Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

[Sharpie66]

One of the podcast hosts at Now Playing had a really cool speculation in their review that really got me thinking. He fixated on Furiosa's dropped line about how she had driven the road to the Green Lands many times. I had thought that she had done so only in her imagination and that she was going there on some vague memories from before she was taken by Joe. But the podcaster pointed out that the Green Lands is also called the Land of the Many Mothers, so he thought that Joe had raided that area for potential breeders many times over the years and that Furiosa might have earned her driving cred (and her Imperiator title) by driving him on those raids. This would explain her need for redemption.

 

It's definitely a thought!

[ralfy]

It's OK as an action movie. It's not as good as Road Warrior, which had more complex dialogue, characterization, etc., but it should do to attract new audiences. Also, it's a welcome edition to the Mad Max 'verse, although one day I hope that they make a movie about Max and that will complete his story.

[Schweedie]

One of the podcast hosts at Now Playing had a really cool speculation in their review that really got me thinking. He fixated on Furiosa's dropped line about how she had driven the road to the Green Lands many times. I had thought that she had done so only in her imagination and that she was going there on some vague memories from before she was taken by Joe. But the podcaster pointed out that the Green Lands is also called the Land of the Many Mothers, so he thought that Joe had raided that area for potential breeders many times over the years and that Furiosa might have earned her driving cred (and her Imperiator title) by driving him on those raids. This would explain her need for redemption.

 

Ah, interesting idea! My first interpretation of that line was the literal one, that she'd tried to escape several times, and I felt like that didn't make sense at all because in that case why would Joe entrust her with driving the war rig? This explanation works much better, and adds even more to Furiosa's characterisation. I like it. Although considering that it looked like the Green Place stopped being the Green Place of Many Mothers quite a long time ago, I wonder if it's plausible.

 

Oh, and, when I watched it again last week there was a moment that I didn't notice before but made me grin this time - Max takes Nux's boot for himself when he's initially going after the war rig, which, sure, that's all well and good. But then later on when he goes back to blow up the Bullet Farmer and his pals and comes back with weapons and ammunition, he also brings back a new boot for Nux. I mean, this is right after Nux has gone over to their side, but in the midst of killing people Max is still all, "Dammit, that kid needs a new boot". And Nux looks so surprised. I just found that bit really endearing.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Schweedie

[Joe]

I love the one-sided bonding between Nux and Max. Nux thinks Max is the best thing ever, telling him to witness Nux's death by flare when he plans to ram the war rig. Helping Max during his Furiosa fight too. But Max is completely unimpressed, tries to shoot his arm off and then leaves him behind when he takes the rig. But then it changes, possibly because of his help in the bog.

 

Another little moment. Max's escape attempt in the citadel. He's on the crane, the war boys are hauling him in. He manages to knock one boy off the ledge, who gives a shout of Witness as he plummets to his death. It's a nice bit of attention to detail that really helps.

[Joe]

And was it me or did Tom Hardy have more dialogue in the expository intro than in the rest of the movie?

I think you're right. Even if not, it was certainly the most he said at any time.

[WildFlower87]

Hands down, my favorite film of 2015 so far. Awesome movie that deserves all its praise and hype.

Edited June 30, 2015 by NickDisnCart

[benteen]

Yeah, I read the first one. Highlights: Joe was a colonel in the Australian army. The bullet farm is a lead mine, Gas Town is an oil refinery. Roop and Charlie from the first Max joined Joe's forces. Looking forward to the second one.

 

I read the first one too and I enjoyed it.  It felt like an extension of the movie, which spinoff material sometimes doesn't.

[hardy har]

I love movies, but I am not a person who goes to see things multiple times in a theater because tickets are expensive. However, it's hot as hell where I live and I decided to check this out again yesterday. Still amazing. It was being shown in what I think was the smallest room at the Cinemark I went to, but there were about 15 people watching. I thought that was cool considering it was a 2 pm showing on a Wednesday for an R-rated action movie that's been out for almost 2 months.

 

It was great to see again because the first time I was on sensory overload (in the best way) and this time around I was able to take in more stuff. One of the things that really tends to annoy me in post-apocalyptic movies is excessive exposition about how the world got to be so horrible. Now, if the movie is specifically about how the world turned to shit that's fine, but I love that Fury Road just drops us into the world and we just know is been fucked for a long time and that's all we really need. Then the movie sprinkles in little bits like Nux not knowing what a tree is and the Biker lady explaining satellites to the wives. They're just placed so well and so quietly and add so much to the overall world of the movie.   

 

I really have to say that the casting in this movie was so fucking good. Everything has pretty much been said about Hardy, Theron and Hoult so I'm gonna give some love to The Wives because I truly feel that if they weren't awesome, it really would have detracted from the movie because once they are introduced they are on screen a lot. So, full credit to Rose Huntington-Whitley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Zoe Kravitz and Courtney Eaton. I know Keough and Kravitz have some acting experience, but Lee and Eaton had none and Huntington-Whitley's only requirement for that Transformers was to look hot. Right away The Wives manage to feel like fully realized individuals in addition to feeling like a group that will do anything for each other. So, often the woman (or women) who are being rescued in action movies are idiots who get in the way, but they never felt like that to me and I loved that they were fully engaged and participating in the escape. Side note: I hope they all keep acting, but I really hope Abbey Lee does more stuff. The Dag had a few different things going on and I just thought she was really great. Plus, she's got such an expressive face.      

