Mad Max: Fury Road

[Nunyerbiz]

I thought this was a good action movie... Although I didn't quite get the massive fawning praise. The script was every bit as shallow as any of the other movies in the franchise... I guess Charlize provided some girl pwr boner juice... But Oscar buzz? what the fuck... it's a Mad Max movie... and not one that particularly separates itself on the script writing front. I mean really, cast that dude who plays the useless archer Avenger as the truck driver... and is this movie really any different?

[Variety of Cells]

Ooooooo. Official black and white cut in the new blu ray bundle.

http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/06/30/new-boxed-set-will-include-the-black-and-white-version-of-mad-max-fury-road

I do not have a blu Ray player, but I really want to see that.

[Cyrusso]

I can admire Fury Road on a technical level. I mean the stunts, the action, the spectacle(The guy playing the guitar that shoots fire), it's all pretty amazing. However, I never really felt much in the way of an emotional connection with Max, Furiosa or anybody else. Certainly I understand their plight, but it didn't quite make a connection with me.

[Nunyerbiz]

Yes, it was a great action movie... as the previous Mad Max movies were for their day... But none of them, including the latest, were terribly interesting character studies. But I guess because a female got to be a badass action person... it's somehow praise worthy and rises above mere simulated stuntman death. I found the buzz all rather condescending... as many of the same circles throwing the praise would likely be deriding or ignoring this as typical unnecessarily violent Hollywood bullshit without Charlize in the lead. (That is meant as no knock on Charlize... who I thought gave as great a performance as one could expect from the thin excuse to slam large trucks together.)

[Variety of Cells]

Yes, it was a great action movie... as the previous Mad Max movies were for their day... But none of them, including the latest, were terribly interesting character studies. But I guess because a female got to be a badass action person... it's somehow praise worthy and rises above mere simulated stuntman death. I found the buzz all rather condescending... as many of the same circles throwing the praise would likely be deriding or ignoring this as typical unnecessarily violent Hollywood bullshit without Charlize in the lead. (That is meant as no knock on Charlize... who I thought gave as great a performance as one could expect from the thin excuse to slam large trucks together.)

Did you want it to be a terribly interesting character study?

Yes, if the movie featured an all male cast it would have been criticized for being Hollywood bullshit, because a lot of people are tired of the genre being dominated by men.  But instead, it had a lot of strong female characters, and even some weak female characters, which is praiseworthy considering women supposedly don't sell tickets.  Not sure how that is a point against the film

It still would have been praised as technically brilliant even if it had an all male cast, because it is.  From the editing, to the stunts, to its ability to build a convincing world with only a few lines of dialog.  It's an incredibly well crafted film.  But when you mix in some relevant themes (the oppression of women; the brain washing of boys to be mad crazy weapons of destruction; and the greed of the upper class), and some interesting female characters, it attracts a wider audience, and elevates it above your average male-targeted action film.

[Nunyerbiz]

Yes, it was a great action movie... as the previous Mad Max movies were for their day... But none of them, including the latest, were terribly interesting character studies. But I guess because a female got to be a badass action person... it's somehow praise worthy and rises above mere simulated stuntman death. I found the buzz all rather condescending... as many of the same circles throwing the praise would likely be deriding or ignoring this as typical unnecessarily violent Hollywood bullshit without Charlize in the lead. (That is meant as no knock on Charlize... who I thought gave as great a performance as one could expect from the thin excuse to slam large trucks together.)

Did you want it to be a terribly interesting character study?

Yes, if the movie featured an all male cast it would have been criticized for being Hollywood bullshit, because a lot of people are tired of the genre being dominated by men.  But instead, it had a lot of strong female characters, and even some weak female characters, which is praiseworthy considering women supposedly don't sell tickets.  Not sure how that is a point against the film

It still would have been praised as technically brilliant even if it had an all male cast, because it is.  From the editing, to the stunts, to its ability to build a convincing world with only a few lines of dialog.  It's an incredibly well crafted film.  But when you mix in some relevant themes (the oppression of women; the brain washing of boys to be mad crazy weapons of destruction; and the greed of the upper class), and some interesting female characters, it attracts a wider audience, and elevates it above your average male-targeted action film.

