Holyshitmadmaxfuryroad

More than a decade after he almost started filming it with Mel Gibson, we finally have a trailer for George Miller’s return to the world of flipping cars and weirdo punk savages. Honestly I almost teared up watching this. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we’re fighting for.

My thoughts can best be expressed in punctuation.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!… !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VERN

VERN has a new action-horror novel out called WORM ON A HOOK! He has been reviewing movies since 1999 and is the author of the film criticism books Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal and Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!: Writings on Bruce Willis, Badass Cinema and Other Important Topics as well as the crime novel Niketown.

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72 Responses to “Holyshitmadmaxfuryroad”

Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 2:06 pm

It amazes me that I’ve been waiting on this one since before I even left my teens. That trailer was well worth the wait.
Republican Cloth Coat
July 27th, 2014 at 2:21 pm

I am a believer. It doesn’t suggest any weird tonal touches, like Lord Humongous’s neat little speech on the importance of walking away, but I’m happy anyway. This trailer promises the Mad Max we deserve.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 2:25 pm

I’m already seeing all the new jack movie goers going “It looks lame” on certain websites. That’s all good kiddies stick to your superhero movies and movies based on toylines cause this one wasn’t made for you. This one is for the people who are fans of cinema first and foremost not intellectual properties.
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 2:26 pm

Yeah, I got just as emotional as you, Vern. It just looks “!!!!!!!!!!.”
Having said that and after having watched it a dozen times I have some observations:

Mutant lizard, cybernetics etc. I’d say this is a re-imagining if not a full on re-boot. If, as they say, this takes place between MAD MAX 1 and 2, then they have some explaining to do. The world has fallen Way further into collapse and chaos than I would have thought possible in that time frame.

I have always considered the apocalypse of the Mad Max films more of a uniquely Australian version of a gradual social collapse in the eighties with crime and barbarism rising steadily as massive overseas wars gobbled up natural resources. When Max headed into the Outback between Mad Max and Road Warrior he was not wandering a nuclear wasteland. He was escaping from a declining civilization he no longer felt responsible for protecting.

The Oil pump tribe in Mad Max 2 were not the last vestiges of humanity. They were a kind of techno-hippie commune made up of the disenfranchised families of petroleum industry workers. They were going to make their fortune on a secret oil deposit then head for the coast where, supposedly, the world was still in relative working order. Humungous and his Barbarians had simply interrupted that business plan. The barbarians had been sacking, raping and pillaging towns across Australia. Their arrival at the oil rig outpost was a matter of bad luck. Max’s arrival was good luck. The point to bear in mind is that somewhere, outside the desert, civilization was still limping along. All three parties in Road Warrior’s conflict could have decamped at any time and returned to the general population. They all chose the Outback because it seemed like a better option than hanging around watching society eat itself. Well, Humungous was certainly contributing to that feast but you feel me.

FURY ROAD seems to be taking the stance that most North American audiences for The Road Warrior assumed before having seen Mad Max 1; Namely, that civilization was utterly wiped out and the desert was all that was left of the world. Judging by the trailer, the gangs of barbarians are way more mechanized and tribal. It looks as though Max is being branded for the slave trade. While slavery was certainly rampant in Road Warrior it was not yet organized or monetized to the point where merchandise required labelling before sale. The good guys also, look as though they are possibly a generation out from any modicum of civilization. The vehicles, the cybernetics, the clothing all look as though time has been taken to build new cultural norms.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 2:29 pm

Man I really can’t get over how fucking awesome the transition from Max jumping in the interceptor & driving off and then all of the punks following through afterwards. Such a great sense of the scale of this world in that little bit alone. God I can’t wait for this shit.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 2:32 pm

Darryll – Yeah this looks more like a post-THUNDERDOME world than what you’d expect to see in an interquel to the original and ROAD WARRIOR. I do hope though that there is nothing that explicitly disowns the happenings of the trilogy. It’s not like the trilogy was ever broken and it gives more incentive for the new fans that this movie will make to not automatically write the older ones off & give them a chance. Unlike say fans of the Nolan Batmans did with the Burton movies or whatever. I hope they just keep it vague and present it as just another day in the office for Mad Max.
Darren
July 27th, 2014 at 2:45 pm

I just blew a load in my own face. Figuratively speaking.
Jimbolo
July 27th, 2014 at 2:49 pm

It’s… beautiful! Mandatory viewing.

