Spotting the aliens: some meandering thoughts

Many years back, I happened to read a book called Chariot of Gods by Erich Von Daniken. Controversies apart, it was enough to set the imaginations of a schoolboy ablaze. So much so that I even tried my hands on sci-fi loaded with aliens and spaceships for my poor school magazine. The very thought of aliens and their possible intervention with the human race has been seducing us for a long time. While it has probably been unable to break into the stronghold of mainstream esoteric arts and literature, it has occupied a very strong position in popular fiction, comics and films.

But why such abrupt infatuation has erupted for the aliens? Well, I happened to watch the fourth Indiana Jones movie yesterday. No I am not writing a review of it as usual. The thing is, it also has something to do with those “outsiders” and hence it came as some kind of a reminiscence of my childhood fantasies. The basic idea driving all such films and literature is that the aliens, who are light years ahead of us in technology, might be watching us and they might have helped our venerable ancestors to build seemingly impossible structures like the pyramids! That is why they were probably worshipped as gods. The ancient Egyptians and Mesoamericans are the usual suspects for this school of thought.

The best example that comes to my mind is Tintin’s “Flight 716”. All the Tintin fans would know how Herge so skillfully plotted the aliens amidst Indonesian rainforests. With a brilliant storyline, immaculate attention to details and impeccable humor, it was probably one of the most accomplished works by the Belgian maestro. I think no one needs to be reminded of Spielberg’s exploits with the third kind. But if you want a different kind of treatment you can go for John Carpenter’s “The Thing”. It was a really creepy drama set in the eerie atmosphere of Antarctica.

But the point is how to do we actually know what happened and how to know if there is some extra terrestrial amongst us? In short how to spot them? A few questions that arose in my mind are,

• If they came to the world where was the landing site? Some craters or geographical formations have been suspected but we don’t really see any evidences or remains of any highly sophisticated spacecraft and machinery.
• They were worshipped as gods? But I don’t think any strange or otherworldly shapes have been noticed in the ancient artifacts. The “gods” are normally portmanteaus of humans and animals.
• Is it really possible for any living entity to travel such astronomic distances?
• If they were so kind to teach architecture to the primitive people why don’t they contact modern people who can at least understand who they are and where they come from?
  

Whatever it is, in fact I sincerely hope to meet some alien some day and have some intergalactic orgy. It is really difficult to believe that we are alone in this universe!How would it be to have an extra terrestrial girlfriend (well if they have different sexes!)? No luck with the planet mates so far!

Apocalypto:I watched it twice

Well….this is not for Rajshree , K Jo & Yashraj fans . I’m sure most of the criticism have come from that front . It is for the ones who loved Kill Bill , adored Saw & went gaga over Sincity . Also those who are allergic to subtitles should stay away as the entire movie is in Yucatec Mayan . Credit goes to Mel Gibson who before this has done an equally gory Passion of Christ in Aramaic to maintain authenticity .

To start with , let me give you a small summary .There is a small Mayan village in the midst of dense Yucatan forests dwelled by Jaguars & Tapirs . They spend their life happily hunting in the jungle & expects the same to continue till eternity . But soon the tragedy strikes , a pack of warriors suddenly attacks the village , massacres half of them & imprisons the rest after a bloody ambush . Then begins a fatal & painful journey & finally they arrive in a huge Mayan city . There they finally discover the reason of their imprisonment . They were about to be sacrificed to quench the thirst of the great God Kukulkan to save the decaying civilization threatened by plague and other epidemics . The events unfold quickly after this , the hero of the story , Jaguar Paw , escapes from the tyrants & then begins a relentless & breathtaking chase through the treacherous Yucatan terrains full of jungles , marshes , waterfalls .
I won’t disclose the climax , but I can assure you that it is nail biting & engrossing . Coming back to the qualitative aspects of the movie, it is a trademark Mel Gibson flick with plenty of action & bloodshed . But as an accomplished filmmaker he never lets the story to be overshadowed by action . The sets , costumes & makeup etc are very authentically done . The medieval chase sequence with robust men running barefoot will beat any modern one involving cars & aircrafts . The background music is haunting & has an Indian touch . The crude humours , specially the one involving Tapir balls complement the dark mood of the movie well . The new actors namely Rudy Youngblood as Jaguar Paw & the beautiful Dalia Hernandez as his wife have done a commendable job .

Having said all these , the movie has also had its share of controversies like any other Gibson film . Specially distortion of Native American history & depiction of Mayans as a brutal & pervert tribe has raised concerns . Because the kind of human sacrifice it has shown , is more close to the Aztecs than the Mayans . Also it shows Spanish conquistadors arriving at the end as if they were angels of peace . But the fact is that the Columbus’s , Pizzaros & Cortezes were no less brutal . They utilized their advantage of having guns & annihilated all the Indian Civilizations namely Mayan , Aztec & Incas .

So this is where the film falters a bit . But I will still give it four out of five as reconstructing a civilization that was lost 500 years ago is no child’s play . I watched it twice in the multiplex & would advice you to do the same .