Mad Max: Fury Road

[Jesse Carrigan 119]

Because I am shameless, I'll just quote what I said in the main forum:

 

Last Friday, I saw a film that changed the course of my life. I was familiar with the Mad Max franchise and its contribution to the cultural lexicon, but I had no idea what awaited me when I went to the theater for Mad Max: Fury Road. I had heard only that it was really, really good, but that was an understatement on the level of calling the sinking of the Titanic a boat accident.

 

This is a movie that must be experienced. It is a taut, lean 2 hours of insanity that makes perfect sense and has something to say beyond "give us your money". It's absolutely fantastic, and I beg that it be discussed by our heroes.

 

[WEdidITagain 458]

I was thinking about this, on the level of the fast an the furious eps where the gang would just be out of their min with excitment and talking about what they loved, I could go for more positive episodes!

 

This is a movie that for all intents and purposes should not work and yet does so so so good.

 

I went to see it last night, and much like Jason at one of the Fasts, at the end stood up and clapped and told my friends that this was FLAWLESS.

[Ribelin2000 23]

Sounds like Thank God This Got Made material.

[Jesse Carrigan 119]

I went to see it last night, and much like Jason at one of the Fasts, at the end stood up and clapped and told my friends that this was FLAWLESS.

 

I didn't bother waiting until the end. When the flamethrower guitarist showed up I involuntarily began applauding.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

its epic ... loved every second of it

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

I didn't bother waiting until the end. When the flamethrower guitarist showed up I involuntarily began applauding.

I was hoping to see the OTHER members of Slipknot as well...

 

Anyway, I just got out of this movie, and it is pure fucking joy.

[RyanSz 3140]

Fucking loved this movie. It was better than I expected and can't wait for the sequels.

[GalenHoward 6]

Sorry, no. The film is bombastic and miles over the top, but they establish the rules of the universe and stick to them, and the level of invention here buries any lapses in logic you might find. Even those films in the TGTGM camp have enough serious flaws in the stortytelling or other aspects of production to carry an entire episode. That would be a steep mountain to climb here.

[Sievers 233]

The film is bombastic and miles over the top, but they establish the rules of the universe and stick to them,

 

This.

 

It might not be suited for the show but I'd love to hear their thoughts on the movie.

 

It is a tremendous achievement, movies are hard enough to keep relentlessness up for 90mins let alone 2hrs. Fury Road succeeds at this and then some. When I left the theatre on opening day all I wanted to do is tell my friends about it and go see it again.

[WEdidITagain 458]

This is the most positive thread I've ever seen on this board. I love it.

 

Ha, and how there's even a debate if it's Thank God This Got Made material, which should be a sub-cast onto the show itself.

 

God this movie was stellar.

[Jesse Carrigan 119]

Sorry, no. The film is bombastic and miles over the top, but they establish the rules of the universe and stick to them, and the level of invention here buries any lapses in logic you might find. Even those films in the TGTGM camp have enough serious flaws in the stortytelling or other aspects of production to carry an entire episode. That would be a steep mountain to climb here.

 

If you want a movie that prompts the question ... well, you know ... I don't know how you could do better than:

• A 70-year-old director returning to a violent, gasoline-soaked franchise that he started 36 years ago after a couple of decades making movies like Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet
  
• In which the protagonist in many ways is not really the titular character, but instead a one-armed woman played by Charlize Theron
  
• Eschewing rampant CGI in favor of building a fleet of nightmare machines, each of which is actually driveable
  
• Managing to make a frenetic, brutal, fast-paced action film loved by nearly everyone including elderly mothers-in-law
  
• A 2-hour exploding car chase that is secretly an art film on which Eve Ensler consulted regarding sex slavery
  
• Someone finally making good use of Tom Hardy's whiskey-and-petrol-soaked pipes
  

Seriously, how...?

[justinmh05 1968]

I can only describe this movie as a fever dream shared by Jodorowsky and Justin Lin.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I can only describe this movie as a fever dream shared by Jodorowsky and Justin Lin.

"All of our strengths, none of our weaknesses." This movie is like the Daywalker combined version of those two filmmakers' sensibilities and desires. As said earlier, it establishes rules of its own universe and adheres to them, while both Jodorowsky and Lin tell reality, both ours and their own, to fuck off whenever it suits them. "Cars would obviously flip over because of gravity and insufficient friction to overcome the velocity these cars are driving at.... but a half hour later these cars will fly through buildings because Fuck Gravity." Even more amazing, the concept behind Mad Max is really as out-there as anything in a Jodorowsky film, but every element in Fury Road can be logically explained in the world of Mad Max. Then there are car chases and explosions that dwarf anything in the Fast and Furious series in sheer beauty and ambition.

