Mad Max: Fury Road

[Leinad]

I've had it up to here with MAD MAX as well.

[mobias]

It was sold out at the IMAX last night. The guy from from Empire magazine was reviewing it on Radio 6 this morning and said that George Miller undoubtably deserves and Oscar nomination for it. It is fairly flawlessly directed and incredibly well paced and constructed. I suspect it won't be up for an Oscar though. Thinking about going to see it again in standard 2D as George Miller thinks its better in 2D, I guess its more in keeping with the style of the original(s). There were a few moments in it that were blatantly made for 3D though.

In other news I really rather liked Charlize Theron with her shaved head and covered in diesel oil. She was pretty damn good in it and actually kind of more the star over the monosyllabic Tom Hardy. Nicholas Hoult was also really good in it. He's come a long way from About a Boy anyway.

[Sgt. Duckie]

Wow and fuck me. Just got back in from a 3D showing of this. Going back tomorrow for 2D it was so impressive. The star of the show, apart from Miller, really is Nicholas Hoult who steals the pic from under Hardy and Theron's noses.

The pole people action, the stiltwalkers, integration of the music into scene moments, grotesque visual touches to the chasing characters are still buzzing in my mind.

[Hobo]

It's a 12A, and my 10 year old son wants to see it, what do those that have seen it think of its suitability?

[phantom_power]

The direction is remarkable. The way there is so much going on in various areas of the scene and yet it is completely clear what is going on at all times is an amazing achievement

[lazarou]

It's a 12A, and my 10 year old son wants to see it, what do those that have seen it think of its suitability?

It doesn't tend to linger too long on anything too gory, but it's certainly nasty in places (a notable example being someone

Spoiler alert

getting their eyes blown out

[close]

). The nightmarish visions Max keeps having along with the general grotesquery on display might be too strong for a ten year old.

I'm a little surprised by the 12 as it's a full R over here in the states.

[Noodle Lizard]

It's a 12A?  Christ.  Either that means the BBFC have gone particularly lax on this one or Miller's gone all soft like a microwaved neck.

Looking forward to it mind.

[mobias]

It's a 12A, and my 10 year old son wants to see it, what do those that have seen it think of its suitability?

Better off waiting until it comes out on DVD. Its definitely relentlessly full on and violent. I'm really surprised its only a 12A.

[Noodle Lizard]

This is telling me it's a 15:  http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/mad-max-fury-road-2015

Now I don't know what to believe.

[mobias]

This is telling me it's a 15:  http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/mad-max-fury-road-2015

Now I don't know what to believe.

I was definitely under the impression it was a 15. With people here were saying otherwise then I just presumed I was wrong. 

[Paaaaul]

I saw this today.
It is perfect.

[Noodle Lizard]

Off to see it in IMAX LASER 3D!!! in a couple of hours.  You cunts better be right.

[Hobo]

My mistake. It is a 15. But the trailers were rated 12A.

Problem solved.

[Noodle Lizard]

My mistake. It is a 15. But the trailers were rated 12A.

Problem solved.

Oh what and we're just supposed to forgive you now?  You think it's that easy?

[Ja'moke]

Spectacular. A complete visual onslaught. I want the DVD right now so I can freeze frame every shot to get a proper look at everything that was going on, there was stuff happening all over the place but it was never confusing or hard to follow in a story or character sense. My favourite film of the year so far.

[Pseudopath]

Absolutely stunning. I can't stop replaying scenes in my mind and thinking they must be figments of my imagination as they'd be so impossible to film. Although George Miller deserves all of the inevitable plaudits and awards, props to the John Seale (the cinematographer) for the jawdropping imagery and Junkie XL for the phenomenal soundtrack.

[Pseudopath]

^{Tom Hardy was a bit shit though. His 'accent' was all over the place.}

[Noodle Lizard]

Yeah, it's really good.  About as good as action movies get, I reckon.  I don't know if it was just watching it in IMAX 3D, but it looked incredible - so much more attention to detail than is common with big blockbuster action fuckups, and a lot of shots and stunts where I genuinely can't figure out how they were accomplished.  Could've done without a couple of the more traditional moments and thought

Spoiler alert

Nick Hoult's transformation

[close]

was very poorly-handled narratively

Spoiler alert

(in fact that whole character should have fucked off once Hardy broke free)

[close]

.

If we're going to talk about dodgy accents, Charlize Theron didn't even bother trying to do Australian.  Sometimes American, sometimes a bit Irish.  Hardy sounded more like his Welsh character from Locke.  This all could have been intentional though, I'm sure after an apocalypse regional accents would be among the first things to be phased out.