Are those spiky VW beetles a nod to The Cars That Ate Paris?
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 3:00 pm

Yeah, Broddie. I’ll probably consider this one ‘The Further Adventures of Mad Max.’
Did you see the V8 Interceptor take a serious roll in there? How will they explain a full rebuild in time for Mad Max 2: Road Warrior. That and few other things tip the audience to the idea that this is an alternate version of the world established in Mad Max. Most notably is the casting of Hugh Keays-Byrne as a villain other than Toecutter. This is a trick Miller used in THUNDERDOME with Bruce Spence to clue savvy audience members to the notion that this was an alternate reality with characters bearing similar but different characteristics.

Don’t get me wrong, FURY ROAD looks awesome. My most anticipated film perhaps ever but lets put things into perspective with the classic original films.
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 3:01 pm

Good catch, Jimbolo. I’ll betcha’.
RJ_MacReady
July 27th, 2014 at 3:03 pm

DAAAAAAYYYYUUUUMMMMM!!!!
Michaelangelo
July 27th, 2014 at 3:10 pm

So tasty.
Tim Horan
July 27th, 2014 at 3:28 pm

Beautiful. The trailer made me think I was watching the action movie equivalent of a Malick movie. In place of long loving takes on flora and fauna we have dust storms and gasoline powered ballet.

I would not get too concerned about this entry hewing to previous ‘Maxian continuity’. Max is reminiscent of Leone and Eastwood’s gunslinger and is not beholden to what happened in issue no 17 (a la Spider-man or Batman).
Telf
July 27th, 2014 at 3:51 pm

The aesthetic is just gorgeous – and the use of CGI seems very tasteful (in that it all has a realness to it). I still think it’s weird without Mel – but you know I’ll see it.
Mr. Majestyk
July 27th, 2014 at 4:02 pm

Apparently the marketing department agrees with me that we’d be more excited for this if Max wasn’t in it.

But I can’t front. Still really, truly bummed that this had to happen without Mel, but removed from context it looks pretty impressive. I’m not sold on Hardy yet so I’m trying to pretend that he’s playing a whole different guy. Rad Rex. Something like that. If I can pull that off, I’ll be over my butthurt before opening day.

So it’s cool and all, but I’d kind of just like everyone to start making new things, though, please, if it’s not too much trouble. Just all-around brand-new ideas, new stories, new characters, new icons, just plucked fresh and pure out of the ether without anyone even having to look up what corporation owns the rights and whether or not the fans will accept the new costume designs. Something for our children and our children’s children to remake. I believe in us, society. We can do this.
Mr. Majestyk
July 27th, 2014 at 4:07 pm

Wait, it’s a fucking what now? Interquel? That’s a thing? Ugh.

See what happens? See? You take a character who should be a grizzled old man and make him a 30-year-old underwear model and you’re gonna run into story problems. I’m pretty sure that was in Strunk & White.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 4:13 pm

Mel gave Hardy his blessing. If he’s good enough as Max for Mel and Miller he’s good enough for me. I’m just glad we’re getting new Mad Max movies really. If this was made in the late 90’s I’m sure Mel would’ve been in it but they had to move on when he lost interest in the early 00’s.

It’s just kinda trippy to see this trailer. It’s finally here; it’s really real. It’s like when the Episode 1 trailer hit all over again. I’m ok with Mad Max continuing cause it’s something that was made for film just like Star Wars is. Also because it’s been long enough since THUNDERDOME that it doesn’t feel like being banged over the head like Star Wars will.

It’s not based on a comic book or a toy it’s legit something from the cinematic imagination of it’s creators in it’s rawest form. Now we get that same kinda sensibility while he uses modern techniques. I rather more stuff like this than more Transformers & superheroes even if it ends up flopping or just being a ROAD WARRIOR clone. It’s something you could only find at the movies.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 4:15 pm

RE: interquel was just me being a jerk and thinking I’m coming up with something somewhat satirical. Upon checking it up on google it’s actually a thing and I used it in the correct context.
Darren
July 27th, 2014 at 4:20 pm

Hardy has the raw charisma that plays perfect for Max. He doesn’t need to act out to show he’s a badass mofo. He just has to stand there.

I like the Conan-The-Barbarian-Captured-By-Evil-Barbarians-And-Chained-To-The-Wheel segment where Max is caught and dragged off behind the convoy, then gets his long hair cut off. I hope they throw him into a Thunderdome to test his mettle.