 

This is just my page catching rambles:

 

First, I've been wondering that myself. Some people have suggested that it wasn't his family in the visions, it was another girl who died in an offscreen adventure. Either that or a retcon. She was run down by cars, right? Instead of motorbikes in the first one.

The girl only calls him Max plus there's a quick flash of 3 adults who are in his visions pleading for help (an older white man, and older Aboriginal man and a middle aged woman) that I missed the first time. The only time anyone calls him Pa it when he "sees" a kid in the salt flats, but they're way too far away to see if its a boy or girl.

 

Right the movement of the camera makes it clear they are not being sized up by Max in that manner and that they in TURN are sizing him up just as much (Splendid defiantly shuts off the water, like yeah? What the hell are YOU about to do to us?) And Max is similarly "chained up"

literally both to Nux and with the gardening tool muzzle (and he has a gun we know isn't loaded/just backfired.)

I still haven't read that much in the way of reviews for the movie, but I agree with you about his scene. I actually thought Max turing the corner of the War Rig to see the wives was more of a weirdly comic moment. I mean, of all the things he was preparing to see considering what he just went through. . .  5 women getting the grime off themselves while another woman who is missing her lower left arm works on the rig is probably the last thing he expected to see. In fact the only time the camera really lingers/zooms on them in that initial scene it in the closeup of Splendid's belly and that was really just to hammer home what Immortan Joe was doing to them without being unnecessarily graphic.

 

Yeah there's so much to take in but I'm glad they didn't have long info dumps of expositional dialogue. They just throw you in. It's like watching a foreign movie and you tend to get lost. Reading reviews and listening to podcast is where I learned some of what was going on. Like learning the Warboys have cancer because of radiation from nuclear fallout and that's why they need "bloodbags"  to get blood from, because they' d be sick. I got some of it when Nux showed "Capable" the redheaded "breeder" his tumors on his shoulder that he named.

I can't believe I missed that the Warboys were sick the first time around. I mean, I remembered the scene where Nux showed the tumors to Capable, but for whatever reason I just associated that with him. This time around I noticed tumors and disfigurations on many of them plus there were several mentions of the Warboys having "half lives" which made their existence all the more sad. I mean, they live knowing they . . . won't live very long and they've been trained to believe the only thing they'll ever do that is worth anything is to fight and die for a viscious Warlord. I loooooved the scene where Nux sneaks in and attacks Furiosa and The Wives immediately attack him, but as soon as he's contained the just as quickly refuse to kill him when Furiosa tells them to because they know the Warboys are, in an entirely different way, also being held captive by the Immortan.

 

One of the podcast hosts at Now Playing had a really cool speculation in their review that really got me thinking. He fixated on Furiosa's dropped line about how she had driven the road to the Green Lands many times. I had thought that she had done so only in her imagination and that she was going there on some vague memories from before she was taken by Joe. But the podcaster pointed out that the Green Lands is also called the Land of the Many Mothers, so he thought that Joe had raided that area for potential breeders many times over the years and that Furiosa might have earned her driving cred (and her Imperiator title) by driving him on those raids. This would explain her need for redemption.

 

It's definitely a thought!

I had wondered about that line as well. I hadn't really considered the possibility that she may have raided out where the Green Lands were since she didn't seem to know exactly where to go (other than to head east) once she got past the Canyon, so I thought she may have been trying to remember bits and pieces from when she was taken as a child. That being said, whether it was raiding or not, I imagine Imperiosa had to endure awful things as well as commit awful acts for her to go from child captive to Imperiator who drives THE War Rig for Immortan Joe. I loved that Theron just had this look about her the whole movie that so much was weighing on Imperiosa and she just needed to do this one thing.

 

ETA: Have since read some reviews and it kind of bugs me that some people are saying the movie is thin on plot. It has a very singular and straight forward plot. It could be that I'm simply sick and tired of unnecessary side plots, but how is that a bad thing?

Edited July 9, 2015 by hardy har

[Sharpie66]

Looks like Mad Max is becoming a comedy touchstone this summer--Conan O'Brian drove to his ComiCon stint as the Doof Warrior (with Andy as Joe and the band as the drummers), and Stephen Colbert just put out another video about yesterday's NYSE computer crash leading to the end of the world, and his intern made an appearance as a Warboy. Lots of chrome spraypaint was used by both!

Edited July 9, 2015 by Sharpie66

[TVSpectator]

Looks like Mad Max is becoming a comedy touchstone this summer--Conan O'Brian drove to his ComiCon stint as the Doof Warrior (with Andy as Joe and the band as the drummers), and Stephen Colbert just put out another video about yesterday's NYSE computer crash leading to the end of the world, and his intern made an appearance as a Warboy. Lots of chrome spraypaint was used by both!

 

I think this is the one with Conan (honestly, I am not up late anymore due to actually having a steady job, which is something totally different than what I had when I was in college and was able to watch all of this when I wanted to):

 

 

Also, I found this video and it's labeled as a cut-gag with stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt:

 

[nobodyyoucare]

 

Lots of chrome spraypaint was used by both!

