Mad Max: Fury Road

Released:  May 15, 2015

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Warner Bros.

Starring:  Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton

Directed by:  George Miller

Written by:  George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris

Personal Bias Alert:  didn’t like the original Mad Max, wasn’t excited for another entry in the franchise 

8.2 of 10

            No one knew what to expect from Mad Max:  Fury Road as its production and release was the definition of mixed signals.  As the fourth entry in the Mad Max franchise, it comes a full thirty years after the last entry, with about fifteen of those spent in development hell due to war, financial troubles, prior commitments, and torrential rain (the pre-production of this film would make one hell of a documentary, am I right?).  But on the other hand, it has two accomplished leads in Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron and was screened out-of-competition at the prestigious (and snobby) Cannes Film Festival.  This is a post-apocalyptic action franchise with weird costumes and characters named Toecutter and Fifi, none of which screams Cannes.  But there it was, and now the confusion has come to a theater near you.  I’m here to clear the air and tell you, along with pretty much every other movie critic, that you should definitely go see this film.

            Now despite all the vocal adoration, understand that this is a Mad Max film, so it’s all about the action.  There’s very little meaning to this piece and that’s okay, because its goal of big, continuous action is delivered in spades.  Writer/director George Miller believes in the power of live stunts, but more importantly he has a unique vision on what stunts can be.  In the same way that Guillermo del Toro brings a uniquely inventive eye to his visuals, Miller brings the same level of artistry to the construction of his action sequences in Fury Road.  Too often the action in films feels repetitive, with the same gunfights, punches, and building smashing simply transposed onto new set pieces (I’m looking at you MCU).  Here, Miller delivers a two hour chase film that’s almost entirely action, and none of it feels like it’s copying itself.  His insane world of tricked out cars gives the characters plenty of toys to play with, and everything (including a flame-throwing guitar) gets used as a weapon.  This variety sustains the film’s long runtime, which you never come anywhere to close to noticing.

            The main beneficiary of the live stunts is actually the cinematography, as it allows for massive wide shots and dynamic camerawork that CGI-laden action can’t deliver.  Cinematographer John Seale, whose work is littered with beautiful films like The English Patient, Children of a Lesser God, and Cold Mountain, frames the car chases with panoramas of the desert wasteland that the world’s become, free to use every angle and camera move at his seasoned disposal.  This, along with an equally diverse and spot-on score, gives Fury Road it’s breathlessly operatic tone.  There’s moments you wish the film would stop so you could take it all in, but everything zips by so fast that you’re left with a feeling of unending splendor.

            The story is much more modest than the action, with Max (Hardy) joining up with a warrior named Imperator Furiosa (Theron) to smuggle a group of women being kept as breeders away from clan leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, the same actor who played the villain leader in the original Mad Max).  Furiosa, who’s just as capable on the road as Max, has stolen a War Rig to transport the women, and the action centers around their protection of the women and the rig.  The story is basically that of a hero, a heroine, and an ark, but instead of enduring floods the parental duo must protect their cargo from marauding psychos.  The mutual respect that forms between Furiosa and Max makes for a surprisingly strong bond that’s conveyed seamlessly by Hardy and Theron.  There’s minimal dialogue in the film, which is why their ability to do a lot with very small moments is crucial.  Lesser actors in these two roles would certainly make the audience care less.  With them, the film’s a bombastic but grounded piece.

            There’s some moments that drag in the latter half and a bit too much craziness for craziness’s sake, but there’s always Seale’s elegant cinematography and Hardy and Theron’s performances to see it through.  Mad Max:  Road Fury may be just an action film, but it’s one that takes its audience seriously.  It doles out breathless action that has serious consequences, a surprisingly rare treat in modern, big-budget cinema.

Other Notes:

Ø  Props must also go out to everyone who worked on the design of this film.  Miller wanted to avoid the grey-and-black desaturated look that’s present in every post-apocalypse nowadays, and this contributed greatly to the glorious visuals.

Ø  Keep in mind, I’m not a big action fan.  This is about as good a reaction that an action film can get from me.

