Mad Max: Fury Road is a great film, but perhaps overpraised. This sequel is not quite as good, and certainly much messier, but it was bizarrely under-praised, getting none of the previous film’s Oscar attention and not showing up on any Top 10 lists I’ve seen.
Like the previous film, this movie is insanely intense, and gave me my biggest thrills of the year. Unfortunately, like every other sequel in the past five years, this is overlong. Most Mad Max movies take place over a 24 hour period and have simple plots, but this one sprawls over 15 years or so, with a very complicated flashback/flashforward structure. It’s the most ambitious movie in the series and I applaud that ambition, but I did miss the simple stories of the previous four movies.
Just to add: This movie lost a ton of money at the box office, and I always have mixed feelings when that happens. On the one hand, if filmmakers make a good movie, I wish them all the best, and I know what a bummer it is for them to not have that rewarded. On the other hand, as much as I liked this movie, I would be just as glad to see them create new IP and not go back to the same well so often, and if movies bombing is what it takes, then okay. (I do want more James Bond movies though. I hope they don’t stop making those because the last one tanked.)
Rulebook Casefile: Exchange Objects
I don’t want to get into what all happens with the peaches in this movie, because that would involve spoilers, and I’m hoping more of you will see the movie with my recommendation, but suffice it to say that the use of peaches in this movie perfectly exemplifies my rule about putting objects in their hands and then having those objects multiply in meaning as they’re exchanged from hand to hand.
3 comments:
I liked it better than Fury Rd. Funny thing happened in the theater. EverytimeEverytimes a rumble from a motorcycle or other vehicles, which happened quite frequently, faint circular fuzzy gray waves rapidly emminated from the source of the noise on screen. The director had obviously chosen to convey the power and breadth of the rumbling engines by visualizing the soundwaves on screen! And the special motorbike at the beginning had the biggest rumbles which was wondewaslly ominous and badass when you could hear it in the distance, but not see it on the screen yet! Unusual directional choice, but so cool!
About 2/3 of the way through the movie, I realized the movie screen was not properly anchored, or something to that effect, and the speakers in the theater were simply vibrating the screen. And upon closer inspection, it turned out the waves emminated from the same location on the screen everytime. So, not an intentional choice from the director. Still, a once in a lifetime experience.
Please excuse my typos as my comments today come from my cell phone....
Yes, probably not intentional, because that didn't happen in my theater, but sometimes there's something to be said for unique theatergoing experiences!
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