Not chrome spraypaint. A particular food coloring spray you can buy on Amazon. http://www.slashfilm.com/mad-max-chrome-spray/

[Joe]

So, issue four of the comic is out. That's the whole run. And well, I didn't much like any of them. Some interesting worldbuilding, that was about it. Issues 3 & 4 are a two-parter focussing on Max himself, and that kid he kept hallucinating. Maybe it's because I had a decent idea of what was going to happen, but it left me cold. Also, the art isn't great either. Recommendation to avoid, just stick to the movie.

[Joe]

The original storyboard! Pretty close to the finished movie, though a slightly different ending and some things got renamed. Also, erotic mud dance? I'd liked to have seen that, but I understand why it was cut. Unless it was a joke name for what really happened in the mud. And the polecats were originally named dancing cars. Good stuff.

[beetnemesis]

Definitely one of the best movie ive ever seen,the action is non stop an put together very well,the vehicles were off the hook,incredible scenes throughout,never seen an action film with this much action and intensity,should win a few awards,10/10

[SeanC]

I had planned to see this movie a second time in theaters, but it never ended up happening (for a while I had planned to see it again with my brother, but that never came together, and after a certain point it slipped my mind). Anyway, now I own it on Blu-Ray, and it holds up extremely well. Indeed, it's great to get a chance to examine the finer details of the film, as there's a lot going on in the background, etc. And the supplemental materials on this disk are goddamn amazing. The main featurette about the making of the film should be shown to everybody in the directors branch of the Academy before they vote for this year's Oscar nominations, because I can't think of a more concise and compelling case for George Miller as an action auteur. And the BTS footage of the stunts are astounding in their own right, particularly the "polecats."

[AimingforYoko]

The movie's coming back for a one-week engagement in IMAX theaters Sept. 11th.

Edited September 6, 2015 by AimingforYoko

[paramitch]

First off, this movie just plain knocked me on my keister. Best movie of the year for me. Nothing else comes close for sheer imagination or adrenaline or fabulous subversiveness.

 

I'll I can say is RUN do not walk to your local theater to see this near masterpiece by George Miller (as ever it could have lost 5-10 minutes and been that much better). Every frame is saturated with epic beauty, and an achievement in action choreography, the art direction is stunning. I was reminded while watching how often imagery of Millers films has been borrowed (Ghost of Mars, and Whedon's reavers most immediately come to mind), and it was joy to see him sort of re-appropriate his visual narrative and expand and improve on it with Immortan Joe, the War Boys, and their beautiful terrible machines.

 

Furiosa is pretty much my everything, Nick Hoult as Nux also does a great work, but while Hardy is incredibly generous in his lack of need to dominate the screen and story he still holds all the pieces together, in the way Max can and should.

Furiosa is everything. And honestly, so were Max, poor Nux, and Splendid, Capable, and all the other wives. This movie is all about subverting expectations and I loved that so much.

 

If I had a to pick a favorite character, it would probably be Furiosa.  Charlize Theron nailed it as I figured she would.  Nicholas Holt was a big surprise: I figured Nux was just going to be a kooky bad guy in the trailers, so seeing his journey was great to watch, and I bought him becoming an ally at the end.  And while more of the glue in the story, I still thought Tom Hardy held is own as Max.  He had the look, the attitude, and toughness, I would expect from the character.

Furiosa is a flawed human woman in the beginning who by the end, for me, had become this fantastic, powerful goddess. I love her beyond the telling, and Theron imbued her with exactly the right amounts of strength, empathy, warmth, coldness, and commitment. Love her.

 

I was really impressed with Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, and Nicholas Hoult. Theron was the standout for me (Furiosa was an amazing character), though Hardy and Hoult definitely held their own. Hardy had the look and attitude of Max, even had some hilarious dialogue/moments, and was the guy who held it all together. Hoult was great as Nux and I really enjoyed his character arc. And as a Farscape fan it was nice to see Melissa Jaffer (Noranti with guns!).

 

Mad Max: Fury Road was like an 80s action movie, and that's a compliment. Most action movies in recent years haven't been very good, and this movie was like returning to those great action movies of the 1980s.

Here's the thing: I am one of the few, the proud: Yes. I love Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and think it rocks both as a fantasy/adventure and as a subversive female empowerment text. I love it buckets worth. So this transcended that for me, and to see so many little tributes/homages to that and to the previous Mad Max movies was really wonderful for me:

 

• Max's haircut (and stolen locks)
• The Master/Blaster echoes in Joe's two sons
• The doll faces on the pursuer's totem
• The war boys (who echo Scrooloos in Thunderdome)
• The entire film as a superb unrelenting chase sequence, upping the risk of MM:BT (when MM:BT's final third chase scene was heralded as one of the best on film)

 

 

That's a good point. I do like the first half of the movie, it's just the stuff with the kids doesn't really fit well with that first half. I'd prefer more Bartertown.

I love "Thunderdome" and FWIW I think the kid sequence is what makes it a classic, versus forgettable. The entire final chase was called out by film critics like Roger Ebert as some of the best ever on film. I actually think the chase spotlights a key theme with Max -- speaking for myself, we love him when he's flawed, wounded but moved to help others beyond himself. Like the kids. Like the brides.

