I left the theatre the other day feeling hyper like
a 13-year-old boy, all wide-eyed and chatty. I’d just witnessed something I
knew I would be talking about for weeks to anyone and everyone who would
listen.
Looking back on a handful of conversations I’ve had over the
years after seeing much-hyped sci-fi movies, I tend to shrug a lot, discuss the
ups and downs of the plot, the strong performances and the weak choices. I love
a good dissection even when the movie doesn’t live up to its trailer.
But rarely, if ever, do I walk out of a theatre feeling like
a full-fledged convert.
Mad Max: Fury Road turned me into a zealot, a War Boy who
grasped onto the rusty metal siding of a speeding muscle car for two hours and
can’t wait to go again.
Before I start frothing at the mouth, let me explain/justify
my review.
While Mad Max is not based on a comic book, Vertigo is
publishing a Mad Max: Fury Road comic book miniseries that will explore the
backstories of some characters, with the first issue focusing on Nux, the
endearing War Boy played by Nicholas Hoult, and Immortan Joe, played by the
original Mad Max baddie, Hugh Keays-Byrne.
Comparing Byrne’s appearance from the original 1979 movie to
that of Immortan Joe — a tyrannical warlord and religious figure — you can see
how George Miller’s demented vision of the future has evolved over the decades.
Visually, the original Mad Max seems like light fare
compared to Fury Road. Don’t get me wrong. Mad Max (or arguably The Road
Warrior, the Mad Max sequel) is the pinnacle of Australian grindhouse, a movie
as dedicated to daring stunts and cool cars as it is to daring storytelling —
Miller was killing off innocent characters long before Game of Thrones.
But, nowadays, George Miller is perhaps his own worst enemy
in that he influenced the post-apocalyptic genre so much, punk rockers with
Mohawks riding around the desert on motorcycles feels cliché. We’ve seen it
imitated too many times before.
Mad Max: Fury Road pushes the boundaries of the
post-apocalyptic genre into something resembling fantasy. It is a world gone
mad, fully realized and a feast for the senses. Anyone familiar with Blade
Runner or Jodorowsky’s Dune, will find the same level of detail, the same effort
in art direction, spilling out of every frame. Although there are short flourishes of CG
(e.g. an epic sandstorm complete with lightning and tornados), Miller’s
dedication to in-camera stunt work is truly awe-inspiring,
Sufficed to say, I wouldn’t be this excited about Fury Road if
the performances fell flat.
If you haven’t heard from your girlfriend, sister, or female
Facebook friends yet, yes, Fury Road is surprisingly female-centric — Imperator
Furiosa (Charlize Theron), isn’t the only badass female character but she is
the most noteworthy. Wearing a robotic arm and oil as war paint, Furiosa is the
empowering female sci-fi heroine we haven’t seen since Sigourney Weaver did
this.
She’s a complex, capable character who happens to be a
woman, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. Now consider the fact that
she appears in a movie whose main selling point is
cars-getting-blowed-up-real-good!
Where Max is the strong and silent hero battling inner
demons and outer ones, Furiosa is the heart of Fury road. Her resilience in the
face of unimaginable tragedy gives depth and meaning to the action.
Both she and Max are seeking redemption by stealing Immorten
Joe’s most prized possessions — healthy, childbearing women.
Furiosa’s reasons for doing so are a bit murky. Max, on the
other hand, has visions of a young girl (likely his daughter) being run over.
Max’s “madness” connects Fury Road to the original Mad Max movie and humanizes
a character that tends to speak more with actions than words.
It’s tricky trying to balance two characters in a lead role
— Terminator: Salvation is the best example of this not working out. But Max
and Furiosa compliment one another perfectly without the latter stealing the
titular character’s thunder… dome.
Sorry.
I couldn’t help myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment