Personally, I'm more than a little concerned about 2012 rearing it's head in this, not to mention some Diego de Landa apologetics; after all, Mel Gibson has earned a reputation for, ah, strong belief.

This paragraph from the CNN article in the OP has me wondering about the tone of the film:

"The story, which Gibson began writing nine months ago, is described as a "unique adventure" set 500 years in the past. Nierob said the title, "Apocalypto," was taken from the Greek word for an unveiling or new beginning."

Hmmm...