Mad Max: Fury Road Review

A film like Mad Max: Fury Road is a rarity nowadays in the year 2015. Unlike typical action films, this one employs very little CGI special effects and instead contains hyperrealistic practical effects to convey the violent and furious atmosphere of its world.

In terms of action, Fury Road succeeds marvelously, and in my opinion, cements itself as one of the best action films in the last decade.

Seasoned veterans of the Mad Max series will fondly remember Max being portrayed by a young, budding Mel Gibson. They will also fondly remember George Miller’s ambitious manifestation of a post-apocalyptic world where gas and water are sparse, and a medley of aesthetically creative vehicles driven by war hungry mad men rule the land.

Miller’s 1979, 1981, and 1985 Mad Max films presented a world that was indeed ambitious, but perhaps a little before their time. The world that Miller was trying to establish was missing 30 years of technological innovation.

Now, instead of Mad Max looking like this.

it can now look like this.

And even this…

Yes, technology has transformed Miller’s Mad Max world into one of both grit and beauty, and the visuals are only the beginning.

Replacing Gibson as the mysterious Max is Tom Hardy, who most will remember as Bane from The Dark Knight Rises. His performance is suitable for the role, as the character of Max seldom talks, and is a man of mystery. Besides an opening monologue, Max doesn’t have much to say. However when he does speak, Hardy’s lines exude sarcasm and humility. Despite Max’s delusions throughout the film brought on by the insanity of his world, his moments of dialogue are the voice of reason. When Max does seldom speak, he portrays the level-headed voice of reason that connects their world to ours.

From old film to new, Max knows he is a badass. The opening of the film nicely captures his renegade character. At the same time, Max’s character lacks the pretentious attitude sometimes possessed by male action heroes (ex: Tony Stark). The foil to Hardy’s character is Nick Holt’s character, who unlike Max, spends the majority of the movie attempting to prove his worth. Holt’s performance conveys this brilliantly, and due to the animated nature of his character versus Max’s, he ends up outshining the film’s protagonist.

While the trailer may paint this film out to be a barrage of manly horse-powered testosterone, the female characters stand out, and like Holt, ultimately have a more lasting impact than Max himself, especially Charlize Theron. Her character, for me, absolutely stole the show. She provided sleek confidence in a dreadfully filthy world. Each female role was well done, as Miller quietly relays a feminist message in the midst of numerous explosions.

Ah yes, let’s talk about explosions.

The explosions in Fury Road, minus one or two, are all practically realized. Aka, no CGI. In 2015 where filmmakers rely often too heavily on CGI to create visually stunning action sequences, knowing that those are real cars being blown to bits by real explosions is quite refreshing. There are plenty of them, too.

Aside from explosions, the tone of Fury Road’s post-apocalyptic wasteland is perfectly conveyed through the look of not only the characters, but the vehicles they drive, which come equipped with a gritty, rusted, and appropriately reckless look and feel to them. The characters’ outfits and faces perfectly capture the bleak and desperate tone of the world they attempt to live in.

The word “reckless” is the perfect descriptor for this movie, as the exhilarating action and constant speed at which the movie operates emits recklessness.

I mean, just look at this maniac wielding a flame-spewing guitar.

Mad Max: Fury Road is everything a moviegoer could ever want from an action movie; beautiful explosions, awesome characters, and ridiculous action sequences. It is one hell of a way to kick off what will hopefully be a great summer for movies, and sets the bar at a high-octane level. It is an exhilarating joyride from start to finish.

5/5 Explosively juicy apple

Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

Back in 2012 when the first Avengers movie made its long awaited appearance on theater screens across the world, the film was hailed for its stellar accomplishment; bringing a comic book nerd’s dreams to life by featuring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and The Hulk together in the same movie.

Four years later, the magic of seeing my favorite heroes together on screen was just as thrilling with Age of Ultron as it was back in 2012; even with a couple of newcomers added to the mix.

Director Joss Whedon is able to recapture the witty and entertaining dialogue between the heroes, and shows again why he’s the master of banter. One scene involving Thor’s hammer is was one of the more enjoyable dialogue-driven scenes in the movie.

Each actor perfectly portrays his or her hero. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark once again steals the show with Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth flexing their muscles as Captain America and Thor.

The biggest surprise for me was Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. In the first original, Renner’s Hawkeye got the short end of the stick since he was Locki’s personal puppet for half the movie. This time around, the character is fleshed out and has more to work with.

Age of Ultron is able to take full advantage of not having to waste time with a back-story, as the first 10 minutes of the movie get right to the action, which is top notch and continues the fun tradition Marvel has established. There are plenty of “jaw-dropping” and applause-worthy moments, along with a lot of teaming-up between Captain America’s Shield and Thor’s hammer.

The highlight of the action for me was the big battle between Tony Stark’s “Hulkbuster” suit and The Hulk. That scene alone is worth the price of admission, and is cluttered with incredible action sequences.

The newest additions to the team include Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver. While they are vastly overshadowed by the star-power of the other heroes, they are still enjoyable additions, even if I preferred Quicksilver’s portrayal in Days of Futures Past. My favorite new inductee was The Vision played by Paul Bettany. Vision instills a sleek confidence which was missing from the gritty group of heroes, and his introduction opens the door for future events in the Marvel universe.

The introduction of new heroes, however, adds to an already clustered ensemble. While Whedon does the best he can and is mostly successful, the crowded-ness does take away from other parts of the movie.

For example, James Spader’s Ultron is not given an rigorous back story, as his origin feels rushed. With a stronger back story, Ultron could have been a much more compelling villain. However, once Ultron establishes himself as the “bad guy,” Spader excels at conveying Ultron’s intentions and detest towards mankind’s current state.

Hulk, smash?

My biggest gripe with the movie was the random romance between Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner. The reason’s for their interest in each other makes sense, but the relationship is totally out of left field and feels unnecessary, especially for a film that is tasked with balancing so many story-lines at once.

Also, some scenes involving Scarlet Witch and members of the Avengers seemed a bit out of place, and detracted from momentum in certain junctures of the movie.

Overall, Age of Ultron is as much fun as its predecessor. Whedon succeeds yet again at meshing these larger than life personalities, while giving each the appropriate amount of screen time. The action is breathtaking and rekindles the magic of the first one. Not once did I think, “oh, I’ve seen this before. Despite a rushed origin story for Ultron, and a shoe-horned romance between Johansson and Ruffalo, I never felt bored while watching this movie.

5/5 Just-as-ripe-as-the-last apples