JIMSMASH ! ! !: MOVIE REVIEW: 'MAD MAX: FURY ROAD'

Monday, June 15, 2015

MOVIE REVIEW: 'MAD MAX: FURY ROAD'

This weekend I was finally able to get out and see

'MAD MAX: FURY ROAD'.

It was like berserker werewolf sex at a Motorhead concert.

Loved it.

3 comments:

IsuzuGeek said...: Just so I don't have to retype it again, I will paste my review of the film that I posted elsewhere. Maybe you agree with some of what I had to say...or not. My reply was in reaction to someone saying that Fury Road was better than the original film and better than the original sequels.

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The original Mad Max is, in my opinion, monumentally important film for both the car chase action genre and the post-apocalypse genre. The original Mad Max film, in my opinion has SO MUCH MORE than Fury Road. It has a good story with real motives, well thought out and developed characters, and incredible action for it's time. Fury Road had basically no character development whatsoever and the plot was very, very thin. In fact, the character of Mad Max in In my opinion, is almost non-existent. I can't put my finger on it, but the film was really more about Furiosa and the action than it was about Mad Max himself, who seemed to be there just for namesake.

So basically, I think Fury Road was an exercise in action, rooted in a very, very fictional version of the Mad Max world. It was like a fanfic or comic book version of Mad Max. That said, I did enjoy it, but only for what it was as a stand alone movie. It fits nowhere within the framework of the original three films in any way, and it pushes suspension of disbelief onto the sidelines. All the vehicles in The Road Warrior had a function first, and the form followed. At no point did I think to myself, "how the hell did they make that in a post apocalyptic world?" Or, "where the hell did they get that in the wasteland". Not so in Fury Road. The vehicles were built to be fantastic, but in reality were a little over the top and silly to be actually believable. The guitar player that shoots flames is a perfect example. That was simply put, just stupid and COMPLETELY unnecessary. Now, many people argue that Thunderdome was too Hollywood, etc. And to a certain degree I can see that. But Thunderdome still held true to the character of Mad Max and the setting of the wasteland. You could see logic in Bartertown and motivation in all the characters. Again, there was nothing of the sort in Fury Road.

So while I do understand the hype behind Fury Road and all the positive reviews, I think for any true Mad Max fan, this film falls short. To me, films MUST have content. They MUST have a story. And they MUST have strong, well developed characters for me think extremely high of the overall production. A lot of glitz and action is great, but with no substance behind it, it is just that.

Now, as for the action, I have read that CG was used very sparingly and only where needed, which above all is the feat of Fury Road in today's day and age. I would watch it again for sure, but I cannot honestly say that I was overly happy with the movie, as a die hard Max Max fan. I really wish they would have just did a remake or something, as opposed to some sort of very loosely associated sequel or prequel or whatever the hell Fury Road was supposed to be. Or better yet, leave Mad Max out of it entirely, and just make a new movie based on the same "world" with Max as perhaps just an idea, a legend, or something like that.; 3:59 PM
Jim said...: I totally understand what you're saying and cannot really debate it (nor would I, when it comes to personal opinions).

For me, I thought there was a story, albeit a relatively simple one.

I liked it much better than Thunderdome, which I did not care for much. (Road Warrior being my favorite).

I always viewed each Mad Max movie as one-offs, loosely tied to one another - almost pulp "Tales of Mad Max".

Like I said, I can't really argue any of your points, and agree with most. But I feel we simply differ on our final rating.; 4:08 PM
Jim said...: Hey IsuzuGeek!

I was thinking about my previous comment, and feared it came across the wrong way. I hope I did not dismiss your critique. You are definitely more of a hardcore Mad Max fan than I am, and I hold your opinion on the matter high.

As a diehard ALIENS fan, I too understand the frustrations with new outings of your favorite series (and when opinions differ from your own on the matter).

Thanks again for chiming in - I always appreciate your activity on JimSmash! :D; 10:06 AM