Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Fact: Mad Max: Fury Road is the zenith of the modern day action film.
For a while the prospect of a Mad Max sequel - a whopping thirty years after 1985's Thunderdome - did not sit well with fans. The famous role was going to be recast, and writer/director, George Miller, really had not had a major success since the original Mad Max films (other than the Happy Feet movies... yes, he really did make those). All of these points lead to more than a little trepidation about rebooting the cult classic series.
How wrong we all were...
Unlike action of yesteryears, today's action is high-octane: filled with fast action and fast-cutting. While this style has often been criticized for it's lack of continuity, choreography and grace, when utilized well - as in the recent Mad Max - it becomes an exhilarating and unrelenting adrenaline rush. Secondly, Mad Max uses CGI in the best way possible, which is for enhancement. It is almost impossible to see the seams where the real world ends and where visual effects take over in Mad Max; here, they are mainly used to heighten the desolate environments of the film - expanding mountain ranges and dunes, colouring the landscapes and helping with some of the more extreme explosions and stunts. There are no wonky creatures here that look like they've been pasted in next to real actors. No, Mad Max's use of visual effects is seamless, in a way rarely seen in films (though, to be fair, the realism of CGI continues to improve day-by-day pushing the limits of 'seamlessness').
This time around, I had the pleasure of rewatching Mad Max on a big screen with true surround sound and, for those that have the opportunity, I implore you to watch it in a similar way. The soundscape of the film pulses through you as if you were standing first row at a metal concert - it is a visceral experience hearing the engines rev and roar through your chest while simultaneously watching cars fly up and be torn apart by electrified sandstorms. In every way, it was a wholly immersive experience - the kind that this type of action movie demands for.
It's a testament to the filmmakers that this hard-to-believe action film often ranks among the very best films of this past decade. What Miller and his crew, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, and all the rest have achieved is kind of cinematic success that will become a legacy. Mad Max: Fury Road is undeniably a must-see film for action lovers especially, but for film enthusiasts too. It's a hell of a ride that we all must strap in for.
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