 

And speaking of, I knew nothing outside of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron casting-wise, and as soon as Nux showed up I felt like I recognised him, or that I should, at least. I think it was halfway through the movie when I finally had a "Holy shit, it's Nicholas Hoult!" moment. I'm a sucker for a good redemption arc when they make me feel like the character deserves one, and I loved Nux.

What I loved about Nux was that he started out as an obvious villain, yet was quickly shown to be just another victim. The scene when he meets Capable after failing his 'test' is so moving to me. He's just a boy. A dying boy. Hoult was lovely.

 

On another note, I read the Furiosa comic. However, it focussed more on the wives. Furiosa was brought in as a minder because Joe trusted her not to get them knocked up. :) But it made me actually hate Joe. What he did to them was full-on rape. They're his captives, dependent on him for everything. There's no need for him to actually rape them. Okay, I can see how having them when he wants them would lead to him not even trying to play nice, but still. Also, I admit this is petty, I don't like a bad guy having the same name as me. :(

I already hated Joe and no comic would change that. No matter how nice the 'harem' trappings were, comic or no, what Joe did to the girls was "full-on rape" regardless of surroundings. The movie made that clear anyway as well, yet without belaboring the point.

 

One of the podcast hosts at Now Playing had a really cool speculation in their review that really got me thinking. He fixated on Furiosa's dropped line about how she had driven the road to the Green Lands many times. I had thought that she had done so only in her imagination and that she was going there on some vague memories from before she was taken by Joe. But the podcaster pointed out that the Green Lands is also called the Land of the Many Mothers, so he thought that Joe had raided that area for potential breeders many times over the years and that Furiosa might have earned her driving cred (and her Imperiator title) by driving him on those raids. This would explain her need for redemption.

Great post. My own headcanon was similar, but I do also think that at some point, Furiosa did time in the harem as a 'breeder.' My theory is that she broke free and worked her way up as an Imperator later and (in a rare case) Joe let her out and to function that way, but only if she'd keep bringing him more women. So it adds richness to her redemption quest as well as to her final, fierce line to Joe: "Remember me?" I absolutely think she was raped as well at some point.

 

Ah, interesting idea! My first interpretation of that line was the literal one, that she'd tried to escape several times, and I felt like that didn't make sense at all because in that case why would Joe entrust her with driving the war rig? This explanation works much better, and adds even more to Furiosa's characterisation. I like it. Although considering that it looked like the Green Place stopped being the Green Place of Many Mothers quite a long time ago, I wonder if it's plausible.

 

Oh, and, when I watched it again last week there was a moment that I didn't notice before but made me grin this time - Max takes Nux's boot for himself when he's initially going after the war rig, which, sure, that's all well and good. But then later on when he goes back to blow up the Bullet Farmer and his pals and comes back with weapons and ammunition, he also brings back a new boot for Nux. I mean, this is right after Nux has gone over to their side, but in the midst of killing people Max is still all, "Dammit, that kid needs a new boot". And Nux looks so surprised. I just found that bit really endearing.

I loved that. The wonderful, gorgeous and subtle escalating characterizations made this movie for me. Max's slowly growing trust in Furiosa. His sudden acceptance of poor sweet Nux. His capitulation from survival to non-threat to "I will die for you" was just... gorgeous.

 

I love that Fury Road just drops us into the world and we just know is been fucked for a long time and that's all we really need. Then the movie sprinkles in little bits like Nux not knowing what a tree is and the Biker lady explaining satellites to the wives. They're just placed so well and so quietly and add so much to the overall world of the movie.   

 

I really have to say that the casting in this movie was so fucking good. Everything has pretty much been said about Hardy, Theron and Hoult so I'm gonna give some love to The Wives because I truly feel that if they weren't awesome, it really would have detracted from the movie because once they are introduced they are on screen a lot. So, full credit to Rose Huntington-Whitley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Zoe Kravitz and Courtney Eaton. I know Keough and Kravitz have some acting experience, but Lee and Eaton had none and Huntington-Whitley's only requirement for that Transformers was to look hot. Right away The Wives manage to feel like fully realized individuals in addition to feeling like a group that will do anything for each other. So, often the woman (or women) who are being rescued in action movies are idiots who get in the way, but they never felt like that to me and I loved that they were fully engaged and participating in the escape. Side note: I hope they all keep acting, but I really hope Abbey Lee does more stuff. The Dag had a few different things going on and I just thought she was really great. Plus, she's got such an expressive face.      

(snipped for space)

 

I had wondered about that line as well. I hadn't really considered the possibility that she may have raided out where the Green Lands were since she didn't seem to know exactly where to go (other than to head east) once she got past the Canyon, so I thought she may have been trying to remember bits and pieces from when she was taken as a child. That being said, whether it was raiding or not, I imagine Imperiosa had to endure awful things as well as commit awful acts for her to go from child captive to Imperiator who drives THE War Rig for Immortan Joe. I loved that Theron just had this look about her the whole movie that so much was weighing on Imperiosa and she just needed to do this one thing.

 

Great post. I loved this and it encompassed so much of what I loved about this movie.

