''Lapu-Lapu'' is a 2002 Filipino

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

co-produced and directed by William G. Mayo and written by Jerry O. Tirazona. It stars

Lito Lapid Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serving as vice governor from 1992 to 1995 ...

as the titular datu, alongside

Joyce Jimenez Joyce Herrín Reintegrado-Egbalic, popularly known by her screen name Joyce Jimenez (born March 21, 1978) is an American-born Filipino former actress who stars in movies in the Philippines. In the early 2000s, Joyce Jimenez was titled "Fantasya ...

Dante Rivero Dante Rivero is a Filipino film and television actor who has won a FAMAS award and nominated for a Gawad Urian Award The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang ...

Vic Vargas Jose Maria Marfori Asuncion (March 28, 1939 – July 19, 2003), better known by his stage-name Vic Vargas, was a Filipino film actor and judoka. Early life and career Vic Vargas was born on March 28, 1939. When he was 17, Vargas won three champ ...

Roi Vinzon Mark Angelo David Vinzon (born September 20, 1953), professionally known as Roi Vinzon, is a Filipino action star, film and television actor, and a film director, better known for his villain roles and lead role films like ''Lucas Abelardo'', ''A ...

, Jeric Raval,

Ian Veneracion Stephen Ian Lopez Veneracion (; born February 7, 1975) is a Filipino athlete, actor, pilot, and singer. He was a former talent of GMA Network and is currently an artist of ABS-CBN and TV5. Personal life and career His father is renowned painte ...

Jess Lapid Jr. Jesse Lloyd Flake Lapid, commonly known as Jess Lapid Jr. (born March 22, 1962), is a film and television actor, film and fight director, scuba course director of CMAS Philippines, and underwater director of photography. More popularly known ...

, and

Gloria Sevilla Gloria Sevilla (January 31, 1932 – April 16, 2022) was a Filipino film actress. Career Sevilla was heralded as the "Queen of Visayan Movies" for her screen portrayal legacy in Visayan-made movies in the Philippines during the 1950s and 1960s. ...

. Produced by Calinauan Cineworks, the film is based on the 1521 encounter of Datu Lapulapu and other pre-Hispanic Philippine natives with explorer

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East ...

and his crew, who were serving the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. ''Lapu-Lapu'' was released on December 25, 2002 as part of the 28th Metro Manila Film Festival. Earning only ₱5.7 million by the end of the festival against a budget of at least ₱35 million, it was a

box-office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

. However, the film won seven FAP Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Mayo), and Best Actor (Lapid).

Cast

Lapu-Lapu Lapulapu or Lapu-Lapu (ᜎᜉ̰-ᜎᜉ̰), whose name was first recorded as Çilapulapu, was a datu (chief) of Mactan in the Visayas in the Philippines. He is best known for the Battle of Mactan that happened at dawn on April 27, 1521, where h ...

as Bulakna *

Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the Magellan expeditio ...

as Raha Humabon *

as Datu Zula *

Jeric Raval Jeric is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jeric Fortuna (born 1991), Filipino basketball player * Jeric Gonzales (born 1992), Filipino TV personality * Jeric T (born 1986), Singaporean singer-songwriter * Jeric Teng (born 1991) ...

as Maltug *

as Sebastian Del Cano *

Bob Soler Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States * Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surnam ...

Pigafetta ''Pigafetta'' is a genus of two palm species in the family Arecaceae. They are native to the Maluku Islands, Sulawesi, and New Guinea where they grow near rivers and in forest clearings up to 900 m in elevation. It is named for Antonio Pigaf ...

as Zula's Man *

as Reyna Bauga *Cloyd Robinson as Padre Valderrama *

Renato del Prado Renato del Prado (January 26, 1940 – November 1, 2013) was a Filipino film actor. Early life Born Renato Natividad-Mateo on March 17, 1940 in Manila. Personal life He was married with 6 children. His youngest son, Janus is also both a film an ...

as Itong *

Lucita Soriano Lucita Soriano (born Lucita Soriano Adriano; March 22, 1941 – July 8, 2015) was a Filipino actress, who appeared in more than 215 movies and television shows. She was runner-up in the Miss Philippine Press Photography (PPP) 1964 beauty pagean ...

as Mother of Katulanga *

Cris Daluz Crispin Rodriguez Daluz (15 August 1935 – 12 February 2009) was a Filipino actor and reporter. He is known for ''Himala'' (1982), ''Sukob'' (2006) and ''Bagong Buwan'' (2001). He died on February 12, 2009 in Olongapo City, Luzon, Philippine ...

as Father of Katulanga *

Boy Alano Hernando Alano (March 20, 1941 – July 23, 2022), better known as Boy Alano, was a Filipino actor. He won the award for Best Child Actor at the 5th Asian Filmfest. Early life He was the third child of Consuelo Sotto and Exequiel Alano. He wen ...

as Lagum *

Lilia Cuntapay Lilia B. Cuntapay (; September 16, 1935 – August 20, 2016) was a Filipina actress and former teacher. She is popularly recognized as the "Queen of Philippine Horror Movies" for her subsequent appearances in horror movies and exceptional contribu ...

as a

Babaylan Filipino shamans, commonly known as (also ''Balian'' or , among many other names), were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Philippine islands. These shamans specialized in communicating, appeasing, or harnessing the spir ...

Leon Miguel Noel I. Aparilla (born December 17, 1968), commonly known by the screen name Leon Miguel is a Filipino actor, model, and engineer. He recently bagged the Best Actor (Short) award from the International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) 2016 in New Yo ...

as Lapu-Lapu's Man *Boy Roque as Kawati

Production

A Spanish

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch War ...

replica was made for the film within a span of three months, and subsequently donated to a museum in

Subic, Zambales Subic, officially the Municipality of Subic ( ilo, Ili ti Subic; tl, Bayan ng Subic), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,912 people. It is located alon ...

after production. There were approximately 3,000 extras hired for the film.

Reception

At the 28th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the film lost the

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

award to '' Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut'', upon which the producers threatened to sue the festival organizers due to suspicions of manipulation.

Box office

''Lapu-Lapu'' was the least-earning film at the box office among the nine entries of the 28th MMFF.

Critical response

The Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation (CINEMA) rated the film "morally acceptable" and "technically average", with praise held for Lito Lapid and Joyce Jimenez's performances, while criticisms were directed at the incongruous film score and the galleon ship used for production, stating that the latter was "unbelievable".

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Jerry O. Tirazona 2002 films 2000s historical films Cultural depictions of Ferdinand Magellan Films set in the 16th century Films set in Cebu Philippine historical films