I wanna see this for three reasons: one, I loved the Mad Max movies, two sounds like it's badass, and three to piss off the inbred MR As calling for it's boycott.
This movie deserves all the praise it is getting.
It is basically one giant car chase, only punctuated by short moments of calm. I'm amazed at how George Miller was able to do that and able to keep up the momentum for the entire film, never letting up, even with some of the crazier elements (the ROCKRIDER oh god).
Plus: a shit ton of interesting female characters.
Honestly I feel like the best way I can describe it is as the Anti-Nolan movie. This movie had large scale action setpieces and let a lot of the natural dialogue explain character motivations without relying on a lot of exposition.
One thing that stuck out to me was just how brilliant Nux's Heel–Face Turn is when you think about it. Living in a crapsack world, Capable was the first person to ever show him any form of affection. Considering how much the warboys were just as much victims as the wives were, it was just a really nice little arc there.
I watched this two days ago and liked it a lot. Funny, I had planned to watch the first three movies before going to see this one, but I'd only come as far as watching the first before my friends dragged me to the cinema... watching this directly after the first movie is such a stark contrast that I got whiplash. The original film looks positively calm and slow-paced by comparison.
Honestly, I don't think the first movie has aged all that well, but I still look forward to eventually watching the sequel.
The first movie is generally more nasty and downbeat feeling as well. Max's revenge at the end is entertaining to watch but ultimately feels hollow. And I think if you asked Max about it in the final moments of the movie, he'd probably say the same thing.
I guess that's why I like the first movie so much. The sequels, while still excellent (well, Thunderdome is just alright in my book), are more typical action flicks.
edited 17th May '15 6:12:22 AM by Kentok
You can get what you want and still not be very happy.In any case, all y'alls who've seen it: how accurate would you say those promo articles and reviews I posted way back when
were when they gushed about how feminist and subversive this movie is?
edited 17th May '15 6:38:10 PM by ElkhornTheDowntrodden
I don't think it's subversive. It's feminist in that it includes multiple female characters, all of whom are proactive and are equal to the male characters in terms of how the movie treats them (rather than being merely eye candy, love interests, or things to be rescued). The women are neither victims nor paragons, just people.
That's not a high bar, but it's one that the large majority of action movies fail to meet.
edited 17th May '15 6:39:54 PM by Galadriel
So, interesting fact about this movie; Not only is Lenny Kravitz's daughter one of the wives, but so is Elvis Presley's grand-daughter (she's the red head that makes friends with Nux).
Go figure.
You there! Check out my Youtube Channel! The power of Ponies compel you!![]()
![]()
The film has a surprisingly large female cast of varying ages and, to a lesser degree, ethnic backgrounds. All prove competent, all prove useful, and in the end, the group that takes out Joe is largely female, though Max and Nuck, both male, still play key roles.
In short, there's very little to complain about. There's no misogyny, there's no misandry. Both genders get solid representation. Both are vital to the storyline. And both are instrumental in ending Joe's reign.
Just saw this movie and I really liked it. To start off, can I just take a moment so say how freakin' AWESOME that flamethrower-guitar dude was?
The movie has surprisingly good pacing for such a non-stop action flick. The minimalistic approach to world-building and character development was great as well. The movie didn't assume audiences were idiots that needed plots spelled out. The details of character's back stories and motivations naturally flowed out of their conversations.
Also, I like that it becomes clear early in the movie that Furiousa, Charlize Theron's character, is the actual protagonist of the story.
Loved it, loved it, fucking loved it. Every bloody minute of it. It's pretty much The Road Warrior on the most brutal of drugs they could get their hands on.
As for the old films, it's rather hard to put them against each other. The original Mad Max is, in many regards, A Clockwork Orange with cars and a rather caustic sense of humour (the scene with the hot rod driver limping off into the bushes with his pants down and his anus leaking blood is still pretty nasty).
Fear the cinnamon sugar swirl. By the Gods, fear it, Laurence.I think some folks would prefer if the film was misogynistic and full of the same shit most other sci-fi and fantasy films are full of, but that's neither here nor there. Such voices are drowned by the sheer volume of that mad fucker in the red leather with the flamethrower axe and the fifteen foot high stack of speakers and amplifiers behind him, with a massive crowd of taiko drummers to the rear of that beating out cacophony.
I love this story from the Daily Mail, trying to whip up global outrage that the cast and crew of the film showed off what they could do in Sydney:
Unfortunately, as is usual for the Daily Heil, as I like to call them, they're so full of shit they squeak when they go round corners on the actual story, but I have to say the pics are nice.
Clearly, we have two very different definitions of misogyny. And I would bet money that yours includes men stretching their legs on public transportation if the seat opposite theirs is unoccupied.
![]()
![]()
I like this comment:
"For real though, the movie had a really interesting point to make about self-determination. It’s not just about the women, who were born and bred to give birth or give milk-although THAT particular theme was plainly obvious-the “war boys” were born to be slaves, too, destined to go to war and die to go to Valhalla. The movie’s central theme is that we are ALL masters of our destiny, men and women alike. WE ARE NOT THINGS!"
![]()
That sounds like a disincentive to see it. On the other hand, practical special effects are my Kryptonite.
edited 18th May '15 6:44:20 PM by ElkhornTheDowntrodden

Word of mouth from the reviews and audiences should give it strong legs, though it does have some competition due to how loaded the early summer is with Tomorrowland and San Andreas coming up.
edited 16th May '15 2:39:22 PM by KoBB