 

For me, this was the best thing I saw this year, by far. It wasn't about plot, it was about character, and it let the plot dictate that character progression. We fell right in with these people in mid-chase, and we learned only what we needed to know simply by how they responded to events. It was exhilarating and breathtaking to me, and remains one of the most gorgeous and subversively feminist films I've seen in my life, and I mean that in the best way.

 

I loved how on the surface this all about Max to the rescue, but if you look closer it's about women -- a man trying to own them, a woman trying to free them, a savior bathing his face in breast milk. Women chained, raped and milked like cattle, women freed and willing to die for that freedom. Clever, brave old and young women living and dying like warriors... I loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

 

Long live Furiosa.

[vibeology]

Great post. My own headcanon was similar, but I do also think that at some point, Furiosa did time in the harem as a 'breeder.' My theory is that she broke free and worked her way up as an Imperator later and (in a rare case) Joe let her out and to function that way, but only if she'd keep bringing him more women. So it adds richness to her redemption quest as well as to her final, fierce line to Joe: "Remember me?" I absolutely think she was raped as well at some point.

 

I assumed so as well, She has the same IJ brand on the back of her neck just like the wives so I figured she'd once been in their shoes.

[Macbeth]

Well I am very late to this party. I caught it on demand.  I loved this movie.  Although at first I was a little overwhelmed.  Being able to stop it after intense action scenes to rest or review helped.  

 

Max was important and the glue but I was invested in Furiosa's ride. When it looked like they were splitting up - I thought to myself surely we are going to be following Furiosa.

 

The chilling scene with the crows and people dressed like crows on stilts reminded me of Julie Taymor's "Titus." which I found very disturbing.  That movie stayed in that very dark place, while this one had women fighting to free themselves.

 

I loved the older, women warriors.  I wish we got to know them better.  The only one I got good sense of - the woman with the seeds - ending up dying.  Only 2 of those warriors survived and I didn't have a sense of what they could offer other than being kick ass - which is what I ascertained in the first scene of their introduction.

Edited October 25, 2015 by Macbeth

[Rick Kitchen]

 

The chilling scene with the crows and people dressed like crows on stilts reminded me of Julie Taymor's "Titus." which I found very disturbing.

 

What a great movie THAT is!  Loved it, as disturbing as it is, like you said.

[Macbeth]

Well I wish I appreciated it when I first saw it.  I saw it with a small audience and most of us looked like a train had hit us.  After many years of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones - I think I could appreciate the artistry now.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Macbeth

[benteen]

Mad Max Fury Road picks up Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama and Best Director.

[tennisgurl]

Man, if you had told me this movie would not only pick up a Best Drama nomination for the Golden Globes, but would be the one I was rooting for the most, I would have laughed my head off. 

 

Thrilled to hear this news! 

[thuganomics85]

Trying not to get my hopes up, but I really do hope the currently love the film and George Miller are getting means they both actually have shots at getting Oscar nods.

[Joe]

Miller won't make another Mad Max. :( I completley understand. If I were him, I probably wouldn't either. But I love Fury Road so much, call me selfish, but I kind of hope he reconsiders.

[BetterButter]

George Miller WILL Direct More Mad Max Movies… Eventually

[SeanC]

The Oscar nominations, so shiny, so chrome.

[AimingforYoko]

George Miller WILL Direct More Mad Max Movies… Eventually

I DIRECT! I DON'T DIRECT! I DIRECT AGAIN!

[Joe]

Finally some good news!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

The Oscar nominations, so shiny, so chrome.

 

Oh, what a day. What a lovely day!

 

I DIRECT! I DON'T DIRECT! I DIRECT AGAIN!

 

Witness me.....

[paramitch]

The Oscar nominations, so shiny, so chrome.

 

I'm so, so delighted this was treated with the proper gravitas -- I was afraid it might be too fantastical, too rock-and-roll, for serious consideration. 

 

But I admit I'm also sad that Charlize didn't get her proper nod in one of the acting categories -- I would've supported her in either BA or BSA here. I just thought she was the real heart of the film and that it really needed her as an essential component to succeed. And I think it's one of Theron's best performances to date -- that combination of ferocity and unexpected tenderness.

 

Oh, what a day. What a lovely day!

 

 

Witness me.....

 

So shiny! So chrome! Hope a little shine comes home with them on Oscars night. It's much deserved. 

 

I mean, look. There are lots of very staid good movies every year. But so many -- and I mean this with respect -- take no chances. They are within a specific box. They are respectable, even in dealing with illness, mental illness, sexual orientation, etc. 

 

But this movie was unlike anything I have ever seen before (well, since Beyond Thunderdome), and best of all it had these incredible thrumming subtexts and rich characters and gradual relationships.

 

I don't think it will win Best Picture or most big nominations, but I do hope it's treated properly and given some of the awards love it deserves on Oscar night. Darn it. (And I would love to be wrong and see it sweep all sorts of major awards love...)

[Bruinsfan]

I'd love for Miller to get Best Director even if the film doesn't win Best Picture. I think, far more than the other contenders, this is a movie where the Director is clearly responsible for the lion's share of the greatness.

