Mad Max Fury Road

Reasons to see this film NOW …. MULTIPLE TIMES!!!!

-          Literal non-stop action

-          Very little dialogue or monologues; letting the action do ALL the talking!

-          Creativity and originality of the characters and tyrant clans

-          Casting choices; Leaving Mel Gibson out of the film, even for a cameo

-          Practical “Real” effects throughout the film

The most important probably being the last of the list. 

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – 5/5

“What a day, WHAT A LOVELY DAY”, words which I believe will be etched in the world of film! This is by far one of the best pure action films I’ve seen in my 25 years. The only reason I give any movie a 5 out of 5 is if it is so good that I actually went to see it more than once in theaters. The creativity, the imagination, the pure acid like trip (though I wouldn’t personally know what that kind of trip is like), it is a pure release of insanity. We all have it inside of us, that insanity. It builds up over time in our daily lives, needing to be released one rare yet exceptional occasions. This is the fourth instalment in the series and it is by far the most intense, the most hardcore, and the most Mad of the series so far. Before I start I’d like to say that if you haven’t seen the original 3 movies, while it isn’t really required in order to follow or understand the current film, it will familiarize your imagination and prepare your senses for what you’re going to experience in this film. Mad Max Fury Road truly does set the bar higher for great filming in today’s day and age of CGI dependent film. Or, as the legendary iconic director George Miller put it, “It’s a renaissance of the franchise”. And who knows, perhaps it could be a renaissance for film altogether!

The original three were made in 1979 (Mad Max), 1981 (The Road Warrior), and in 1985 (Beyond Thunderdome), making this 4^th sequel the first installment in the film series in 30 years! The original Mad Max was set in a dystopian society, meaning that it’s a society on the brink of total break down and chaos. The first sequel in 1981 was in a post-apocalyptic setting where that break down had commenced and there was now nothing of the structure we have come to call society. Chaos reigns supreme and the law of the land is whatever the strongest or best positioned person says it is. Ever since then the sequels have remained in that setting, continuing with Thunderdome, where we see a barbaric shell of what society use to be. More like ancient Celtic tribes than modern day society, but still adding a bit of order to the chaos. In this film we see that same setting continued in grandiose fashion, with the same Celt like communities trying to structure chaos. These communities, these tyrant tribes, are much bigger than in any of the other previous films.

George Miller gained inspiration for the original film as a medical surgeon, seeing the gore and horror of traffic accidents, along with the craziness of the gas shortage in Australia, where he lived. He thought to himself “what would happen if the entire world were fighting over resources like this”. After working with an old friend and raising $350,000 dollars, Mad Max took to the streets! Now, inspiration for his new film, Fury Road, was something which had occurred before the turn of the century. He had a vision for an action film, a film that would be one long and continuous chase scene. In his own words, he wanted something like that of a “western on wheels”. He did an amazing job, along with everyone who worked so long and so hard to bring us this amazing work of art because an endless western on wheels movie with a long and continuous chase scene is what we got, and so much more!

 Story

(Normally I put a rating for each of the five areas I grade a movie on, but with a 5 rating there’s no point)

        
         The story in Mad Max Fury Road is all about redemption and freedom. With the name “Mad” Max, it doesn’t take a genius to guess that all of his pistons aren’t running …. and for you non-automotive types I simply mean that he’s obviously a bit insane. What causes him to go Mad is the loss of his daughter from the first movie. That and all of the people he’s lost, or felt he had failed, throughout his adventures in the original series. In this film he is once again put into a position where he must decide to help those which need his help, or walk away to let those he doesn’t know be left to their own fate. Does the former lawman adhere to his natural need to help the vulnerable, or has Mad Max shouldered too much guilt to try and help anyone else again?  Many of the other characters seek redemption themselves, for actions they’ve taken, actions they didn’t, or just for the failing circumstances which life dealt them.

                The story also focuses on tyranny vs. freedom. Immortan Joe, the main antagonist of the film, is the tyrant of The Citadel, a kingdom built on misery and desperation. He rules his victims with the control of water, giving just enough to sustain some sort of life in an otherwise uninhabitable environment. There are many tyrants in this film, one from The Bullet Farm, another from Oil Town, all using their resources to remain in power. In this world, you’re usually either a victim or a bringer of pain, but rarely are you one who has the ability to live free, on your own terms. That’s where Max and his co-star Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) come into play in this world. They are the small and fleeting light of hope for freedom that their world has. Now, throwing over a single tyrant is a challenge, almost impossible, but to take on three . . . you’d have to be Mad!

Writing

                The writing is perfect for this movie, in the sense that the dialogue and monologues of the film are very reserved. For a Mad Max film of this caliber you need to keep the talking points few and far between. It’s better to let the action do most of the talking, which is exactly what happens and turns out to be a key element for the amazing success of the film. At the beginning there is a single monologue inside of Max’s head, talking about the world, his world. Talking about his past and where he is in life. After that there is no dramatic monologue, no internal speech, and only speeches done by the tyrant Immortan Joe. There’s also a delirious and exciting death cry speech by Nux, the “LOVELY DAY” War Boy found in the previews. Other than that there isn’t much to say about the writing because there wasn’t much writing, not for dialogue or monologues anyway, but that is the very reason why it is great!

Characters

                George Miller is a psychotic Dr. Sues, and these are his psychotic characters! Imaginative and animated, unbelievable in their creativity, true characters of madness. They’re a true key element in the success of this film.

Max – Hero of the film, burdened by loss and grieve, Max struggles with his inner demons in knowing what to do. His one constant in life, the one thing he knows above all else, is to survive!

Imperator Furiosa – Heroine of the film, Mad Max’s female alternate in a world gone mad. Also stricken by loss and torment, Imperator has for many years been under a tyrant’s thumb (Joe), forcing her to do his bidding under penalty of . . . well, who could imagine! Yet she feels it is now her time to rise, time to fight, and with Max on board she might have a chance.

