Magellan (2025 Film): A Modern Depiction of the Greatest Navigator of All Time
- museomaritimo
- Nov 11
- 6 min read
November 10, 2025 – Makati City, NCR, Philippines
An article by SM Floralde
Sometime in May of this year, when I heard that a historical film about an iconic 16th-century explorer would be shown in Manila, I got really excited! The last time his character appeared on the silver screen was in Lapu-Lapu, released 24 years ago. And another one, 1521, was shown in theaters just two years ago. (Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware, so I failed to watch either of these two films.) So, after four months since I’d read about “Magellan” in the news, I finally saw this highly anticipated film. I thought it would just be another film about a historical figure. But the way it was created in an art film style made it a unique motion picture compared to mainstream movies. And I must say, watching this slow film inside the theater was a novel cinematic experience for me.
The primary reason I watched it was that, as a history enthusiast, I am fascinated by any significant event from the pre-colonial Philippines to the Spanish colonial period, the Revolutionary era, and beyond. Also, I gravitate to its once-in-a-blue-moon subject – Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator renowned for discovering the Philippines on March 16, 1521. In addition, I was curious about how Lav Diaz, the director, would depict the historical figure of Lapu-Lapu. Except for a short film trailer I’d seen on YouTube, I had little knowledge of the director’s body of work. So, with barely any clue of the movie’s background, I tried to watch this film with an open mind.
Film Length
At Cinema 4 of Glorietta Mall in Makati City, I watched this quite lengthy film that had a running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes! It was one of the longest films I have ever seen in recent years. In fact, it’s longer than the latest sequel of Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2 hrs 28 min) and the Filipino-American-war film, Goyo: The Boy General (2 hrs 35 min), but a little shorter than the World-War-2 period film, Oro, Plata, Mata (3 hrs 14 min), and another famous historical film, Jose Rizal (2 hrs 58 min). So, if I could watch the 1956 American epic religious drama film, The Ten Commandments, for three hours and forty minutes, I could definitely stay focused on this 2025 film about the greatest explorer of the Renaissance era. Later, I discovered that it was actually intended to be a 9- to 10-hour film. But thank God, at the eleventh hour, they decided to condense it to less than 3 hours to create a more moviegoer-friendly version.
The Director
Lav Diaz, the recipient of two Lifetime Achievement awards from FAMAS and Gawad Urian, took a minimalist approach to making this historical film. Its long, continuing shot was like raw footage of events revealing before the audience's very eyes. With each scene unfolding slowly to capture each moment, focusing more on the character’s monologue or immersing the viewer longer either in a conflict or drama, it became more of a spellbinding reflection than a literal depiction.
For an epic story, the slow cinema style of representation was brilliantly crafted. So, for those who are expecting a fast-paced, action-packed adventure movie, this is definitely not for them. Most likely, it will not appeal to everyone’s movie preferences. But for those who love to experience an art film that focuses on quiet moments, long shots, and minimalism, it will linger in their thoughts and provide a different perspective.
The Plot Twist
Although it presented some scenes from Magellan’s early years in Portugal and brief sequences of his married life, the film primarily showcased his last remaining months, leading up to his final destination in the Philippines. In the first part, Magellan participated in the capture of Malacca, purchased a Malay slave, and was nursed by Beatriz, whom he would marry soon before beginning his expedition. For his incredible proposal to circumnavigate the world via sailing West to reach the Spice Islands, he was rejected by Portugal. With the pain of frustration, he went to Spain, where his world-changing idea was accepted. In the middle part where Magellan was leading the historic voyage with five ships and about 270 crewmen, the story focused on their grueling experiences – including the execution of a crewmember for engaging in homosexual acts (which was forbidden then), the marooning of a crew member and a priest, the death sentence of more men for mutiny, the loss of two ships, and not to mention their struggles with homesickness, disease, and hunger.