[paramitch]

While I want this to win Best Picture so badly (I've now seen them all and it's still the most shocking, exciting, visceral, brilliant, and moving thing among them), it probably won't.

 

So I do hope, along with a George Miller win for Best Director, that his utterly brilliant wife Margaret Sixel wins for her fantastic editing on the film.

 

Famously, when George Miller asked her to edit it, she said, "I've never edited an action movie before, why not ask one of the [many many male action film editors]?" To which he replied, "If I did that, it would look like every other action movie we see."

And I definitely think her focus and her input helped to solidify the movie's fantastic and subtle thematic richness and empowerment.

I would love wins for the always amazing John Seale for cinematography (especially given his coming out of retirement for this), as well as for Production Design, Costumes, and Makeup.

I do think it's an absolute shoe-in to win some awards for Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects, among the mix.

[blackwing]

Unpopular opinion, but all the Oscar hype made me see this over the weekend, and I did not enjoy it all.  Sure, it looked great, and some of the stunts were amazing (that guy swinging out on what I called an 1800s train mail bag hook to catch his friend leaping from the enemy car, and those guys on those long poles swaying back and forth), and I liked the actors.  But even in action movies, I like some plot, and my issue with this movie is that I could never truly figure out what was going on and why it was happening.

 

I've never seen any of the Mad Max movies before, so maybe that was the issue.  I didn't understand the world they were in, who was on whose side, why Furiosa switched, etc.  This movie did a very poor job of exposition.  I was completely lost.

[nobodyyoucare]

If you listented you got the whole background. World had wars including thermonuclear. Modern civilization is gone. Its a Post apoc world. Furiosa never switched. She always wanted to escape and had the opportunity to take something that belonged to Immortan Joe.

[Ohwell]

Unpopular opinion, but all the Oscar hype made me see this over the weekend, and I did not enjoy it all.  Sure, it looked great, and some of the stunts were amazing (that guy swinging out on what I called an 1800s train mail bag hook to catch his friend leaping from the enemy car, and those guys on those long poles swaying back and forth), and I liked the actors.  But even in action movies, I like some plot, and my issue with this movie is that I could never truly figure out what was going on and why it was happening.

I'm right with you.  I Netflixed it today and I was just mostly underwhelmed.  I did like the actors, and some of the stunts were amazing, but the movie did nothing for me.  I remember seeing the first one with Mel Gibson and didn't like that one either.  

[paramitch]

Unpopular opinion, but all the Oscar hype made me see this over the weekend, and I did not enjoy it all.  Sure, it looked great, and some of the stunts were amazing (that guy swinging out on what I called an 1800s train mail bag hook to catch his friend leaping from the enemy car, and those guys on those long poles swaying back and forth), and I liked the actors.  But even in action movies, I like some plot, and my issue with this movie is that I could never truly figure out what was going on and why it was happening.

 

I've never seen any of the Mad Max movies before, so maybe that was the issue.  I didn't understand the world they were in, who was on whose side, why Furiosa switched, etc.  This movie did a very poor job of exposition.  I was completely lost.

 

I totally get that this may not be everyone's cup of tea. But if you're willing, one recommendation: Try seeing it again. Some critics have even admitted this as well. The first time through it's easy to become so sidetracked by the visceral adrenaline surface-action-stuff that it's easy to miss the subtle gorgeous thematic and emotional stuff happening. But it's all there. If you pay attention, it's truly there, however, and with zero requirement of seeing previous MM movies in any way. 

 

I hope this helps you and any others with a better quick understanding of what was at stake, of who Furiosa is (and what she's after), and of the story's core. I think it's worth examination and just a gorgeous and empowering piece in so many ways.

 

If you listented you got the whole background. World had wars including thermonuclear. Modern civilization is gone. Its a Post apoc world. Furiosa never switched. She always wanted to escape and had the opportunity to take something that belonged to Immortan Joe.

 

This. The thing is, this movie looks like one you don't have to pay attention to, but in fact, you'll miss so much if you don't. You really do have to watch closely. Although see my recap above -- I think Furiosa is motivated by two things: (1) revenge (I think she absolutely was a rape victim as well); and (2) redemption, because she could only gain her place as Imperator by making runs for Joe and even inadvertently supporting his kidnapping new wives/brides/captives.

 

I'm right with you.  I Netflixed it today and I was just mostly underwhelmed.  I did like the actors, and some of the stunts were amazing, but the movie did nothing for me.  I remember seeing the first one with Mel Gibson and didn't like that one either.  

 

I love this movie and it's easily the best of the year for me. I hope you try a rewatch someday, as it might surprise you. Meanwhile, as far as the original trilogy, the first movie was extremely low budget  -- if you want the best of the bunch, I'd recommend "The Road Warrior" (a more epic adventure), and while not everyone loves it as much as I do, I definitely recommend "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," as well. You don't have to know anything before seeing either -- both movies do a good job of giving you the overview in just a few dialogues/expositions.

 

EDITED to delete my totally unnecessary recap. I'm such a goober.

Edited February 5, 2016 by paramitch

[benteen]

It took me the second time to love Fury Road.  I liked it when I first saw it but didn't know what the fuss was about.  I had planned to see it again though and had watched the first three movies earlier in the week (though you don't need to watch the first three in order to see this one).  I really loved the film the second time around.

