Moonbeam, that is so unfortunate that the DVD you rented was stuck in "director's narrative" mode. Usually DVDs are set up to play without a voice-over narrative, and one has to choose the option to view the film with a narrative. Very strange.

I rented Apocalypto as soon as it came to my local Blockbuster (last summer) and watched it twice. The pace of the film took my breath away and had me sitting on the edge of the couch. I needed to watch it a second time to really enjoy other aspects of the film (i.e., the city scenes, the village life) when not worried about the outcome of our hero. I have to admit, I like the chase scenes a lot, and thought the whole film was an immense achievement.

One of my favorite things about DVDs are the special features that are included. Interesting facts/theories portrayed in the movie in a cursory manner (due to editing) are explained. One fellow lamented that they just did not have enough time to include everything they would like. Visuals hints about things, like a plague and/or other destructive elements in the backstory were much more meaningful after watching some of the special features.