Mad Max: Fury Road Review
Okay, back when I was in the Navy was the first time I was introduced to Mad Max. I had no idea what I was in for. I had only just seen John Hughes’ Weird Science, which is a fascinating movie just for the visual factor… That’s a different movie review entirely. What I’m getting at is the scene when the post-apocalyptic biker gang shows up out of nowhere and threatens the house party and everyone inside. I had NEVER seen characters like these before. It was like someone had taken Hell’s Angels and put them through a nuclear holocaust. Yeah. It was totally awesome. It wasn’t until watching the special features that I learned that these characters were from an entirely different, and real, movie. Mad Max. Specifically Road Warrior but more on that in a minute.
You want insanity? It's right here.
Now I was hooked. I just HAD to get my hands on these movies. So, using the power of Netflix I was able to get the DVDs and watch them. Being a stickler for continuity, I went against the advice of my friends and watched the first, and aptly named, Mad Max. As intriguing of a storyline as it purported to be, I found myself bored to tears and waiting with burning anticipation for the bikers from hell to arise from the sandy Australian depths.
Yeah... I wouldn't mess with Max...
Now we’re getting into SPOILER territory. You have been warned. The basic storyline of Mad Max, as I remember it, revolves around Max, who is a police officer in pre-apocalyptic Australia. In this film the main villain is named Toecutter who is the leader of a motorcycle gang that is wreaking havoc on this small town. This film does have some pretty decent action sequences with vehicular carnage but the film doesn’t really pick up until Max’s wife and child are brutally run over in the middle of the road. Then the final pursuit begins and Max goes on a vigilante spree of motorcycle pancaking justice. This, as awesome as it may be, was not what I was here for. I wanted more action and carnage.
Then… I saw Road Warrior, and boy was it EVERYTHING I had hoped for and more. Devilish villains, fantastic chase sequences, good pacing, an overall air of adventure and an absolutely no prisoners taken attitude. While the movie itself will seem dated to modern audiences because of the graininess of the film and obvious lack of visual effects, I still believe it to be a cinematic masterpiece that everyone should indulge in.
I’ll just skip Beyond Thunderdome. It’s corny and poorly written and doesn’t really feel like a Mad Max film.
Ok. NOW let’s talk about Fury Road. Being the film snob that I am (yes I’m not afraid to admit it) there are not many movies that come out today that really pique my interest or make me feel something emotionally. When today’s world is inundated with Taken 3 and Furious 7, (just two examples of trumped up franchises that need to die in my humble opinion) I begin to despair about the future of film in today’s society. Heck, if you couldn’t tell from my review of Ultron I was mildly disappointed because it felt so contrived.
Then this movie happened. I’ll admit that I was pretty skeptical when I saw the teaser trailer for this movie. All I could think was “Oh boy. Here we go again with yet ANOTHER reboot.” Then much to my surprise I saw the full length trailer and my eyeballs popped out of head in amazement. Were those practical effects I was looking at?! Holy crap I think those are real trucks they just blew up! The original director is the mind behind this movie!? Now I had to see it.
So on Thursday night, some of my friends and I went to see this up in Fort Wayne Indiana. Comparatively, where I found myself getting bored in Ultron, I found myself gripping my chair in bewilderment and awe in Fury Road. It was as if somebody had reached into the past and re-invigorated all the magic that made 80’s movies so gripping and brought it all up to speed. One quote that I’ve heard that best surmises this film is, and I’m paraphrasing here, “It makes Furious 7 look like toddlers playing with their toy cars in a sandbox.”
To which I give a hearty head nod until my spine begins to ache. Ok, here are yet MORE SPOILERS. Fury Road revolves around a group of women escaping from their slave master Immortan in a giant semi truck rigged for war. That’s basically the whole plot in a nutshell. Too simplistic for you? Well too bad! The action sequences are what carry the film. Why is this okay? Because the sheer determination and excellence that went into making these action sequences are applause worthy to the highest degree. Every frame is a spectacle, every shot a masterpiece, and every sequence breathtaking.
There are a lot of action movies coming out these days but every one of them pales in comparison to what Fury Road has to offer. To top it all off, this movie’s cinematography is downright stunning! Many action movies these days try to make their films gritty or edgy and all we get is lame movies like Sin City 2. Blegh. Alternatively, Fury Road is downright gorgeous! George Miller let the set design and costumes be the gritty part of the visuals and it works brilliantly.
My advice to you. Go see this movie. Everything about it is amazing and worthy of your $9.50 ticket.
