Mad Max - Fury Road

[locustsofdeath!]

I'm not arguing with you and Jim - I'm not arguing at all - about how a film should be approached or what a screenwriter should or shouldn't do with a series with a 30-year gap that teens may or may not have seen.

I'm simply stating that context is there in the form of three previous films that can be sought out by potential viewers of this new film.

[Theblazeuk]

3D or not 3D? That is the my question to all of you.

[radiator]

"Beginning with action is hard. Because a lot of the time, you need context. You jump right into some actionstravaganza and you feel lost — unmoored, drifting, caught up in OMG THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE EXCITING BUT MOSTLY IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE. It's all whizz-bang-boom, but ultimately? Hollow as a used grenade. Shallow as a puddle of sun-baked urine."

Erm... just no. I don't agree with any of this at all. I would almost say the opposite - that great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later, and this is exactly what Fury Road does, albeit in a slightly more compressed form. It's all in the execution.

[radiator]

3D or not 3D? That is the my question to all of you.

2D all the way. I didn't even consider seeing it in 3D. You want to see these incredible action scenes in all their crisp, colourful glory.

[Jim_Campbell]

2D all the way. I didn't even consider seeing it in 3D. You want to see these incredible action scenes in all their crisp, colourful glory.

The 3D is excellent.

Cheers

Jim

[Hawkmumbler]

Their isn't really any need to see it in 3D. I found it muted the colours a bit and didn't really add anything that wasn't already superb in 2D.

[Jim_Campbell]

Their isn't really any need to see it in 3D.

There were no 2D IMAX showings at my Cineworld and I wanted to see it on the biggest screen I could find...

Cheers

Jim

[Hawkmumbler]

Not criticizing anyone who actually enjoyed the 3D, just my two pence it wasn't really all that great though their where moments I felt (if correctly applied), real depth could have been added to the action scenes.

[JOE SOAP]

great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later, and this is exactly what Fury Road does[/i].

Except it doesn't; not initially. Fury Road has a lengthy intro starting with the montage of archive audio clips about the decline of civillisation and then Max's VO and flashbacks. The rest of the film follows a show don't tell philosophy, for the most part.

[Frank]

IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE

Great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later

[locustsofdeath!]

IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE

Great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later

Just to be clear, this - "IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE" - is not my statement, it's a quote from the article Jim posted about Fury Road.

[radiator]

great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later, and this is exactly what Fury Road does[/i].

Except it doesn't; not initially. Fury Road has a lengthy intro starting with the montage of archive audio clips about the decline of civillisation and then Max's VO and flashbacks. The rest of the film follows a show don't tell philosophy, for the most part.

I wouldn't call it 'Lengthy'. It's a couple of lines of setup, which is all it needs.

[Tiplodocus]

IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE

Great action films establish characters by their actions and embrace the concept of 'show, don't tell'. Loads of great action movies start with action to get the audience's attention, then establish the context later

Just to be clear, this - "IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE" - is not my statement, it's a quote from the article Jim posted about Fury Road.

I imagine the author is referringto things like the start of Revenge of the Sith.  It just did not engage me in the slightest.

[radiator]

Just to be clear, this - "IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE" - is not my statement, it's a quote from the article Jim posted about Fury Road.

Yep - totally get that Locust, my issue is with that article in the link, which I just don't agree with.

Yeah, Fury Road has a lot of action, but there's also quite a bit of downtime in between the three main set-pieces where we get to know the characters and get invested in their struggle.

I really don't think it functions all that differently to any other great example of the chase/action movie genre, nor do I think it 'breaks' any screenwriting rules. I'd argue that it actually reinforces age old screenwriting rules like the - 'show, don't tell', 'brevity is the soul of wit', keeping a solid three-act structure - all that good stuff.

[Colin YNWA]

I keep thinking I've got something to add then I get to one of Radiator's next post and oh he covered it better than I would. Fine.

Oh there's another point I could make spinning from that... oh Radiator's next post gets that one covered. Fine

So I guess i could still say... oh... fine.

Could a Mod do me a favour and just change his last 3 4 posts (he got another in as I was whittering) to Radiator and Colin_YNWA, I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

Oh hold on I'll try this, isn't the Max at the beginning lost and out his depth really the point of that opening? Was for me. He's lost his way in the beginning and then is snatched from his 'life' and thrown back into adventure with no control, choice or understanding to start with. That develops (his understanding) with the wonderful storytelling that unfolds. For me you could remove that narration and the film still works.

Its a bit like the need to get superheroes origins cranked in at the beginning of films, which given that many of them (those filmed that I've seen) aren't the best that can make the first hour of the films a bit awkward. Fury Road avoids that, throws you in leaves you gasping for breathe and that, while still giving you a lovely pummelling drags you up to speed.

Works for me.