And whats with the beautiful desert waifs? They look a bit too pampered for a post-apocalyptic world, like the sex slaves in 300 who service the lepers. Hope this doesn’t mean MAD MAX is becoming mystical rather than mythical.
Broddie
July 27th, 2014 at 4:40 pm

I mean if it was anybody else but George Miller I could understand having reservations more. However it’s the guy who created the thing feeling that he has some more story to tell. I think he earned my trust as a moviegoer a long time ago so I believe that this could turn out to be more NEW NIGHTMARE than GODFATHER PT 3 or KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and I actually don’t even really mind GODFATHER PT 3.
JD
July 27th, 2014 at 5:09 pm

Daryll, pretty much everything in The Road Warrior and all of George Miller’s statements completely contradict your interpretation of it, but hey, don’t let reality get in the way of fanfic daydreams.
JD
July 27th, 2014 at 5:11 pm

And Fury Road: IT’S AWESOME.
Darren
July 27th, 2014 at 5:14 pm

*He just has to stand there*

And squash a lizard.
Peter C
July 27th, 2014 at 5:38 pm

Jesus H. Christ, this looks better than all but about 10 films that came out in the last decade. Is it possible that this might actually bring back action directing as an artform practiced by auteurs? You know, the kind that we’ve used to enjoy long before Vern even felt like he had to invent the ACR rating? I know we’ve had some surprisingly good action efforts lately, but none were genuinely successful at blending modern advances in (digital) cinematography with that oldschool blockbuster aesthetic that we know and love from the 80s and that was made irrelevant by the gritty shakycam movement (or shitty grakycam, as I like to call it). This, however, looks like it might just do the trick. Fucking bravo. My ass will be so hard in that fucking seat, there will be grooves of ass sweat that will last for a thousand years.
Zed
July 27th, 2014 at 5:39 pm

This looks cool. As someone above said, I kinda hope they do the Dredd thing where it’s nice and lean, just another day of being Max…
RBatty024
July 27th, 2014 at 6:55 pm

Like everyone else has already mentioned, this was well worth the wait. As far as the question of continuity, I think Tim’s right. The Mad Max series has always been more similar to The Man with No Name trilogy than something like Star Wars. The films take place in the same world with the same main character, but they are only loosely connected. This is why it bothers me less to see Mel booted for Hardy.

One thing I love about the trailer is the color palette. After seeing a dozen movies film the desert through one of those ugly yellow filters, I’m ready for someone to make the desert landscape look once again look brutal and beautiful at the same time. I love the dusty hues punctuated with flashes of earthy reds. It just kills me that we will have to wait until next year to see this movie.
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 7:27 pm

Your hilarious, JD because these films in no way represent “reality” and are therefore 100% open to viewer interpretation. Everything I surmised is totally supported in the story presented by Mad Max 1 and 2.

I’m afraid any statements made by a director after the film is released are moot. The film exists and is, again, open to interpretation (see: BLADE RUNNER. No matter what Scott may claim these days, Dekker is not a Replicant.)
anaru
July 27th, 2014 at 7:39 pm

Wow you guys expect a lot of continuity and world building from your cars-blowing-up-in-Australia movies.

Just think of it like the Man With No Name trilogy, geez.
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 8:22 pm

Your right, anaru. As I mention in a post above, I consider FURY ROAD a part of the ‘FURTHER’ ADVENTURES OF MAD MAX. As opposed to the ‘CONTINUING’ ADVENTURES OF MAD MAX. It’s a fine distinction but one worth exploring in this world of constant sequels, prequels and reboots.

The STAR WARS, the BACK TO THE FUTURES and the LORD OF THE RINGS are all examples of Continuing Adventures. Each subsequent film carries on from the last to create one story involving numerous characters with continuing character arcs within a single adventure. Agreed?

Alternately, your MAN WITH NO NAMES, your JAMES BONDS, your DIRTY HARRYS and your INDIANA JONES & THE WHAT HAVE YOUS are all examples of the ‘Further’ Adventures of a single character. These films are not really concerned with continuity or character arcs per se. They represent a single adventure for a single character with little or no reference to previous or subsequent films. Also agreed?

The MAD MAX films represent a slight divergence from this theory. MAD MAX 1 and MAD MAX 2 contain a continuing story arc for the main character. Max relinquishes and then regains some modicum of humanity over the course of those two films. Max himself grows and changes over the course of the two films. Despite the fact they introduce new villains and challenges I have to argue that they represent the CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF MAD MAX.

BEYOND THUNDERDOME is a different animal. By itself it actually repeats the character arc already resolved in MAD MAX 2. It’s a non-starter right from the outset. Additionally, we get signals that this is no longer the MAD MAX that Australian audiences had grown to love. This was an American version of the story written for American audiences. Firstly, we’re given the distinct impression that this no longer the Outback. In fact, in this version, this is what the whole worlds looks like now. Barter Town exists based exclusively on this premise. Next, early in the picture, we’re shown that radiation is now a concern in this alternate world. It was never an issue in the previous films. The collapse of civilization was never meant to be a result of nuclear war. The Australians didn’t have the bomb. Their apocalypse was social and economic; The rise of crime and barbarism in direct relation to the depletion of natural resources. It was an intimate reflection of the concerns of real Australian viewers at the time. An Americanized version of the story would, of course, involve nuclear war since the fear of such had been virtually ever present in the American psyche.