After all this series of tragedies, the story continued to his meeting with the inhabitants of Cebu, and ended with his terrible demise at the hands of the ethnic warriors of Mactan Island. But there’s an unexpected twist that deviates from the traditional story of how Lapu-Lapu was portrayed. This bewildering idea would really make the viewers rethink their perspective on history. To avoid being a spoiler for those who have not seen this film, I would rather not discuss this in detail and keep it a secret for now. So, if you want to find out, go watch it!
Historical Accuracy
Though largely consistent with historical facts, a mythical claim of this film is being questioned by some historians. They said Filipinos should take the film director’s historical interpretation with a grain of salt, particularly in the case of Lapu-Lapu’s depiction.
According to The Freeman, a daily English language newspaper in Cebu, a couple of anonymous local historians “strongly disputed Diaz’s claim.” Citing Antonio Pigafetta’s account as a testimony to the Battle of Mactan that happened in the early morning of April 27, 1521, on the island of Mactan, where Lapu-Lapu was responsible for the death of Ferdinand Magellan, they believe it was a highly reliable source. And anything outside of this basis was incredulous.
However, Ambeth Ocampo, a respected historian, academic, journalist, and independent curator, pointed out that the director “made a film, not a doctoral dissertation”. What he meant was the director need not make a long-form academic paper or a book-length work to present his historical perspective. Like other film directors, he had an artistic license to freely create any story that could be told through a sequence of moving images.
Certainly, this film created some buzz from both film lovers and critics alike. For clarification, Mr. Diaz explained that his film was intended to provoke conversation rather than controversy. But whether it’s historically accurate or not, “Magellan” will surely create many more interesting discussions in the years to come.
Recognition
Lav Diaz’s Magellan film premiered on September 21 in Manila and would also screen at the Toronto and New York Film Festivals on a later date. As of the moment, it is already on the verge of getting more recognized globally. Recently, it was chosen as the Philippines’ official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. And even before this international acknowledgment, this director got a standing ovation for this critically acclaimed Filipino film, which was shown at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Furthermore, it managed to get a nomination for the Cinemasters category at the Munich International Film Festival and won a Golden Spike award at the Valladolid International Film Festival.
The multi-awarded Filipino director, known for his slow cinema style and focus on social and political issues, recommends his latest epic film to the Filipino viewing public. During an interview, he said, “It’s important to look back on our history because that’s where we came from. We can’t move forward if we don’t know our past.”
With or without recognition, it will not change the fact that “Magellan” is now a part of Philippine cinema. Undoubtedly, this film has made its indelible mark and will be appreciated as another milestone in the artistic recreation of this notable point in our nation’s history.
References:
1. Kristofer Purnell (2025, August 30), Lav Diaz's 'Magellan' with Gael Garcia Bernal sets Philippine premiere, Philstar.com
2. gaelgarciabernalarchive (2025, Sep 10), The first Filipino trailer for Magellan (2025), directed by Lav Diaz, starring Gael García Bernal, YouTube gaelgarciabernalarchive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOJs5uk_k78
3. TIFF Trailers (2025, August 8), MAGELLAN Clip | TIFF 2025, YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iffCUFhyK8
4. Advanced title search
5. Bilyonaryo News Channel (2025, May 22), Pelikula ni Lav Diaz bumida sa Cannes | Agenda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-zvuV95Hfg
6. IMDb, Magellan https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36456563/?ref_=mv_close
7. Ambeth R. Ocampo (2025, September 10), ‘Magellan’: Old questions, new answers,
8. Janet Susan R. Nepales (2025, May 20), Lav Diaz's 'Magellan' starring Gael Garcia Bernal earns 5-minute standing ovation in Cannes, GMANetwork.com https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/946724/lav-diaz-magellan-gael-garcia-bernal-cannes/story/
9. Nathalie Tomada (2025, September 3), With Oscar hopes, Lav Diaz’s ‘Magellan’ embarks on tough campaign, Philstar.com https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2025/09/03/2469976/oscar-hopes-lav-diazs-magellan-embarks-tough-campaign
10. GMANetwork.com https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/showbiznews/lav-diaz-wins-best-director-in-venice-international-film-festival/68634/
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