Immortan Joe – Sickly tyrant of The Citadel, his shamble of a kingdom. Using his resource of water, among other niceties and necessities, he holds ultimate power and influence over his people. Power hungry with the deepest sense of entitlement, he is a true tyrant in every sense of the word. He has two brothers who both rule their own “kingdoms”. One from the Bullet Farm which supplies ammunition, and another from Oil Town. Joe also has two sons. A giant named Rictus Erectus, who is the literal muscle of his father’s kingdom, and a little butterball of a midget who see’s everything from his little chair and massive telescope.

Nux – A young and promising War Boy, the sickly army which help reinforce Joe’s authority, who plays both sides of the desert, between Furiosa and Max’s struggle, and Joe’s desire to retain his power. But no one can play it both ways in the world of Mad Max. Which side will Nux choose, and more importantly, will he stay on that side? All could hang in the balance . . . or not. Either way, it’ll be a day, A LOVELY DAY!!!

That’s the main cast of characters, though there are dozens of characters we get to know and experience. Each one as unique as the other and all amazing! But just as unique as the characters themselves are the casting choices. Specifically those of Immortan Joe and his two sons. Immortan Joe is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne. He was the antagonistic biker gang leader named Toecutter in the original 1979 Mad Max movie. Though he is in no way reprising his original role, especially since he was completely decimated by an 18-Wheeler at the end of the original, he is familiar with the mindset, the look, and the attitude for a true MAD Max villain! And yes, I just spoiled the ending of the original for you, but if you haven’t seen it by now then you are partly to blame, I mean come on!

Also, the two sons are particularly interesting in that one is a giant, physically monstrous, and while more child-like than man, his anger is shown to be explosive and uncompromising. His brother, played by the larger than life Australian celebrity, Quentin Kenihan (who is 3’3 in height), is named Corpus Colossus (somebody’s got jokes) in the movie and is the complete and exact opposite of his “little” brother. What strikes me interesting is when the older brother, who is smaller than a child and less intimidating than a puppy, is ordering his monstrous younger brother around with such normalcy it shows how much everything goes toward creating a Mad world like the one Max lives in.

Production

                Probably the most important part to the success of this film can be attributed to its use of practical effects. That is, effects that don’t utilize CGI. In an age where computerized graphics are oversaturated in their use in film, mostly due to their convenience and lower price in budget, there’s a certain refreshment in coming across a big budget film that has practical effects. Effects the likes of which built action cinema up throughout the century from the days of The Great Train Robbery (1903) to the likes of Indiana Jones (1981), Jurassic Park (1993), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and the like. With this movie 90% of the effects were practical, using over 150 Cirque du Soleil performers and Olympic athletes. You have the world’s greatest circus performers driving some of the most intense vehicles during possibly the greatest chase movie of all time . . . that’s worth a $20 ticket in my book!

                On a quick note the FPS was slowed down in some scenes which created a classic film effect and is vintage George Miller. FPS is Frames Per Second, so . . . if you slow down the FPS and play the film back at 24 FPS, the average FPS in the industry, then the shot seems to speed up some, looks jumpy, even choppy I would say. This creates a truly chaotic effect that adds to the madness of the world in Mad Max. Apparently most of the film was shot in higher FPS which creates a slower effect on the action, and the reason this was done was to let the audience clearly see what is actually happening in the movie when the action gets really fast. It took a lot of dedication and vision to know when and where to use different FPS speeds. Thanks to George Miller we got a movie with amazing effects and fast paced action that you can clearly see all the way through.

                Now, on a side note here. The new Star Wars film is said to be using more practical effects than the last three instalments of its particular series, which were overly saturated with CGI effects. If that’s true, and this movie is any inkling to what we can expect from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, then take my money NOW! Too bad that it’s too late to hire George Miller as a consultant…

Intent

                The intent of this film is to give you, quite literally, the most INSANE ride of your cinematic life. It delivers! For the entire movie it is non-stop action. There is a small scene, maybe 5-7 minutes long, where there is conversation between the characters at night and under a desert star light, but other than that there is absolutely no breathing time between sequences. In fact, I’d say that there isn’t even a “between” anywhere in the film! The key elements which make this action movie an instant icon, which separate it from the other action movies of today, are these:

-          Literal non-stop action

-          Very little dialogue or monologues; letting the action do ALL the talking!

-          Creativity and originality of the characters and tyrant clans

-          Casting choices; Leaving Mel Gibson out of the film, even for a cameo

-          Practical “Real” effects throughout the film

The most important probably being the last of the list. 

Now, on a personal note, I went and saw this film 4 times in theaters and I am seriously considering seeing it again. Maybe even a few more times. Let’s face it, no movie is better than when it’s seen in theaters. So, when this film is out of theaters then that’s it, it’s out of theaters for good. I haven’t been this enthralled with a theater experience since Avatar which is funny considering, effects wise, it’s the exact opposite of this film. But unlike Avatar I can already tell that I could watch this movie a dozen times and not be burnt out by it.

Final Note

                If you love this movie, and let’s face it … unless you’re completely against feminism of any kind then there isn’t any reason you shouldn’t LOVE this film … then cross your fingers. It’s been reported that years ago, when George first envisioned this story of Mad Max and the Furry Road, he also envisioned another sequel to go along with it, named Mad Max: Furiosa. Now, he also said it’s supposed to be an animated film like that of Akira, but if this showing of Fury Road does well in the box office than it could very well be a live film. In any case Tom Hardy has already been signed to 3 more movies so, if this sequel does amazing, and at a $150,000,000 budget it better do spectacular, then we have a lot more madness to come!