So, all of this is to say that BEYOND THUNDERDOME actually diverges into a FURTHER ADVENTURE OF AN ALTERNATE MAD MAX. It is, in my considered opinion, not canon and not an integral part of a supposed MAD MAX trilogy. For it to be a true trilogy we would have to feel that Max had grown further as a character over the course of his journey from the first film.

Time will only tell whether FURY ROAD will be a CONTINUING or FURTHER adventure for MAD MAX but based on what I’ve seen so far my vote is for the latter.

Caveat time! I know this is all semantic hyperbole. It’s fun because I love these films. So please, have at my argument for argument’s sake but don’t insult my fandom or my personal person. Thanks.
Lawrence
July 27th, 2014 at 10:37 pm

This captures what was really exciting about watching the ROAD WARRIOR(MAD MAX 2) in that you got the feeling people were almost killed making this movie! Like when you watched the chase in the ROAD WARRIOR you’re amazed nobody actually died during filming.
Zed
July 27th, 2014 at 10:39 pm

Interesting post, Darryll. Haven’t watched any Mad Maxes in some time but what you say sounds about right.

The two-headed lizard seems like a pretty strong indication we’re in for a post-apocalyptic (i.e. radioactive) landscape rather than the mere gradual-descent-of-civilization-into-barbarism.

It had never really occurred to me that the former is a classic American scenario and the latter more Australian. Did my Midnight Oil CD’s teach me nothing?
Vern
July 27th, 2014 at 11:01 pm

I was gonna say something similar, Tim. To me the existing three don’t really have a continuity. They seem like three different adventures of possibly the same guy (do they ever even call him Max in THUNDERDOME?) Order doesn’t matter. I swear I read Miller saying years ago, in response to a question about Gibson not playing Max anymore, that it takes place shortly after THUNDERDOME and that he’s too old for it now anyway. Has the “between ROAD WARRIOR and THUNDERDOME” thing been said by an official source, or is it just an assumption people made because of the Interceptor?

I believe it most likely takes place some time after THUNDERDOME and the idea that it would be cool for him to have an Interceptor again was decided to be more important than the logic of how he would have it again.
Darryll
July 27th, 2014 at 11:13 pm

Vern, as I understand it FURY ROAD takes place between Mad Max 1 and 2.
Felix
July 28th, 2014 at 12:11 am

I read from an interview that Tom Hardy only has 16 lines of dialogue in the entire film.
CJ Holden
July 28th, 2014 at 12:47 am

Too much CGI. And what’s up with that stupid lizard? Is he related to those dumbass Crystal Skull Gophers? And oooh, Oscar winner Charlize Theron tries to be badass, LOL. And why is toecutter back? And it’s from that guy who made that penguin movies? Fuck that.

(Just kidding of course, I love it and can’t wait to see it!)
Tango Urilla
July 28th, 2014 at 4:29 am

Ditto to all the positive comments above…if nothing else, visually it’s fucking gorgeous.
Darth Irritable
July 28th, 2014 at 7:12 am

Toecutter is tops.
neal2zod
July 28th, 2014 at 8:09 am

I do actually have a legit complaint – why show him stomp on the lizard but (from what I read) cut out the shot from the comic-con footage where he eats it? Now instead of having a scene that shows the lengths people will go for food (eating mutated meat), and a scene that shows what a badass Max is, (eating things that would make a billygoat puke), we have a shot that just makes him look like kind of an asshole, or at least like the type of dude who goes out of his way to hit roadkill (or like Randall Tex Cobb in Raising Arizona)

But other than that, yeah, it looks pretty amazing – it looks almost TOO clear and polished, even though I know it would be impossible for Miller to re-create the look of the original trilogy without resorting to Grindhouse-esque film trickery, which I don’t think anyone wants.
Broddie
July 28th, 2014 at 8:25 am

“I saw a free screening of this. I was excited cause I’m a big Tom Hardy fan and it was probably one of the worst movies I ever seen. Avoid at all costs. Don’t waste your money.” – some random early 20’s girl

For some reason her opinion just made me want to buy midnight showing tickets as soon as they go on sale. The less Miller tries to cater to this generation of blockbuster movie fans the better IMO.
Darryll
July 28th, 2014 at 8:41 am

I’m afraid we’ll see a lot of quotes similar to that one, Broddie. I’ve read some absolutely stupid negative comments pertaining to the trailer. Some folks can’t even tell Hardy from Theron.
Mr. Majestyk
July 28th, 2014 at 8:50 am

So I think I’m going to watch the trailer once a day until I’m properly excited. I seem to have a longer path to get there than most. My feelings on this project did not start from a place of “George Miller, despite not having directed live action since before Griff was born and most people not particularly caring for THUNDERDOME, can do no wrong in this particular franchise extension, which is a kind of extension that always makes everyone happy and doesn’t lead to decades of bitching or anything.” I started from a place of “Mel is Max and if you can’t do it with Mel don’t do it, do something else.” In short, I did not start from a place of hope, but of pre-packaged disappointment.