It should absolutely sweep the Oscars for editing, costumes/make-up, production design, sound design[nb]although I actually could barely make out a word of the dialogue spoken, but that might be the fault of the cinema I saw it in[/nb] and VFX.  I'd even give it a nod for directing and score as well.

5 bags of popcorn and two sodas and er maybe one of those little toy trucks for you to play with after.

[Shaky]

^{Tom Hardy was a bit shit though. His 'accent' was all over the place.}

I thought Hardy was spot-on physically, and some of his wordless reactions were great, but yeah, that accent... it wasn't even consistently "bad" as such - it just kept randomly changing! However... Noodle Lizard's reasoning about the dissolution of regional accents and such does make sense. I can imagine nutty Tom pulling that sort of shit on set to throw people.

Phew. Still processing the fact I've just watched a fourth Mad Max film. A memorable, gloriously insane mess; I think expectations were so ridiculously high that I was only going to come away a little bit disappointed. Some of the characterisations and story digressions didn't work, the wives were sort of "there" as a Macguffin and little else, acting was all over the shop, more CGI than I would have liked - but probably none of that matters. The film was the most cartoonish and hyperstylised of the franchise while still managing to keep it's roots in grubby, cheap 70/80's Ozploitation. Can't wait to see it again.

[Harpo Speaks]

but yeah, that accent... it wasn't even consistently "bad" as such - it just kept randomly changing!

Yeah, he was doing well with the voiceover at the beginning, but it soon wavered during the dialogue scenes.

Great action scenes, there was a palpable sense of exhalation in the cinema when the first major chase concluded, such was the frenetic pace.

My only criticism

Spoiler alert

of the action would be the very final beat of the last chase, in 2D the steering wheel flying towards the screen felt silly (and not the sort of silliness the film had excelled at up to that point) and slightly anticlimactic.

[close]

Other than that, the action was tense, exciting, and unbelievably well executed. Definitely some practical effects work in there which is laudable.

Also nice to see

Spoiler alert

expectations challenged at times too - at point it appears that one of the daughters might be being set up as some sort of love/sex interest for Max, only for her to immediately do a bloody tumble under some giant wheels.

[close]

[Noodle Lizard]

Also nice to see

Spoiler alert

expectations challenged at times too - at point it appears that one of the daughters might be being set up as some sort of love/sex interest for Max, only for her to immediately do a bloody tumble under some giant wheels.

[close]

Yeah I forgot to mention, I'm glad they didn't really go down the

Spoiler alert

love interest route with Charlize Theron, or any of them for that matter

[close]

.

Also, isn't Charlize Theron unreasonably pretty?  Wouldn't mind a bit of Hardy either, come to think of it.  I imagine you'd feel very safe in those arms.

[the psyche intangible]

Should have used the cash for the Dredd flick. Joseph's meat wagon must be loaded right now.

[Head Gardener]

"oh what a lovely day"

[thugler]

That was fucking excellent.

The design/look/sound of everything was just fantastic

[billyandthecloneasaurus]

I thought it was a bit rubbish.

[Delete Delete Delete]

Saw this in 4D, was a fun experience, not sure I'd go 4d again. First when the new Terminator trailer came on I was thinking hang on all these physical effects are basically an annoying kid flashing a torch in you eyes, kicking your seat and pelting you head with piss in the film.  You thought the Terminator trailer was bad, in 4D absolute hell.

Thankfully it was much better in the actual film. So interesting technology, you really notice every scene with water as your getting a soaking. Lots of pressure blasts to the neck and some great ones to the legs that make it feel like you've actually gone through a trip wire. Some excellent smoke effects and oil/ dessert smells. I think the perfect film to test all the elements of 4D.

[NoSleep]

I keenly look forward to the first cinema death due to 4D.

[BlodwynPig]

I keenly look forward to the first cinema death due to 4D.

Probably in the upcoming Driving Miss Daisy reboot. Driving Miss Daisy Again in 4D. A small child is crushed beneath the "virtual" wheels of an oldsmobile being "virtually" driven by an aged Ice-T.

[great_badir]

Some less-than-glowing critic reviews starting to come through now, including a lukewarm one from Mark Kermode in which he states that it's a little bit boring in places...

Anyway, best new film I've seen in ages.  Just brilliant in every way.  It has really restored my faith in mainstream big-budget film making.  I know it's almost certainly going to prove to be an exception in no time at all, but it's a tremendous exception.

I very much liked that Charlize Theron was actually the main character of the whole show.

Gonna get the blu-ray when it comes out and sit my wife down to watch all four.

[Johnny Textface]

MEDIOCRE![nb]This is not a critique of the film.[/nb]