When I first discovered that
they were rebooting the Mad Max franchise my immediate thought was great, I
have another little factoid that I can file away in my overflowing “things I will
instantly forget about” cabinet. I can
only assume this is what happened as I don’t actually remember registering that
a new Mad Max film was being made until I saw the trailer a few weeks ago. The trailer was probably the most memorable moment
from my trip to see The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
It will shock no one when I
confess to not having watched the original Mad Max films. I have even become too lazy to pretend that
they are in my “to watch” pile. They
aren’t.
PLOT: The world has gone to hell and mankind has
been reduced to living in a desert wasteland ruled by Immortan Joe
(Hugh Keays-Byrne). Max (Tom Hardy) crosses
paths with Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who is sneaking Joe’s wives out of the
city. When Joe finds out he takes his
fury on the road (see what I did there) and will stop at nothing to reclaim his
property. END PLOT
The plot of Mad Max: Fury
Road isn’t exactly a head scratcher but it doesn’t pretend to be. The basic premise is there and once everyone
sets off on the road the action takes over. Despite a simple plot there are some brilliant
unexplained moments such as the weird human milking parlour and the flaming
guitar guy but these all add to the craziness rather than distract from
it. Sometimes style, when it is done right,
matters much more than substance.
Once we get on the road the
action scenes are tense and genuinely exciting. I can only imagine that James
Wan is watching Fury Road somewhere thinking damn, that’s how you make a movie
about people driving cars. The action is
crazy and felt like a return to man-made action sequences rather than CGI super-moments. I’ve suddenly realised that I have missed this
type of action.
Unlike standard dystopian futures
Fury Road wasn’t sapped of colour and managed to make a sandy environment look as
pretty as it was harsh. I was thirsty
just looking at it. Fury Road was
gorgeously shot and it probably deserves another viewing to take the spectacle all in.
Tom Hardy is one of those
actors who is always watchable but is at his best when he doesn’t have many
lines. Hardy is
great as Mute Max and grunts his way through the film with ease. Hardy may be playing the title character but
this is Charlize Theron’s film. Theron manages
to be the films biggest badass and its emotional core and she does it without
breaking sweat. Hopefully this is the
start of a resurgence for Theron as she is an actress that I want to love but never seem to
enjoy the films she stars in.
Nicholas Holt has added another fine performance to his resume and my inner
nerd rejoices.
The trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road did its job well and got me all riled up for a film that hadn't appeared on my radar. I was not disappointed. Mad Max: Fury Road was great fun and for a summer action flick it was unexpectedly refreshing. It gets 8/10. Fury Road is a cinema film - whether or not it holds up on bluray remains to be seen. It will get a fair shot though. This is more than most films get these days.
Ooo I'm glad to hear this one was good. I might actually have to watch it now.
ReplyDeleteIt is well worth a look in the cinema - I think it needs the big screen so the spectacle can be appreciated!
DeleteK :-)
Sounds like we are in total agreement on this one!
ReplyDeleteIt was great fun. It'll be interesting to see how much money it makes and whether or not we get a sequel!
DeleteK :-)
Got to agree with your review. Loved the flaming guitar player and thought Nicholas Hoult did a really solid job as well.
ReplyDeleteThe guitar player looked great! I had a blast in the cinema - it was great fun
DeleteK :-)
As much as I wanted to love it, it didn't work for me that well. Details soon, because me and Cindy have a collabo coming... :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a pity! I really enjoyed it. It'll probably be one of the more memorable films of the year for positive reasons.
DeleteCan't wait to read the collaboration! Let me know when it is up
K :-)