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Friday, May 15, 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road

Rated R / 2 hr / Action - Adventure - SciFi

What is it about?

Max is caught by some marauders and taken to the Citadel. The old man that runs the city can barely walk, but he has cool plastic armor that makes it look like he has abs from the movie 300. This isn't Sparta. He also has a gaggle of crazy mutant children who look like relatives of Sloth from Goonies. The old man holds the key to a clean water source that he uses to enslave an army that worships him as an immortal god. Furiosa has been sent to exchange water for gas at Gas Town. I know where to go to get bean burritos! She uses the opportunity to run, and just to piss off the old man she takes all his wives/concubines with her. The old man will do anything to get them back. During the first encounter Max escapes and joins the ladies on the run. Bow Chicka Wow wow!

You will like it if...

You liked the original Mad Max films or movies with epic car chases. After the initial few scenes, this movie is one epic car chase. In terms of style this movie is amazing to behold. Each vehicle brings a different flavor, but not cotton candy! Every tribe has it's own unique look and feel. Some of them are squishy like a stress ball. The world building and background to the film is amazing. Similarly the stunts are as fantastic as you would expect from a Mad Max film. They even have guys swinging on stripper poles. It isn't as sexy as it sounds. The movie is a straight up adrenaline rush action movie. It's very good for what it is, but it falls short of being a great movie.

Why does this movie fall short of greatness? I'm glad you asked! In many of the action scenes it seems like it was shot with a slower frame rate which gives the illusion of speed, but it also makes everything jerk around like a teenaged boy. It's an interesting gimmick, but overused in Mad Max: Fury Road. The script is lacking as well. While the world around the movie is intricately detailed down to the grains of sand, once you're past that there isn't much going on other than the characters running from the bad guys. Some of the dialogue in the slower moments feels awkward. What makes it even worse is that this is a Mad Max movie where Tom Hardy has very few lines. He feels like a side character sometimes that could have been replaced by Elmo from Sesame Street without anyone noticing. Overall it's a fantastic ride of adrenaline filled action set in a beautifully detailed post apocalyptic world. If you like that sort of thing then you should go see it (you probably like that sort of thing).


Next Week

Tomorrowland or Poltergeist
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