 

Holy shit I love this movie.

[justinmh05 1968]

I think my only actual comaint is with Immortan Joe. Miller creates the coolest looking movie villain, and sidelines him for most of the movie. We don't get enough explanation as to who is, how he came to lead the War Boys cult or who actually is pulling his strings.

 

I know Miller wants to feature him in a prequel, but he could have beefed up the character details a lot here.

[RyanSz 3140]

I think my only actual comaint is with Immortan Joe. Miller creates the coolest looking movie villain, and sidelines him for most of the movie. We don't get enough explanation as to who is, how he came to lead the War Boys cult or who actually is pulling his strings.

 

I know Miller wants to feature him in a prequel, but he could have beefed up the character details a lot here.

I think the overall goal of this movie was to create a set of moments inside this world that the viewing public had been away from for so long. The story was developed through the action and the brief interludes among characters. Similar to how we just understood that Lord Humungus was a bad dude with a legion of men following him, Immortan Joe was the same kind of guy in the lawless wasteland. All that was really revealed in the movie was that he had mixed Norse mythology with cars to create a weird religion where petrol and the "mother's milk" were to be worshiped while water was to be left to the unworthy masses who lived beneath Joe and the War Boy's. A prequel would be nice to see, but with the mention of Mad Max: Furiosa being already written, I would love to see how the sequels build upon this world and the characters introduced within Fury Road continue to interact with one another like the Gyro Captain and Max had in the last two Gibson Max movies.

[Disgustipater 30]

We don't get enough explanation as to who is, how he came to lead the War Boys cult or who actually is pulling his strings.

Because it's not necessary. It doesn't matter how he came to power, because he's just another warlord of a warband. His story is fleshed out pretty well with what they do show, and it does make him intriguing character. Explaining all that stuff would make the movie worse.

 

I know Miller wants to feature him in a prequel, but he could have beefed up the character details a lot here.

There's a prequel comic that details his rise, if you are into that sort of thing.

[seanotron 2307]

Finally had time to see this and was totally blown away. I really do want to know how this got made, because it seems to me this was a risk that a studio like Warner Bros would normally run as far away from as possible. I have to assume Miller has just been slowly but surely banking favors over the last 30 years and called them all in. That or he has really good blackmail files on several WB execs.

 

I also found it interesting that despite the R rating Miller shied away from the blood & gore. Most of the violent deaths are implied or off screen, other than *SPOILERS* Immortan Joe. And even his rather grisly death goes by very quickly (like blink and you'll miss it quickly).

[RyanSz 3140]

Finally had time to see this and was totally blown away. I really do want to know how this got made, because it seems to me this was a risk that a studio like Warner Bros would normally run as far away from as possible. I have to assume Miller has just been slowly but surely banking favors over the last 30 years and called them all in. That or he has really good blackmail files on several WB execs.

 

Those favors he banked were called Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet 1 & 2.

[seanotron 2307]

 

Those favors he banked were called Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet 1 & 2.

 

I don't think so. Happy Feet was a hit for sure, but Babe 2 & Happy Feet 2 both had a major critical dropoff and didn't make nearly the same money their predecessors did (Babe 2 lost money).

 

I think the only reasonable conclusion we can reach is George Miller is a master hypnotist.

[RyanSz 3140]

They were favors in that he actually directed those movies. I think he got Fury Road just on the fact that they got him to direct the Babe sequel.

[seanotron 2307]

They were favors in that he actually directed those movies. I think he got Fury Road just on the fact that they got him to direct the Babe sequel.

 

Believe it or not, he was really passionate about making both the Babe movies and the Happy Feet movies. Babe wasn't Miller doing a favor for a studio, it was a studio doing a favor for Miller.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

I think it was on the Happy Sad Confused podcast where Miller talked about how having kids changed what he was interested in, so he wanted to make things that his kids would watch and be interested in themselves. Now that his kids are all adults, his interests have gone back to blowing shit up and the Apocalypse.

 

I am pleased.

[denimgremlin 1179]

oh man I almost had a shit fit when I saw this thread. glad to see it's not some dunce trying to argue the Fury Road is bad.