But the footage looks incredible, and it keeps looking better the more I see it. (Am I right in thinking that the shot Broddie mentioned was achieved by having a jump on top of the camera crane? I see no other way it was possible, and that’s pretty awesome.) I have to admit that if it was just called FURY ROAD with no baggage I’d be super pumped to see it. So I’m going to be a responsible action fan who appreciates the good stuff when he gets it and not an ungrateful fanboy who craps on the things he loves because they’ll never be perfect. I’m gonna max out on Max until all vestiges of nerd entitlement are burned out of my system. I’m not getting left behind this time.
MaggieMayPie
July 28th, 2014 at 9:43 am

All thoughts of the actual movie aside, that is one beautiful trailer. I love the way the editing and music fit together, with the beats coinciding with the cuts, or something in the shot, like gunshots or impacts.
The Original Paul
July 28th, 2014 at 10:28 am

Maggie – agreed. It makes me nervous for the movie. And I know the whole orange / blue thing gets overused, but DAMN if it isn’t used perfectly here. That’s some beautiful cinematography right there. Look, I can do without the “gritty” look, as long as the film gets the “feel” right.

All trailers should have this little dialogue. I don’t know what the plot of this movie will be before I see it (if I see it). This is a good thing.

And unlike the latest “Expendables” trailer, it looks as though the action scenes – at least those that we see parts of in the trailer – will be filmed without overuse of shakycam or quick cuts. In the Ex3 trailer, there wasn’t a single shot that was longer than about half a second, other than a couple of moments of dialogue. In this one, it looks as though the filmmakers have taken their time and let the action have some “impact”. If that’s representative of the movie then I have high hopes for it as an action piece.

It’ll be interesting because, despite having seen Mad Max 1 and 3, I have no particular emotional connection to the franchise. It’s just a couple of films that I happen to enjoy. Hell, #1 and #3 are so different, tonally speaking, they might as well be happening in different worlds. If you guys like this one, I’ll see it.
Mr. Majestyk
July 28th, 2014 at 10:54 am

So, Paul, am I to understand that you have seen THUNDERDOME but not ROAD WARRIOR?

Because if that is the case, that is about the Paulest thing you could ever say. You have reached peak Paul.
Jeremy
July 28th, 2014 at 11:07 am

I don’t care about Mel Gibson. There are other people who can look angry, say a few terse lines, and drive cars fast. I’m sure Hardy will be fine.

I was more concerned about how practical this film was gonna be, and besides the CG thunderstorms and shit, it looks like a lot of real cars crashing into other real cars and real people flying around. That’s when I knew shit was real. It was like the sequel to Road Warrior I always wanted as a kid but never got.
Broddie
July 28th, 2014 at 12:44 pm

I feel bad for anybody who has never seen THE ROAD WARRIOR. Quit slacking Paul. Get on it.
Henry J.
July 29th, 2014 at 1:54 am

Darryl also posts under the name “Uncle Entity” on the Mad Max Movies forums if the similarity of his alternate-reality theories are more than coincidence, and you can read more of his stuff there.

Also, holy shit. When I watched this the first time, my jaw dropped. I’ve been waiting for this film since before he started working on Happy Feet, back in 2000, and this trailer did not disappoint. George Miller’s returned to live-action filmmaking with a vengeance. Everything is just perfect. The color, the landscapes, the pulse-pounding viscera, the pure kineticism of every single composition on display – ugh, it’s beautiful. Also, Tom Hardy cuts a good figure as Mad Max, which is great.

I believe this is a light reboot-qual. Miller’s not looking at this in terms of a traditional franchise, and because of the mythological bent that the series has always had, that allows him to play fast and loose with the makeup of the world. Thus, if those early script reports are to be believed, instead of just gasoline and fuel, the driving scarcity is genetic purity this time around, in addition to water and gas.
The Original Paul
July 29th, 2014 at 11:00 am

Majestyk – put this down as movie franchise #3000 that I’ve never bothered to specifically check out. The movies came on TV, I saw them, I enjoyed them. To the best of my recollection “Road Warrior” wasn’t among them. I don’t own them and I have no plans to look them up in the future, but if they and I cross paths I might see them and enjoy them again.