Well I don't disagree with most of what you have said in regards to the technical / acting qualities, so not sure where I knocked it in the big picture? I was commenting on the reaction to it. Gratuitous violence is a nasty and inherently male attribute... and it attracts generally male audiences. But even so, for all the talk of "people are tired of this" and "people want to see more of that"... there have been plenty of action movies ... hell action franchises... over the last decade lead by females... Underworld, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil. The idea that Fury Road is remotely novel in this regard falls somewhere between laughable and willfully ignorant.

[Variety of Cells]

I can't comment on underworld, but I think there are a couple things that separate Fury Road from Tomb Raider and Resident evil. In those films the women, despite being strong, are still make sex fantasies. They are hyper sexualized and intended to draw more men into the theater. Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Now, Fury Road does have a bunch of sexualized women, but I give it a pass because they were women escaping a world where men forced them to be sex objects. That was literally their only purpose.

And secondly, Fury Road was a good movie, where the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil franchises are not. So that also sets it apart.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Did no one see The Long Kiss Goodnight?   I thought Geena Davis was a great bad ass in that.

If you haven't seen it check it out, it's a pretty good movie.

Hard to believe that was 1996, 20 years ago...

[Nunyerbiz]

I can't comment on underworld, but I think there are a couple things that separate Fury Road from Tomb Raider and Resident evil. In those films the women, despite being strong, are still make sex fantasies. They are hyper sexualized and intended to draw more men into the theater. Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Now, Fury Road does have a bunch of sexualized women, but I give it a pass because they were women escaping a world where men forced them to be sex objects. That was literally their only purpose.

And secondly, Fury Road was a good movie, where the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil franchises are not. So that also sets it apart.

EVERYTHING IS A SEX FANTASY

All the handwringing... fuck just give it up. It's fine... this is a stupid action movie.

[Variety of Cells]

I can't comment on underworld, but I think there are a couple things that separate Fury Road from Tomb Raider and Resident evil. In those films the women, despite being strong, are still make sex fantasies. They are hyper sexualized and intended to draw more men into the theater. Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Now, Fury Road does have a bunch of sexualized women, but I give it a pass because they were women escaping a world where men forced them to be sex objects. That was literally their only purpose.

And secondly, Fury Road was a good movie, where the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil franchises are not. So that also sets it apart.

EVERYTHING IS A SEX FANTASY

All the handwringing... fuck just give it up. It's fine... this is a stupid action movie.

Hmmm you lost me there. Not sure how to reply to that one.

Edit:  But I'd be happy to keep discussing the film if you want to present another argument. I'm obviously a fan, and enjoy talking about it.  No hard feelings I hope. Still can't really tell what you were going for with that last post. All I can really say is "Huh?" And 'No it isn't', but that doesn't make for interesting conversation.

[ScottotD]

I can't comment on underworld, but I think there are a couple things that separate Fury Road from Tomb Raider and Resident evil. In those films the women, despite being strong, are still make sex fantasies. They are hyper sexualized and intended to draw more men into the theater. Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Now, Fury Road does have a bunch of sexualized women, but I give it a pass because they were women escaping a world where men forced them to be sex objects. That was literally their only purpose.

And secondly, Fury Road was a good movie, where the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil franchises are not. So that also sets it apart.

EVERYTHING IS A SEX FANTASY

All the handwringing... fuck just give it up. It's fine... this is a stupid action movie.

No, it isn't.  It makes clear points about the treatment of women, your failure to see that doesn't make it less true.

[Edward J Grug III]

Furiosa, I would argue, is a strong female character that isn't prancing around in skin tight body suits. She's just a bad ass. So in that light, the film remains novel.

Did no one see The Long Kiss Goodnight?   I thought Geena Davis was a great bad ass in that.

If you haven't seen it check it out, it's a pretty good movie.

Hard to believe that was 1996, 20 years ago...

One example from 20 years ago doesnt make this one less novel.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 Laments are not the same as disagreements.   Geena Davis never seems to get mentioned when roles like that are listed.