[Ohwell]

I love this movie and it's easily the best of the year for me. I hope you try a rewatch someday, as it might surprise you. Meanwhile, as far as the original trilogy, the first movie was extremely low budget  -- if you want the best of the bunch, I'd recommend "The Road Warrior" (a more epic adventure), and while not everyone loves it as much as I do, I definitely recommend "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," as well. You don't have to know anything before seeing either -- both movies do a good job of giving you the overview in just a few dialogues/expositions.

 

While I appreciate the fact that you enjoyed the movie--it's just a movie.  I see no need to see it again. 

[VCRTracking]

The final third of the film is simply this brutal, adrenaline-fueled race back to the Citadel. Furiosa is grievously wounded but manages to kill Immortan Joe, and her final words to him, "Remember me?" (along with her neck brand) make it fairly obvious that she, too, was not just a captive but also a rape victim finally gaining her vengeance. Nux, meanwhile, sacrifices himself to save Max, Furiosa, Capable and the brides and Vuvalini. The body count is high, but Max and Furiosa manage to devastate Joe's forces and lead the surviving Vuvalini to a new life at the Citadel before Max melts into the crowd, exchanging a meaningful look with the wounded Furiosa before disappearing, even as she ascends to become the new leader of the kingdom.

 

The third act is what made me go from "Eh it's okay." to "Wow this movie is AWESOME!"

[stealinghome]

Was the movie really that hard to understand? I went in pretty much only knowing that Mad Max is set in a post-apocalyptic future and got exactly what was going on.

[Shriekingeel]

I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it since it's been on HBO (saw it twice in the theater and once on demand), and it really is one of those films where you see something new every time you watch it. All sorts of little unexplained details that intrigue you and make the world feel more real, eg why do the Buzzards speak Russian?

Edited February 4, 2016 by Shriekingeel

[nobodyyoucare]

I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it since it's been on HBO (saw it twice in the theater and once on demand), and it really is one of those films where you see something new every time you watch it. All sorts of little unexplained details that intrigue you and make the would feel more real, eg why do the Buzzards speak Russian?

There are immigrant communities in Australia. You have had communities in the US where English was a second language due to the large number of immigrants and this has been true for centuries here. In other countries such as Russia the Buzzards speak German which is apparently more realistic considering that there is a ;large German speaking  minority community in Australia. 

[paramitch]

It took me the second time to love Fury Road.  I liked it when I first saw it but didn't know what the fuss was about.  I had planned to see it again though and had watched the first three movies earlier in the week (though you don't need to watch the first three in order to see this one).  I really loved the film the second time around.

 

My first time through I loved it for the sheer octane and spectacle of it, but I rewatched immediately and realized I had missed so much. The movie is definitely one that I have only grown more impressed with each time I've watched it.

 

While I appreciate the fact that you enjoyed the movie--it's just a movie.  I see no need to see it again. 

 

That's cool. I was mainly responding to Blackwing's comment about how they wanted more plot and were unsure of what was happening. In those cases, I do think a rewatch to catch the storyline nuances might enhance opinion of the film. But it definitely wasn't an order or anything. ;-)

 

The third act is what made me go from "Eh it's okay." to "Wow this movie is AWESOME!"

I fell flat the moment Furiosa yelled "Fool!" and how Max was all in from that moment onward with her. But I was in love when Max handed Furiosa the rifle so that she could take the final shot, using him to aim and successfully take down the pursuer. And I knew it was true love when the Vuvalini showed up. Just.. amazing stuff -- so many little nuances that I have never seen in a movie before in quite this way. And they weren't demonstrative or in your face. And beyond all that, as a woman, I was so empowered by this quietly revolutionary portrait of Furiosa as Max's physical and mental equal (and then some). I shouldn't need to find it revolutionary, but I do.

 

I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it since it's been on HBO (saw it twice in the theater and once on demand), and it really is one of those films where you see something new every time you watch it. All sorts of little unexplained details that intrigue you and make the world feel more real, eg why do the Buzzards speak Russian?

 

I feel exactly the same way. Every time I've watched, I catch these wonderful little things that add to the worldbuilding and landscape, like the little language touches you mention, or the fact that the women's rape cage was also THUNDERDOME, the fact that Max is washing the blood from his face with breast milk, or the way the women are holding onto Nux's shoulder in solidarity as they begin the push to return to the Citadel... I also love the transition from the moment when Capable is tracing Nux's scarred lips to when The Dag is tracing the metal pattern of the War Rig's ceiling above them with her fingers. The fact that the women wrote their rejection of Immortan Joe on the walls of their cage before they escaped. So many beautiful little subtleties and moments that it's easy to miss.

 

I especially love the wordlessness of all the key relationships in the movie. There's real tenderness (whether romantic or platonic) between Max and Furiosa by the end, and of course also between Nux and Capable, but also between Dag and The Keeper of the Seeds, Furiosa and the Valkyrie, etc. 

 

EDITED to fix typos. Grr.