Look, add “Mad Max” to the growing list of “previously dead movie franchises that Paul isn’t interested in because he wants to see NEW movies, damn it.” And then laugh hysterically as the cinemas are filled with remakes / boots / imaginings of “Planet of the Apes”, “Mad Max”, “Hercules”, and… “Transformers”? That shit is STILL being made? What the FUCK, movie world?!

Shit, I might seriously end up seeing that “Earth to Echo” movie. That’s supposed to be good, right?
Henry J.
July 29th, 2014 at 3:42 pm

You’re missing out, ToP. The Mad Max films are probably some of the best examples of pure kinetic cinema ever made. They’re Buster Keaton movies, up to date with a vengeance. If you want, you can skip the first film, because it’s not as strong as the other two – it’s very obviously a b-movie and someone’s first film, with all the problems that entails – but, The Road Warrior is kind of required viewing on anyone’s list. Or, should be.
Mr. Majestyk
July 29th, 2014 at 4:08 pm

I’m a weirdo because MAD MAX is my favorite. There’s something so pared down and brutish about it. The others are more ambitious and influential, but MM is the one that speaks to me. It’s eerie and nasty and almost unbearably visceral. The whole movie feels like vehicular homicide.
Darren
July 29th, 2014 at 4:17 pm

Paul, do NOT skip the first one. It is essential in setting up the humanity of Max. And it is more recognizably ‘Australian’ in it’s characters than the punked-up barbarians in the overtly post-apocalyptic ROAD WARRIOR, or the nomad/refugees in THUNDERDOME.

Example in dialogue –

Highway cops are embroiled in a high-speed chase with Nightrider and woman.

Nightrider – “I am the Nightrider. I’m a fuel-injected suicide machine. I am the rocker. I am the roller, I am the out of controller.”

Cop – (after a few close shaves on the highway) “That skag and his floozie, they’re gonna die.”
The Original Paul
July 30th, 2014 at 3:54 pm

Look, guys. We need to get something straight here.

I feel as though I need to get something straight before I go on. I’m not dismissing the past at all. Nope. Not now, and especially not here. There are a lot of very old movies that I enjoy. Some of them are among my favorites. You’ve all heard me wax lyrical about the likes of “The Third Man”, “Citizen Kane”, “On the Beach”, “Night of the Living Dead”, “Whisky Galore”, and “Farewell My Lovely”. All of which (except “Living Dead”, which was 1968) are over fifty years old now. Hell, two of which are over SEVENTY years old. I can name at least two movies that are almost a century old that I can rewatch and enjoy.

So I’m not doubting what you say, and I’m not doubting their entertainment or their historical value. Not at all.

But I really think we have a philosophical difference when it comes to this stuff. In the past three or so weeks alone, I’ve heard you guys be shocked – shocked! – that I haven’t seen films of three different franchises, all of which were made either before I was born, or not long afterwards. (I’m in my mid-thirties.) In that same time period, here’s what else I’ve heard recommended, just from people in my life whose opinions I trust:

– Several black and white film noir pieces from the 1940s that I haven’t already seen, from a guy who knows I like noir;
– Two “retro” anime movies, from a girl who knows I like “Spirited Away” and who’s made it her mission to make sure I know of the best of the genre;
– “Sharknado 2” (don’t ask.)
– “The Killing”, a subtitled foreign-language detective series from one of the northern European countries (sorry resident Norwegians / Swedes / Danes, I can’t remember which one).

And many, many more. And that’s just people I actually know. Add it to the stuff I hear about on the Internet and the numbers go up a helluva lot more.

Look guys. I don’t go out of my way to look for this stuff. I can’t. I have limited time, limited money, and limited space to use to store DVDs. I gotta prioritise somehow or other, and the way I choose to do that is by looking for NEW stuff. That’s why the stuff I’ve been most excited about here has been stuff like “Kill List”, “Universal Soldier: Regeneration”, “Kill Zone”, and “Blood and Bone”. That’s why I come to this site.

I’m am never ever ever going to ask you guys to stop recommending this stuff to me. I will keep it in mind, and if I come across it, I’ll watch it. I’ll probably even enjoy it – I know I’m sometimes the “odd man out” here, but most of the time I find I can trust you guys to recommend / discuss stuff that’s worth seeing.

