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Mad Max: Fury Road




Mad Max: Fury Road (Miller, 2015)

I've never heard of Mad Max before this, but boy did it sure make a fan out of me.

Imagine, if you will, an action scene that's all action. A movie that manages to keep the pace going, while at the same time not skipping out on needed characterization that doesn't require a love subplot. An action movie that transcends its inherent roots of not being taken too seriously, and inject in it cinematografic art.

Don't believe me? Well, watch this movie silly.

The movie primarily follows the chase of Imperator Furiosa, a general to Immortan Joe, who has stolen his treasured Five Wives to give them a chance at a better life. The titular Mad Max forcibly gets involved as well. Oh, and there's cars. Not to mention, explosions, heavy metal, landmines, grenade sticks, cults, guns, waterfalls, really cool cars, sand...

The visuals are absolutely fantastic. What's cooler then a bunch of post-apocalyptic weaponry and cars? Did I mention the cars? Because they're cool. There's a lot of very visual things going on, not unlike more artsy films like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It essentially tells you all you need to know just by showing you.



A rather fascinating thing about the cinematography is whenever someone dies. The camera zooms in rapidly on their face right before their death, so you see and feel their last moment. It's highly effective, and creates this sort of impact that I've never seen before.

The action is of course quite great. The movie essentially boils down to a near two hour sequence of chases through the desolate Australia. Let me just say, they did a dang fine job doing that without it getting exceedingly boring. Every single set piece does something new and different, and with the help of the fantastic visuals it never slows down.

But surprisingly, the characters were the best part of the movie. A particular standout would be Furiosa. I haven't seen such a good female character since Ripley from Aliens. She really manages to capture the feeling of a character who's been in practical slavery her entire life, hoping against hope to escape.

But it's not just the fact that she's cool, which she is. It's the fact that they also manage to show her not just as this sort of invincible god that a lot of female action heroes tend to be. She is human, and she does have faults. Like I said, it reminds me heavily of the way Ripley was done. She's not trying to be an action hero just for the sake of being badass. She's doing what needs to be done, because nobody else can do it.

The other standouts would include the titular Max, although he mostly serves as a sort of silent protector to the rest of the group, and Nux, a Warboy trying to get a badass death before cancer kills him.

Overall I would highly recommend this film. While its not for everyone, it's an amazing thrill-ride that is well worth your money's worth.

Side note: The 3D version of the film is a bit weird. It's not too bad, but it makes it quite hard to focus on the background elements. I would recommend 2D.



Selected Quote:

Nux: Oh what a day, what a lovely day!