Edited February 5, 2016 by paramitch

[Ohwell]

That's cool. I was mainly responding to Blackwing's comment about how they wanted more plot and were unsure of what was happening. In those cases, I do think a rewatch to catch the storyline nuances might enhance opinion of the film. But it definitely wasn't an order or anything. ;-)

Well, the only reason I responded was because I was quoted in your previous post.

[DollEyes]

My verdict: "shiny & chrome." I loved every kamakrazee moment of it. This is a reboot done right. It has the right look, the right script, the right director and definitely the right cast. Tom Hardy can do no wrong in my book and his Mad Max is no exception. Mel Gibson's got nothing on him. TH wasn't in every scene, but the ones he was in were awesome. Gibson may have invented Max-onscreen, anyway-but Hardy perfected him. Besides being strong, silent, and, well, mad, TH's Max is also smart, loyal, ruthless at times but kind in others. He's even occasionally funny and he's hot every step of the way, long or short hair.

 

  The supporting cast is killer. Nicholas Hoult is superb. That Hoult is equally convincing as Nux, a dying, post-apocalyptic punk as he is as Dr. Hank McCoy/Beast is a testament to his talent. Hugh Keays-Byrne's Immortan Joe is the best Mad Max villain since The Hummongous from The Road Warrior. IJ is a genocidal maniac who enslaved/starved his own people (for their own good, of course), has his own entourage (The War Boys), his own harem (the Breeders), whom he raped/impregnated on a regular basis and his own backup band. Like all dictators, IJ believed his own hype for so long that it clouded what little good judgment he had, which lead to his downfall. Served him right for leaving the Citadel largely unprotected while trying to recapture the Breeders. And the stunts! If there were Oscars for stunt teams, this one would win, hands down. Props to writer/producer/director George Miller, who gave his own franchise a high-octane adrenaline shot and the film is all the better for it, if the Oscar nominations are any indication. However, what makes this film work isn't just the stunts nor the style. At its core, the story isn't about the men-it's about the women. Every woman in this  film matters in one way or another, whether they're supplying breast milk to IJ, are the mothers of his children or from the Land of Many Mothers. And then, there's Furiosa. Badass doesn't even begin to describe her. Charlize Theron has created one of the most iconic female characters of all time. She was definitely robbed of a best Actress Oscar nomination. The scene when a devastated Furiosa wandered alone in the desert with her prosthetic arm falling off said more with silence than many actresses said with pages of dialogue.  

 

However, while Furiosa is the film's best female character, she's not the only one, by a long shot. This is a female-driven film in more ways than one, whether it's the breeders, the Vuvalini, young or old. The Breeders and the Vuvalini nourished life in their own ways, whether it was the Breeders having IJ's babies or the Vuvalini and their seeds of food, flowers and trees, which can only grow in the right environment. About Furiosa and the Breders, my theory about why they left IJ is that Miss Giddy taught them about feminism, which inspired them to change their lives and themselves once and for all.  Re Max's claims that "hope is a mistake" and not being able to fix what's broken can lead to madness, I disagree with the former because if that were true, then the Breeders would still be slaves, Furiosa would be dead and IJ would still be alive. As for the latter, my attitude is to take the broken parts and try to make something better out of them, which is what the Breeders and what was left of the Vuvalini did in the end-which, come to think of it, is exactly what Max, Furiosa and Nux did for themselves and each other. Max believed in Furiosa, Nux, the Breeders and the Vuvalini when no one else did and vice versa. Nux learned to believe in something much greater than himself, hence his sacrificing himself to protect it. Furiosa went from obeying IJ to defying/leaving/killing him to redeem herself for doing his bidding.

 

  Given the film's success, I predict that there'll not only be a sequel, I wouldn't be surprised if there were shout-outs to Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, including an appearance by Auntie Entity, who could be played by Lupita Nyong'o, Naomie Harris, Gugu Mbatha-Raw -or, if GM wants to go meta, he could cast Angela Bassett, who played Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It.

Edited February 16, 2016 by DollEyes

[Chaos Theory]

I didn't get this one at all. Then again I don't remember being the biggest fan of the original. I should have remembered that. I guess it's on me then. I enjoy a good action but honestly I do need some story and I admit shutting this off half way through (and bitching about a movie I haven't at least finished does break a rule of mine and a personal pet peave) but this one lacked any story that I could see.

[stealinghome]

Its story is The Hero's Journey.

[nobodyyoucare]

I didn't get this one at all. Then again I don't remember being the biggest fan of the original. I should have remembered that. I guess it's on me then. I enjoy a good action but honestly I do need some story and I admit shutting this off half way through (and bitching about a movie I haven't at least finished does break a rule of mine and a personal pet peave) but this one lacked any story that I could see.

The story was shown. You had to listen and then watch to get it. It was doing the less  is more approach to story telling. Rather then doing what Shamlingdong did in

"The Happening" this shows you what is going on but doesn't have dialog telling you what you could figure out on your own by paying attention.

Edited February 21, 2016 by nobodyyoucare

[thuganomics85]

While it didn't win the big one (wasn't expecting it to), I'm glad the film won a bunch of the technical awards tonight: six to be exact.  Wished George Miller pulled an upset over Innaritu, but at least Margaret Sixel won for Editing, so I'm sure they're happy tonight!

 

Of course, hearing the film music being played after each wins has made me really want to watch the film again.