Mad Max: Fury Road Review

RYAN: I’m thrilled to be joined in this review by Nick Seidler, an avid sci fi fan, Dr. Who expert, and a viewer of the previous three Mad Max films.  This is the first one I’ve seen so I look forward to your thoughts, in context of the franchise.

NICK: Thank you for including me.

RYAN: Director George Miller also did the first three, original Mad Max films as well as directing The Witches of Eastwick, the Happy Feet films, Babe: Pig in the City and more.  He’s got a very diverse and impressive career.  I’m calling this one a reboot because it stands on its own.  I went in with low expectations and found it entertaining and gripping, like watching a train wreck.

NICK: Yes, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world.  And it is devastating how bad things would be.

RYAN: It’s one of the most filthy, I’m talkin’ dirt under your fingernails filth, gross, disgusting things you can see.  Once you get past all the blisters, boils and disease, it’s an interesting movie.

NICK: Absolutely.  You called it a reboot; but for me, as a Mad Max fan, it can fit however you want it to.  It can be seen either way, which is a strength of this film. The second one, Road Warrior, among the original trilogy, was my favorite.  And you can tell there was a big budget here and they went all out.

RYAN: Yes the effects and action sequences – you can’t tell what’s an effect.  But you know not everything you see actually happened in reality so that’s the highest compliment you can pay to a big effects film.  It all just looks so real.  These blockbuster sequences, all battle within moving vehicles, was fantastic.

NICK: One of the wonderful things about Miller’s approach is that he tries to use as few effects as possible.  There is amazing, non stop action.  And I stayed through the credits and it looks like there were a hundred stunt people.  There were a lot.

RYAN: Wow.

NICK: It’s a film where you see the trailer and think, there’s gonna be a lot of action, but it doesn’t even scratch the surface.

RYAN: There was one point where I thought the movie was gonna end, and they had the perfect set-up for a sequel.  And then it kept going and delivered on that sequel right there. I was into it.  You keep wanting to see what will happen next.

NICK: And you said it was dirty.  It’s grimy.  There’s no water.  But it’s so much of what it probably would be.  Hopefully we’ll never see what that would be like.  But there’s something engaging at a primal level to watch what would happen.  And there was a really great story there.  Max is along for the ride.

RYAN: Yeah it’s not really Max’s story.  It’s more Furiosa’s story.  That’s Charlize Theron.  She plays a new character to this franchise, right?

NICK: Absolutely.  And I love how Max, in these films, always takes the side of right.  And there are a lot of gray areas.  But as you go through it, you find the right sides.

RYAN: I love Tom Hardy.  He’s one of my favorite actors and I wanted more of him in this.  How does he compare to Mel Gibson – the original?

NICK: He’s quieter.  Mel’s version had more to say.  Tom is more soft spoken in this version.  But from what I understand, Miller might have originally storyboarded this whole film without any dialogue and then it was added or ad-libbed in some cases.

RYAN: And before the movie you told me there was some dudes upset that this movie skews toward female empowerment?  And it does.  There are strong women, rare for sci fi in general.  But there are also the cliched diaphanous, clean, delicate, breakable, childbearing women as well.  So I think they cancel each other out.

NICK: I would say it’s a horrible way to even look at it.  If anyone feels threatened by strong women, they’re not a good man.

RYAN: Right. They’re missing the point of it being good entertainment.  It looked like much of the film was sped up.  Action scenes are cut together quickly to begin with, but a lot of this film looked like the footage was sped up.  Did you notice that?

NICK: No.  I think it’s all just in the way it was shot with creative cinematography.  I really liked it.  I will see it again.

RYAN: I wish I had screened this in 3D, so I can’t weigh in on that aspect.  But it’s truly watchable.  Once you get past all the grit, you can’t look away.

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