Mad Max - Fury Road

[blackmocco]

With screening #7, I found myself wondering [spoiler]if the War Rig's kill switch hadn't kicked in, would Max have really left Furiosa and the Wives behind to IJ and his cronies...? I like to think he'd have felt (more) guilty, stopped 100 yards away to let them in a la Wolverine with Rogue in the first X-Men movie.[/spoiler] But then I thought about what a balls-out shit fucking day Max was having and really wasn't sure. [spoiler]On the other hand, if Nux could catch up,[/spoiler] so could the ladies and Furiosa would have just slit his throat and carried on. What a movie THAT would have made...

[radiator]

I think he would have left them, yeah.

Max is essentially a wild animal at that point.

I think the turning point is when he finally gets that wretched mask off - I think that's the point where he starts to trust and care about others again.

[Dunk!]

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

IMAX 3D.

I'm usually a 2D zealot, haven't seen a 3D film for at least 4yrs, but this felt like it needed something extra at least on first viewing.

My socks were, and still are, completely knocked off.

Do it.

Barefoot Dunk!

[Dark Jimbo]

But then I thought about what a balls-out shit fucking day Max was having and really wasn't sure. [spoiler]On the other hand, if Nux could catch up,[/spoiler] so could the ladies and Furiosa would have just slit his throat and carried on.

I love that Max and Furiosa/Joe's respective parties have absolutely zero interest in each other's stories for at least the first third of the film. It really underlines the importance of basic, everyday survival in this world.

[blackmocco]

This is pretty good:

(Warning: Fury Road AND Game of Thrones spoilers in here)

http://www.tor.com/2015/05/20/mad-max-fury-road-action-genre-subversion/

[Theblazeuk]

Twas good, would guess 2D was the better choice after seeing it in 3D, like most 3D in movies it seemed entirely absent after the first few scenes so would have preferred the brighter colours/not wearing glasses. What is with Tom Hardy's accent? Otherwise little in the way of even the most constructive criticism.

[Spikes]

Caught this last night, and I really liked it.
Was never that huge a fan of the original three films - and I don't think they've dated well, so I'm kinda happy to view this as a total fresh start.
And a more impressive looking big budget film, I doubt you'll find. Makes the usual crap that we are served up look very, very tired indeed.
The main cast is uniformly great in this. Charlize Theron is brilliant, but Tom Hardy, is slightly less so, but still a good turn from him.
I did think, on a couple of occasions, that it was slightly overlong, but thinking back, nothing springs to time, that could have been cut out, or was at odds.
The voice-over at the beginning didnt bug me, nor the flashback scenes, but I wouldn't mourn the loss of either, tbh.
And Peter Stringfellow makes a great villain, 

So, a good 4 out of 5 from me.

[I, Cosh]

Just back from my second time and it remains an absolute cracker.  Knowing what to expect took some of the breakneck momentum out of it and allowed the quieter moments time to breathe. It did also give me more time to ponder the slight weaknesses but those are massively overshadowed by everything it gets right.

The chorus of approval above covers most of my own thoughts. Sublime design and stunts. Loved being thrown in to the weirdness of the World without explanation. Theron is fantastic, Hardy great except when he speaks. Max needs to talk exactly as much as Clint in the dollars films. Found the flashbacks far less annoying the second time around but did ultimately think 10 or 15 minutes could've been stripped out of it.

This was the first time my friend has been out unattended since the birth of her second child. Only found out on the way home she'd never seen any of the others but she loved it too. At least, she reckoned it was overwhelming and mental, but in a good way.

A few random observations.

- The "Warboys! War boys!" chant as they're hitching up the fuel pod was definitely a sly wink at Duran Duran appropriating Road Warrior chic for the Wild Boys video, wasn't it?

- I don't think the film needs any context whatsoever to enjoy. Even the intro it did have is superfluous and knowledge of the other films is irrelevant. If there's a connection at all, they're parallels, not a serial. We could've been dropped into the opening scene with the lizard without losing anything at all.

- That "IT FEELS LIKE ACTION FIGURES BEING FIRED OUT OF A CANNON AGAINST A WALL BECAUSE I DO NOT YET HAVE A REASON TO CARE"  seems a pretty weird criticism. Maybe from someone who doesn't watch many action films. Dropping you into an action scene then maybe explaining stuff later has worked for everything from Bond to The Odyssey.

- Loved the two tone soundtrack. Booming orchestral stuff for the big set pieces interspersed with the diegetic menace of the truckload of drums and guitars.

- Irrespective of what a bunch of middle-aged goons reckon, it really does seem like the sort of film which some 12 year old kid is going to watch again and again and again, obsessively, for years to come. Which is a good thing.

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.

My first viewing was in 3D, the second in 2. I went in tonight assuming I was going to see something much richer visually but I couldn't say I noticed any real difference in the colours. Maybe just good luck. On the other hand, not having two sets of subtitles to contend with is a definite plus.

[Hawkmumbler]

Went to watch it anthird time last night before it disapears. Hope it fairs well on the small screen....

But prity much everything I've wanted to say has been covered now, but Cosh brings up a good point about the score. Did anyone notice that when The Doof Warrior was fighting Max, when ever he let go of the guitar the OST just stopped. Then a frantic scrabble to get the guitar back and it kicks in again. Didn't notice that ghe first time but I bloody love it. Also when you could see the convoy in the dustance but all you could hear was this high pitched growling of the band van. Bloody madness and pure McCarthy.

[Richmond Clements]

Watched this for a second time this weekend and man, it was even better.
Things I noticed: It has a standard three act structure. It's just that the first act is [spoiler]the pre credits sequence[/spoiler] and the third act is [spoiler]the final three minutes[/spoiler]...
Also, a lovely touch. The [spoiler]old lady with the bag full of seeds who boasted of every shot being a one shot kill? Her dying act is to kill a bad guy by shoving a bullet into his eye. [/spoiler]

[blackmocco]

It's why the movie needs a couple of viewings: So much to digest. [spoiler]I found her death quite touching. A bit of a feat considering they introduce us to those characters so quickly but they still manage to create a satisfying bond between her and The Dag in no time at all.[/spoiler] Every time I've seen it, the movie gets tighter and better.

[ming]

I think one of Brendan's first contacts with George Miller involved him sending George a copy of the Mad Max homage episode from ReBoot - Bad Bob; after that he was flown out to Sydney and now we have Fury Road.

I picked up one of Brendan's Bad Bob designs a few years ago and it's a thing of beauty...

[blackmocco]

I think one of Brendan's first contacts with George Miller involved him sending George a copy of the Mad Max homage episode from ReBoot - Bad Bob; after that he was flown out to Sydney and now we have Fury Road.

I picked up one of Brendan's Bad Bob designs a few years ago and it's a thing of beauty...

I'm sure that one would have been no problem to build whatsoever...

[ming]

I'm sure that one would have been no problem to build whatsoever...

Hah!  Just imagine... The Doof Wagon was fully functional, after all.  Probably plenty of Jumbo Jet cockpits sitting around in junkyards.  Maybe next time?  Pleeeaaaase?

[Jim_Campbell]

I keep coming back to my initial tweeted reaction: that you can't help but be stunned by the sheer, mad ambition of the movie. Another great article on that subject here: http://squaremans.com/fury-road/

Cheers

Jim