But on the other hand – I don’t seek out the “classics”. I almost never have. I’ll make an exception for Hitchcock, Welles, Romero, the Coens, Bruce Lee, anything that’s either a mystery/whodunnit or bodyshock horror-related, or anything scored by Herrmann. Maybe one or two other names / genres that I can’t come up with right now. But mostly the way I come across these old films is the way I came across “Mad Max” and “Mad Max 3” – they were on TV at some point, so I watched them. Hell, I found “Night of the Hunter” in a secondhand DVD store. Same with “Charade” (the Grant / Hepburn version, obviously) and “Day of the Jackal”.

These are all movies that I came across by accident. And that’s fine, for me.

But if you come and say to me “It’s ridiculous you haven’t seen Road Warrior / Planet of the Apes / Jet Li’s early movies / other franchise from years back” then I will have to answer that, sorry, it’s not ridiculous, it’s just how it is. I got no objections whatsoever to rectifying the situation (except maybe with “Planet of the Apes”, just because it’s been so thoroughly and completely spoiled that it seems redundant to do so), but I’m not going to go out of my way to look at your recommendations, and my friends’ recommendations, and my family’s recommendations, and recommendations from other Internet forums, because that would mean I’d never make any money. Or leave my room. And I kinda don’t want to become that guy.

(Also I will counter with: ‘Well, how many of you have seen “Juggernaut” / “Trainspotting” / “The Day of the Jackal”?’ I got my own “classics” too y’know.)

Please keep the recommendations coming all the same. Like I said, if I come across these movies, I will absolutely watch them. And I will probably enjoy them. I wouldn’t stick around here if your opinions meant nothing to me. Just don’t expect me to rush out and buy these movies the day that you recommend them. It’s simply not something I can afford to do.
Darryll
July 30th, 2014 at 7:08 pm

@ Henry J. I know not this ‘Uncle Entity’ you speak of but he sounds like a smart guy. My theories are my own but I’m not surprised someone else has come to some of the same conclusions.
Darryll
July 30th, 2014 at 8:25 pm

Ok, I’ve read some of Uncle Entity’s forum posts and we disagree on a number of points. He’s trying desperately to place a nuclear armageddon between MM1 and MM2 and it just doesn’t pan out. Having said that, FURY ROAD may wind up agreeing with him.
clubside
July 31st, 2014 at 5:49 am

Paul, the reason for people hammering you on THE ROAD WARRIOR is that for lovers of action cinema, it’s a tent pole. It’s like saying you’ve never seen DIE HARD, ROBOCOP or COMMANDO. Vern has filled in the holes of lots of things over the years, but if you watch the evolution here you’ll find many movies get referenced that have never been reviewed or were looked at much later than they were first referenced because they are building blocks of action cinema.

THE ROAD WARRIOR has a bunch of other things going on that continue to make it unique in the awesome action pantheon, particularly it’s minimalism. It’s really one that’s worth seeking out even if you’re on a NEW kick because you’d be hard pressed to find anything similar, as even BEYOND THUNDERDOME, which does heavily riff on it in places, is more aesthetically similar than in execution. And the original, MAD MAX, is an entirely different beast execution-wise as well! and all three show a very different sort of world building than other “franchises” while also standing alone.

It’s in that last sense that the change with Hardy might be beneficial if Miller is open to finding a creative successor because then they could play the James Bond game of telling tales in this post-apocalyptic world with the same character as they change creative teams and leads. There are stories to tell between MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR, and during the time between that and BEYOND THUNDERDOME. And then in the times beyond it. At least from this trailer I’m psyched to see those stories!
BR Baraka
August 4th, 2014 at 4:21 pm

I didn’t see him actually make any pee.

A prostate problem is an interesting plot element.
Shoot McKay
September 12th, 2014 at 2:24 am

After the dog in ROAD WARRIOR,the monkey in THUNDERDOME, shouldn´t mMax have a big ass pig as a companion in FURY ROAD as an allusion to BABE?
Mr. Majestyk
September 12th, 2014 at 6:38 am

Why not a penguin?
pegsman
September 12th, 2014 at 7:29 am

Paul, THE KILLING is Danish and it’s shite. By the way, I re-watched JUGGERNAUT a couple of days ago. Still a classic.
The Continental Op
September 12th, 2014 at 8:12 am

I have to contest about The Killing. It’s fantastic. The last series’ ending was both heartbreaking and badass in its minimalism. I saw it around the same time as the Breaking Bad finale and it left me relatively nonplussed about Walt and Jesse’s journey ending, though I still loved it. Sofie Grabol as Sara Lund is up there with my favourite performances of all time, no doubt about it.
Shoot McKay
September 13th, 2014 at 2:49 am

