Ancient Apocalypse: The Americas Review 2024 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Graham Hancock returns with his entertaining but pseudoscience show Ancient Apocalypse which is a Netflix documentary that looks at undiscovered, lost civilizations that may have existed way before established ancient civilizations like the Egyptians or the Chinese.
While Season 1 looks at different findings all over the world, Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 specifically focuses on the Americas during the prehistoric era. With 6 episodes, the Netflix documentary goes back and forth as it goes from analyzing Amazonian paintings to investigating Sacsayhuaman, an ancient Peruvian citadel.
And this time, accompanying Hancock is none other than movie star, Keanu Reeves (even if it is for a short while) whose enthusiasm is almost infectious. Where Hancock comes off cocky (no pun intended) and arrogant for those who don’t believe him instantly, the other cast members, including Reeves balance it out with their endearing nature, acting as spokespersons for the viewers.
There are also a lot of fancy adjectives thrown around for these miraculous findings and hearsay instead of backing up the arguments with solid evidence. The research is half-baked at most, an issue that was prevalent even back in Season 1.
We and the skeptical viewers, in no way, are disrespecting the guest researchers, the scientists and the archaeologists who painstakingly recover such prehistoric findings and study them. But then they also don’t make groundless claims. What makes Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 so controversial is Hancock’s statements; they are sometimes way too absurd, almost bordering on conspiratorial.
This is very clearly seen in the third episode when Dr. Cardinali shares that banana, a foreign plant to the Rapa Nui island (Easter Island) was found 3,000 years ago. And what does Hancock do? He pushes her to declare that Rapa Nui’s inhabitants must have existed on the island even before 3,000 years ago. While Cardinali stays diplomatic, Hancock’s treatment of this research to further his own agenda is laughable.
His confidence truly would be inspiring if it wasn’t so unfounded. While we admire his tenacity, he really should be focusing on scientific methods to verify his findings and strengthen his argument.
However, the documentary is still entertaining and intriguing, like those true crime podcasts or after-hours History Channel programs which we tune into randomly. In the storytelling department, Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 kicks off strongly as the first episode focuses on the idea that maybe there were humans even 23,000 years ago aka the Ice Age. It even shows us archaeological findings like human-shaped footprints in New Mexico of around that time.
The Netflix documentary creates a full circle moment as it comes back to North America and looks at Mexico’s Temple of the Sun in the Season 2 finale and its possible role in prehistoric astronomy. It ends on a high note as it marvels at Mayan architecture and how the temple combines spirituality and science.
It is also refreshing to see the present-day appreciation of the culture as the documentary features locals who explain the importance of nature and the role of rituals in their lives.
Like its previous season, Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 provides some food for thought even though we don’t get any actual discoveries. Maybe Hancock’s theories may spark scientific research on the existence of prehistoric civilization or maybe it’ll just be another conspiratorial history program that doesn’t amount to much. Guess, only time will tell.