Ø  Lots of people are discussing the gender politics of this film.  It’s sad that featuring females that are equal to their male counterparts is considered political.

Insurgent

Released:  March 20^th, 2015

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Lionsgate

Starring:  Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet

Directed by:  Robert Schwentke

Written by:  Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman, Mark Bomback

Personal Bias Alert:  liked its predecessor, read the book

5.3 of 10

            In defense of this film, I would like to point out that its source material isn’t that great.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Divergent, even if it was a familiar and ham-fisted plot.  That’s why reading Insurgent was such a letdown, as the few interesting ideas that were present in the previous installment were dropped and the book became a chore to read.  The simple fact is that its author, Veronica Roth, struggles with plotting, character, and emotional description, leaving you with some thoroughly pedestrian writing.  That this series came after the popular and very well-written Hunger Games only accentuates its downfalls, so it comes as no surprise to me that the movie series takes a similar step back in its second outing.

            Insurgent picks up mere days after the events of Divergent, with heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley), boyfriend Four (Theo James), Brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort), and fickle alliance member Peter (Miles Teller) hiding out from the Erudite-Dauntless members who are trying to overthrow their society.  Remember, their dystopian society is based on splitting everyone up into different factions based on personality, making divergents like Tris and Four, who exhibit traits from several factions, extremely dangerous.  That last fact can mostly be forgotten, though, as Insurgent focuses more on Tris and Four’s attempt to take down the mastermind of the Erudite-Dauntless alliance, Jeanine (Kate Winslet), than any major attempts to root out divergents.

            One of the major downfalls that the Insurgent film is forced to carry over from the book is the overwhelming amount of plot.  In fact, the second book ends where most series would end, cramming what should have been two books into one so it can go off to who knows where in its third outing (which I haven’t read).  Pretty much everything else is sacrificed, most notably any hint of world building even as it introduces the audience to new factions within this society.  Without any examination, each new place feels so cookie-cutter thin that the system makes even less sense here than in the first film, and too often explosion-heavy dialogue is leaned on so it all makes sense.

            This was adapted by a trio of writers (which is rarely a good sign), none of whom have stellar track records (an even worse sign).  As I’ve said, they were given rough source material to work with, and even if they failed in certain areas, they did reconfigure the plot into a streamlined, quick-paced action story.  This, along with the brisk score, is the saving grace of the film, as any faults are quickly forgotten as you try to keep up with all the new developments.  Revelations and twists are being thrown at you constantly, and even though it’s frustrating that they aren’t being explored, Insurgent is a thoroughly entertaining ride while you’re on it.

            The Divergent series is rightly accused of being derivative of other YA series, but the film series does face one unique challenge:  almost every actor has a robust career outside the series.  Winslet, Naomi Watts, and Octavia Spencer have all been part of many financially and critically successful films over the past decade, and much of the younger cast have found similar balance in their careers since Divergent’s release.  Winslet, Teller, and Jai Courtney were so busy they were actually filming other movies at the same time as Insurgent, and perhaps it’s the combination of everyone’s busy schedules and the lackluster material that led to the uninspired performances that permeate this film.  Everyone seems only mildly focused, more spitting out the lines than imbuing them with any meaning.  The biggest letdown that stems from this is the complete disintegration of Tris and Four’s relationship, which Woodley and James pulled off quite nicely in the first film but feels entirely wooden here.

             There’s advantages and disadvantages to a dense plot, and most of them can be found in Insurgent.  While it barrels right along at a pleasing pace, it isn’t very engaging from an emotional standpoint, leaving the film entertainingly shallow.  You likely won’t hate it while you’re watching it, but you’ll also probably forget it as soon as the lights come up.

Other Notes:

Ø  The action is a bit underwhelming, with lots of running and gun fighting that is off-puttingly shot, and there’s nothing anywhere near as visually interesting as the fear simulations from Divergent.

Ø  Random Janet McTeer!

Ø  This is the first film I saw in Carmike’s ‘Big D’ format, which features a larger screen, bigger sound, and nicer seats.  The seats were comfy, but the larger screen made shots seem vaguely blurry and the sound was far too loud.