is carrying a knife in his left hand suggesting that he may have had to fight for his life, or kill animals to survive etc. The costume the man in the foreground is wearing suggests that the film is not set in modern times, the Aztec temple in the background then makes that quite obvious. The Directors name is in large print at the top of the poster, just above the title drawing customers in. Below the directors name is the film’s title, the large font is quite bright compared to the rest of the poster however, the C is blocking out the sun causing a solar eclipse. This creates an almost pathetic fallacy effect, building tension and mystery; both familiar to the thriller genre. The poster makes heavy use of shadows, a characteristic of thrillers. The entire character in the foreground is in shadow, presenting him to us as mysterious and perhaps dangerous because bad things are often associated with lurking in the shadows. He is facing into the shadows, perhaps to represent that he has to “turn bad” and do things he may regret in order to escape his pursuers. The tagline at the bottom of the poster “No one can outrun their destiny” makes us think that the character in the foreground is indeed running away from the people in the background. Because they are Aztec and the character is carrying what could be a sacrificial dagger, they may be trying to sacrifice him.