Majestyk – well, it would be funny if it were a penguin. Considering the aussies history of importing a shitload of animals out of their natural habitats.And that the animals in question ended up breeding uncontrollably, since they no longer have any natural enemies. Penguins would be a fucking weird animal to import. For what possible reason? Could penguins possibly be the reason society collapsed?
pegsman
September 14th, 2014 at 9:15 am

It is of course not cool of me to describe a television series as “shite”. But I can’t stand writers that use constant bickering over minor details, huge plotholes and sheer incompetence from the main figure as tools to move the story along.
Mr. Majestyk
September 14th, 2014 at 9:53 am

I’m notoriously impervious to the charms of modern prestige television. I find the plots meandering, the pace glacial, the constant intensity stultifying, the characterizations so “complex” that it feels like anybody can do anything at anytime as long as it results in something people on the internet can complain about the next day. Even if I don’t flat out dislike a show, I rarely feel compelled to keep watching after I take a break of even a few days. Just too goddamn much drama, not enough payoff.

All this to say that I’ve heard enough people bitch about how THE KILLING never goes anywhere that I figure I should give it the widest possible berth.
pegsman
May 14th, 2015 at 12:11 pm

Just wanted to be the first to say that half an hour ago I came home from the cinema after watching FURY ROAD. I’ll refrain from commenting now, but believe me when I say that Vern’s name for this thread is pretty accurate.
pegsman
May 14th, 2015 at 12:19 pm

Damn, Stu beat me to it!
Shoot McKay
May 14th, 2015 at 11:10 pm

FURY ROAD had me at “It´s the oil, you idiot!” two seconds in. And from there on it was pure heavenly bliss.
darth brooks
May 14th, 2015 at 11:56 pm

15 minutes in I realized I was watching a damn masterpiece.
It feels like the movie we were promised at the end of Conan the Barbarian but with guns and insanely cool cars.
Shoot McKay
May 15th, 2015 at 12:04 am

I can´t believe I actually saw an action film in which my brain could register and react to every single frame in the action sequences. My eyeballs were most pleased with this one. I had a bit of car chase fatigue watching FURIOUS 7. But none of that when watching FURY ROAD.

I think the marketing of the film ahs been successful. The trailers made you excited for the film, but never sold you a different movie that we gott. Well done! My only gripe is I wished the marketing team could have used “FROM THE DIRECTOR OF BABE AND HAPPY FEET” in the trailers.
Tim Horan
May 15th, 2015 at 5:40 am

Just finished watching FURY ROAD with my fourteen year old daughter. As soon as the credits rolled she turned to me and asked, “Dad, can we go straight into the next session?” We went to the ticket counter but the final session for the night was sold out. I can’t recall the last movie I watched where I immediately felt withdrawal symptoms as soon as it was over. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY perhaps?

Slight non-spoiler – the modern update on the old MAD MAX 1 & 2 chrome movie titles is a thing of beauty.
pegsman
May 15th, 2015 at 10:13 am

My oldest son thinks it’s the best film ever. I’m thinking he might be right.
RJ_MacReady
May 16th, 2015 at 12:28 am

So I just got out of Fury Road and…… holy crap. I was not prepared for how insane this movie is. I don’t even know if I have words to describe it. This might be the craziest action movie I’ve ever seen. I’m still processing it. I keep trying to think of something to compare it to, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before. At least 80% of this movie is action scenes, and they are so intense and so over-the-top and so rich with weird little details and character quirks that I need to see it a few more times to even take in every thing that was happening. I lost count of the number of times the audience broke out into cheering and applause. It was at least 5 or 6 times.

The word of mouth on this one is spot on. George Miller hasn’t lost his edge at all. The action scenes were incredibly busy and chaotic, but I never got confused about what was happening or lost track of where characters were or what they were doing. This is an instant classic of the action genre and I predict that, like The Road Warrior before it, there are going to be a lot of directors trying to imitate what Miller has done here.

The plot is bare-bones, much like The Road Warrior. The characters aren’t very deep but they have very clear arcs that pay off in satisfying ways. The cinematography is gorgeous, the editing is top-notch and of course the stunt work is flat-out jaw-dropping.

I’m not even remotely joking when I say this should be nominated for Best Picture of the Year at the Oscars. I know action movies never get that kind of respect, but if ever there was an action movie that deserved that recognition, this is it. At the very least, George Miller needs a nomination for Best Director. This is a serious achievement. Go watch this movie as soon as you can on the biggest screen you can find. And then watch it again. This is one for the record books.
Shoot McKay
May 16th, 2015 at 2:12 am

FURY ROAD is the quintessential “Cars de Soleil”.

Hey bud, thanks for reading.
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