The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

The Official Forum of the Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 7:09 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2015 10:40 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:21 pm
Posts: 906
Location: Phoenix, AZ
I can honestly say with a total lack of hyperbole that I just watched an instant classic, and one of the greatest action movies ever made...

_________________
Aliens? Us?
Is this one of your Earth "jokes?"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 10:28 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:15 pm
Posts: 360
Location: Akron, OH
I haven't seen The Road Warrior or any of the previous Mad Max movies yet (I know, I know). How much of a requirement is it, or how much does it add to the experience, if I watch all of some of the previous movies before I see Fury Road?


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Sun May 17, 2015 12:34 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:21 pm
Posts: 906
Location: Phoenix, AZ
agentstinky wrote:
I haven't seen The Road Warrior or any of the previous Mad Max movies yet (I know, I know). How much of a requirement is it, or how much does it add to the experience, if I watch all of some of the previous movies before I see Fury Road?


The actual storyline of Fury Road is relatively sparse, and part of the brilliance of it is how everything that happens is explained and justified contextually rather than expositorily. This movie is so transcendent, there is nothing lost for having not seen any of the series. The only thing lost by seeing this first is that you will not be able to enjoy any of the Mel Gibson films because they all pale in comparison.

_________________
Aliens? Us?
Is this one of your Earth "jokes?"


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Mon May 18, 2015 9:40 am 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:03 pm
Posts: 472
Location: Dublin, OH
I wholeheartedly concur. This one is well worth catching, especially in the theater. Don't let it pass you by.

Or in this case, run you over in the middle of the road. :)

_________________
David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Mon May 18, 2015 1:14 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:14 pm
Posts: 629
Location: Los Angeles
agentstinky wrote:
I haven't seen The Road Warrior or any of the previous Mad Max movies yet (I know, I know). How much of a requirement is it, or how much does it add to the experience, if I watch all of some of the previous movies before I see Fury Road?


It isn't critical, since the "plot" of FURY ROAD is so minimal, it could be written on the back of a napkin. And, Max is, at best, the co-lead with the Charlize Theron character, Furiosa.

But, the 3 prior Mad Max movies are all readily available. You should DEFINATELY see all three of them first. AND, in order. Most Americans saw ROAD WARRIOR first (luckily, the Boston Sci-Fi marathon ran the original a couple of months before ROAD WARRIOR came out, so I saw it in proper sequence_. But, you should start with MAD MAX because it sets up the world that ROAD WARRIOR, THUNDERDOME and FURY ROAD take place in.

And, all 3 movies are pretty darn good to boot.

_________________
Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2015 10:02 am 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:03 pm
Posts: 472
Location: Dublin, OH
L.A. Connection wrote:
You should DEFINATELY see all three of them first.

I agree with L.A. here. If you can take the time to see them all, especially starting with MAD MAX, you should.

One of the interesting things about the world of MAD MAX is that this particular brand of Apocalypse is actually a slow evolution over time. Unlike other post-apocalyptic stories, the MAD MAX movies show a relatively slow descent into chaos, starting from the first vestiges of the breakdown of society and moving through scavenger wars over oil through an eventual (off screen) nuclear holocaust. In the end, this world succumbs to ecological collapse and conflict over natural resources (water, food), and this is where the story takes place. That progression makes the series interesting on a whole different level.

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD gives a short voice-over referring to this at the front, but it's better to have the context from the other films. It's a much more organic development of the Doom of Mankind than the genre is used to.

Not really necessary, but they're all enjoyable in their own way.

_________________
David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mad Max Fury Road
PostPosted: Wed May 20, 2015 3:40 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:14 pm
Posts: 629
Location: Los Angeles
The Mad Max series has a special resonance for those of us who remember seeing the original MAD MAX at Boston's SF/6. At the time of that showing, very few Americans had seen it - let alone at a nice theater like the Orson Welles (it was dumped into Drive-Ins and Grindhouses for a one-week run). It was like a grenade had been dropped into the theater - WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!! A great Marathon moment.

A little over a year later, ROAD WARRIOR was released stateside and the rest of America caught on to Mad Max. I wasn't quite as blown away by ROAD WARRIOR as most people, but then again, my mind had been "pre-blown away" by MAD MAX unlike most viewers. MAD MAX has shown twice more at the Marathon (Boston's SF/16,SF/26 – the undubbed Aussie Version) and ROAD WARRIOR once (Boston's SF/14).

MAD MAX FURY ROAD is good. The action is astonishing, and at one point, I just couldn't believe how INSANE what I was seeing was. And, you gotta love a gang that brings along it's own guitar and drums accompaniment! The use of real stunts over CGI was refreshing, but I wish Miller had resisted the temptation to monkey with the editing in post with all the digital ramp zooms and jagged editing, and color saturation.

The plot is so thin it could have been written on a napkin. And, some of the dialogue is frankly embarrasing with Theron's "redemption" line being so drearily spot on, I was hoping it was supposed to be "ironic". Hardy is a fine actor, but, doesn't approach Mel Gibson's charisma in the role. And, Miller has sidelined Max to a virtual supporting role alongside Charlene Theron's ferocious Furiousa character.

With THE ROAD WARRIOR, Miller raised the stakes and brilliantly created a World Gone Wild with sublime action scenes - but, some of the central dramatic core was sacrificied. I like THUNDERDOME, but for it's slower, quieter second half with the lost children. It again restored the balance with drama over action. FURY ROAD is ROAD WARRIOR on steroids - bigger, faster, furiouser ( :wink: ). This time, there is virtually NO drama, boiling down to: Some beaten up dude meeting an Amazon who is leading her truckload of Playboy Bunnies away from an evil warlord. Repeat for 120 (admittedly thrilling) minutes...

I haven't seen THUNDERDOME since it's original release (30 years!), so I will have to re-visit it sometime. For now, FURY ROAD is a terrific action picture in a fine series - but, also, the least dramatically satisfying.

_________________
Long Live the Orson Welles Cinemas


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group