By: Jenny Robinson & J.D.
Jenny's Review:
Fury Road is by far some of the most fun I have had opening weekend in some time. George Miller treated us all to over two hours of pure eye candy and non-stop action.
I will be honest, when I first heard there was going to be another Mad Max, I cursed and felt frustrated. "Why?!?! The original was perfect and very nostalgic for me and this seemed like it would be a far cry from what made it great.” The more I saw the trailers and behind the scene shots, the more I second guessed my original distaste.
Now it did help when I found out that Miller was doing this.
My first comment out of the movie was “That was RIDICULOUSLY EPIC!” And it was.
The choreography of the battle scenes was like watching a twisted post-apocalyptic Cirque du Soleil performance. The bright orange of the wasteland was met with the neon blue of the sky, and all things in-between went monotone. It was strikingly beautiful.
With the explosions, battle for survival, monsters vs heroes, crazy costumes and by all means I can’t forget to mention the fire spitting guitarist on bungee cords… the movie defines epic. (Seriously, there is a guy strapped to a vehicle loaded with speakers rocking out into battle. I can’t make that stuff up).
Tom Hardy pulls off Max great. (I had reservations for that as well). Again, I was proven wrong. Max is a survivalist, a man of few words. You want him to win. With that being said, he is almost secondary to the women. I can understand all the coverage of this being the ultimate “feminist” movie, and it makes sense.
You are not concerned about what the female characters are wearing, who their love interests are, or all that stupid stuff that sadly comes with typical women rolls. You are consumed with the fact that the women are so amazingly awesome they go into battle and stand their own as a force to be reckoned with. The storyline proves women can be just as hardcore as men. Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa is respected and takes charge of the plot
This movie is a throwback to what Hollywood used to be in the sense of action films. It had practical effects woven with the CGI. It wasn’t all just “look what I can do with a computer”. Watching the stunt men swinging on bending poles and hanging off the bottom of moving War Machines hopefully is a sign to where movies are going. George Miller proves why he is such a great visual director. Hollywood, take note.
I would totally go see it again tomorrow. See it BIG. See it LOUD, but see it. It is super fun.
You can follow Jenny on Twitter @robiart
J.D.'s Review:
If you don’t like Mad Max: Fury Road, then I don’t like you. All jokes asides, the new Mad Max movie is absolutely fantastic and easily one of the best action movies that has been release in the past 10 years.
Mad Max: Fury Road gets so many things right that it is almost impossible to pick a place to start. But being an action movie, I could talk about how amazing the action sequences are for hours on end. Filmed using mostly practical effects, every scene has an authenticity to it that is difficult to find in most modern action movies. It all feels real. Like we are with Max and all the other fantastic characters inside of this hellish wasteland. Every punch, every gunshot, every car flip feels like it was intricately placed and where it is supposed to be. None of the action ever feels sloppy because it is choreographed so well. Some of the fight scenes between Max and the Citadel’s War Boys had me wide eyed and mouth agape because of all the action that was happening on screen. A particular favorite of mine was the sandstorm scene, which honestly made my jaw drop at how beautiful and horrifying it was. For those of you who don’t know, MMFR is essentially one big chase sequence filled with high octane cars and grand explosions that don’t disappoint what-so-ever.
While the action was expectedly amazing, one area that really surprised me was how well the characters were handled (minus Max himself, which ill get to in a minute). Every side character, from the amazingly perfect Imperator Furiosa, to all of the Brides, is 3 dimensional and filled with personality. While some action movies are content to allow the action to take lead and allow the characters to suffer, MMFR thankfully avoids this trap with ease. Imperator Furiosa is one of the most memorable movies heroines in the past decade (move over, Katniss) because she doesn’t feel stripped down. Every action she makes has purpose and she never gets relegated to become Max’s love interest. She stands on her own because she knows what needs to get done and will do it, consequences be damned. Even the 5 Brides all have their own set of personalities that range from the caring mother, to the downright rugged. With a cast filled with so many different side characters, everyone gets their chance to shine in some way and makes up for the characterization that was lost with Max.
Max’s characterization is by far the biggest complaint I have with MMFR. It feels as if he is a main character in his own movie and is just along for the ride. Tom Hardy has probably 15 lines in the whole movie and none of them really show any character until the very end. For the first hour and a half of the movie, he is simply “Generic Action Hero # 87”. Because all of the other characters are fleshed out and the story mostly involves Furiosa and the 5 Brides, it isnt very noticeable. The story is also a bit predictable, but never enough that you will get bored. While you can see the ending coming a mile away, the director gives the us enough twists and turns to be on the edge of your seat that you wont mind in the least bit.
Like I said at the beginning of the review, Mad Max: Fury Road is amazing. With a combination of incredible action and characters that are genuine and interesting, MMFR soars over the pitfalls of most summer blockbusters. While there is still room for improvement in the department of Max’s character, this is a movie that everyone should experience at least once.
You can follow J.D. on Twitter @JFreakingD