Early impressions of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga seemed to be that it would be a studio-slop cash-in on the "original" 2015 Mad Max: Fury Road -- itself a soft reboot of the Mad Max franchise. And although the later trailers and the eventual reviews set our minds straight, God knows how we could have doubted George Miller.
Miller, as many will note, is a singularly varied director. Mad Max: Fury Road is nothing like the Happy Feet movies -- which you may find aren't much like Lorenzo's Oil. His new entry in the Max Max "saga", a prequel about Imperator Furiosa (played now by Anya Taylor-Joy, who has never been as "ethereal yet majestic" as she is here), also represents the sincere silliness we've been missing in the movies in recent years but is making a comeback.
It is an ingeniously insane roller-coaster of high-octane chases, impossible vehicles getting tossed around, seminal practical effects, pretty good digital ones, wondrously bonkers setpieces, and Chris Hemsworth going freak mode on us in the best performance we've seen from him. Just like last time, the craziness is nonetheless artfully presented, with some of the most precise framing and expressive images of the year.
Admittedly, I was a bit distracted during the film's opening. Sometimes it was too obvious where the VFX began and the real stuff ended (the movie noticeably uses far more digital effects than the prior one), and the costuming and hairstyling didn't give me the impression that this post-apocalyptic Australia (which, as many have already joked, isn't too different from regular Australia) was properly lived-in. Also, as with the previous film in the series, there were some jarringly obvious ADR bits.
Some might take issue with the "unrealistic" audio of certain other moments but this is a feature and not a bug. Miller has gone to the Sergio Leone school of "what isn't on the screen, doesn't exist in the film's universe": There are numerous shots of characters running into the vast desert, only for a pursuing vehicle to jump into frame without having made a sound before we, the audience, saw it. Not very believable, right? That's the movies for ya.
Sadly, it seems the big talking point lately is the film's disappointing opening weekend, which sparked discussions about the current state of movie theaters. It seemed baffling that such a well-reviewed film did not make more money than this -- even with the theater-going prices and COVID in mind (the latter having changed people's consuming habits on one hand, and significantly worsened the etiquette of those who do still go to the cinema on the other). Twitter user @stunninggun added that the reporting itself may be flawed and that "we are missing an entire piece of the puzzle: box office pundits are used to Marvel-era openings and we don't live in that world anymore".
There's another thing to consider: streaming. Many filmgoers have lost faith in it, but even now, many would also rather wait until a certain film is available on a streaming website -- however long it's on there for before it gets deleted with no physical option in sight -- than take the time to drive to a movie theater. (Nowadays, the wait isn't even too long.) We've had some phenomena that prove the power of the theater-going experience (especially when it involves artistry instead of studio sludge), but those of us who quipped "We are so back" may have spoken too soon.
On that note, one of my big annoyances re: this film is its name, which was clearly picked not because it rolls off the tongue, but because of Search Engine Optimization -- making sure it appears in the search results when people try to find Mad Max on Prime or whatever (it's why we have titles like A Star Wars Story, From the Book of Saw, and, best and catchiest of all, The Origin of Batman's Butler). I think this title, for a lot of people, was probably the biggest clue that we were getting sauceless cash-grab slop.
Instead, Miller is cooking with as much fire and gas(oline) as ever. I have faith that this movie, in due time, will be as beloved as Fury Road eventually became. But do yourself a favor -- do movie theaters a favor -- and go see this post-apocalyptic powerhouse in an auditorium.
I agree that streaming is convenient and we can sometimes find great art there, but theaters are the place where cinema truly gets to awe and move us. No matter what Ted Sarandos and his "watched Lawrence of Arabia on his iPhone and liked it fine" son would have you think.
Miller, as many will note, is a singularly varied director. Mad Max: Fury Road is nothing like the Happy Feet movies -- which you may find aren't much like Lorenzo's Oil. His new entry in the Max Max "saga", a prequel about Imperator Furiosa (played now by Anya Taylor-Joy, who has never been as "ethereal yet majestic" as she is here), also represents the sincere silliness we've been missing in the movies in recent years but is making a comeback.
It is an ingeniously insane roller-coaster of high-octane chases, impossible vehicles getting tossed around, seminal practical effects, pretty good digital ones, wondrously bonkers setpieces, and Chris Hemsworth going freak mode on us in the best performance we've seen from him. Just like last time, the craziness is nonetheless artfully presented, with some of the most precise framing and expressive images of the year.
Admittedly, I was a bit distracted during the film's opening. Sometimes it was too obvious where the VFX began and the real stuff ended (the movie noticeably uses far more digital effects than the prior one), and the costuming and hairstyling didn't give me the impression that this post-apocalyptic Australia (which, as many have already joked, isn't too different from regular Australia) was properly lived-in. Also, as with the previous film in the series, there were some jarringly obvious ADR bits.
Some might take issue with the "unrealistic" audio of certain other moments but this is a feature and not a bug. Miller has gone to the Sergio Leone school of "what isn't on the screen, doesn't exist in the film's universe": There are numerous shots of characters running into the vast desert, only for a pursuing vehicle to jump into frame without having made a sound before we, the audience, saw it. Not very believable, right? That's the movies for ya.
Sadly, it seems the big talking point lately is the film's disappointing opening weekend, which sparked discussions about the current state of movie theaters. It seemed baffling that such a well-reviewed film did not make more money than this -- even with the theater-going prices and COVID in mind (the latter having changed people's consuming habits on one hand, and significantly worsened the etiquette of those who do still go to the cinema on the other). Twitter user @stunninggun added that the reporting itself may be flawed and that "we are missing an entire piece of the puzzle: box office pundits are used to Marvel-era openings and we don't live in that world anymore".
There's another thing to consider: streaming. Many filmgoers have lost faith in it, but even now, many would also rather wait until a certain film is available on a streaming website -- however long it's on there for before it gets deleted with no physical option in sight -- than take the time to drive to a movie theater. (Nowadays, the wait isn't even too long.) We've had some phenomena that prove the power of the theater-going experience (especially when it involves artistry instead of studio sludge), but those of us who quipped "We are so back" may have spoken too soon.
On that note, one of my big annoyances re: this film is its name, which was clearly picked not because it rolls off the tongue, but because of Search Engine Optimization -- making sure it appears in the search results when people try to find Mad Max on Prime or whatever (it's why we have titles like A Star Wars Story, From the Book of Saw, and, best and catchiest of all, The Origin of Batman's Butler). I think this title, for a lot of people, was probably the biggest clue that we were getting sauceless cash-grab slop.
Instead, Miller is cooking with as much fire and gas(oline) as ever. I have faith that this movie, in due time, will be as beloved as Fury Road eventually became. But do yourself a favor -- do movie theaters a favor -- and go see this post-apocalyptic powerhouse in an auditorium.
I agree that streaming is convenient and we can sometimes find great art there, but theaters are the place where cinema truly gets to awe and move us. No matter what Ted Sarandos and his "watched Lawrence of Arabia on his iPhone and liked it fine" son would have you think.
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