Mad Max: Fury Road

[Tvtyrant]

I saw it last night! The movie is awesome. Lots of action, likeable leads, gives just enough explanations for things that you get how the world works. So the overall plot is pretty good. We have an excuse for the established sedentary society to throw itsepf at the heroes, all of the main characters are cool and make sense. The whole citadel setup is great, with a fairly good reason shown for this to be the strongest civilization left. They have oil fields, an ammo factory, and water. They have built a societybwhich is horrifying but actually functions, and sets us up for a massive army to run from.

[Darth Credence]

I have my tickets for tomorrow morning in 3D D-Box. (D-Box are motion chairs - they are programmed to move in conjunction with the movie.) The reviews have been incredible, and I am so looking forward to the ride. Glad you liked it!

[comicshorse]

Saw it this afternoon. It looked fantastic and strangely enough, for me, I wasn't bored in a film that is almost pure action. Certainly the feel of the whole insane world Max lives in comes across well, whether it would bear repeat viewing I don't know but I definitely enjoyed the ride the first time around


(D-Box are motion chairs - they are programmed to move in conjunction with the movie.)

That sounds interesting, particularly for this movie, I'd be interested to see how you feel they affected the film

[D20ragon]

The movie was one of the most insane action displays I've seen in recent years. I was legitimately wondering who would survive at points, and the action felt varied enough that I didn't get bored, and looked forward to each new chase scene.

[Killer Angel]

These are good news. I liked Mad Max and it's good to hear this new one is worthy.

[Blackhawk748]

*looks at shining review* *squeals like a 4 year old girl*

I am so happy to hear that this was good as i love the Mad Max series, also Yay action movies are back!! I missed them.

[Mono Vertigo]

It's really a whole lot of fun in a fantastic aesthetic package, and most amazingly, the plot isn't solely an excuse for explosions and pretty much all the characters who get lines feel like they're actually people with their own personality (albeit broken ones) and motivations, so that's a great, unexpected bonus. (I know, it's an action movie, but flat characters and stupid/transparent plots regularly ruin some of the fun for me, besides, a good story has never ruined explosions and crashes.)
And now I should watch the original movies.

[zorenathres]

Its safe to say I am a Mad Max fan since I was a kid, saw it on the premier thursday night, in 2D (saw a George Miller Interview somewhere where he stated the movie was intended for 2D, mainly because something like 80% of the movies effects are stunts/ composite shots & only 20% CGI, if you watch it in 3D it will be 3D CGI effects, taking away from the real-gritty look he intended for 2D), & it was fantastic! blew me right outta my seat...

Just got back after seeing it a second time, which I have not done in ages, let alone go to the theater. And it was great being able to go over the details i missed on the first viewing, being stuck to the edge of my seat.

Very good world-building by George Miller, some of which I might add to my hodge-podge post-apoc D20 setting, old school i guess but hey...

[Yanagi]

While there's lots of action movies I've enjoyed, it's been a long time since one had me on the edge of my seat because of the sustained tension. Saw it twice, and had a great time.

I really hope we get more Tom Hardy as Max films.

[Talakeal]

I have a problem.

I haven't seen any of the Mad Max films before and I am the type of person who can't see a sequel unless I have seen the previous films first.

I am trying to watch the whole series, but I just can't get beyond Thunderdome.

[LaZodiac]

While there's lots of action movies I've enjoyed, it's been a long time since one had me on the edge of my seat because of the sustained tension. Saw it twice, and had a great time.

I really hope we get more Tom Hardy as Max films.

He has signed on for at least three more, if I read IMDB right.

So yeah, I saw this movie and...it was exactly as amazing as I thought, at it's WORST points. At it's best it was basically just phenominal.


I have a problem.

I haven't seen any of the Mad Max films before and I am the type of person who can't see a sequel unless I have seen the previous films first.

I am trying to watch the whole series, but I just can't get beyond Thunderdome.

Badum-tish.

Assuming you're serious, you only "need" to watch the first one for backstory purposes, and even then Fury Road basically, in the first like minute, gives you everything you need to know about the world and Max.

[Blackhawk748]

It. Was. GLORIOUS!!! I was so happy with that movie when i saw it, i am totally buying it when it come out

[BannedInSchool]

Huh, I'm amazed then. From the ads I figured it was just Road Warrior redone again with a bigger budget, which isn't enough of a reason to spend money on it for me.

[GolemsVoice]

I just came back from seeing it, and every second is awesome in on way or another, especially the characters, environment and story. There are many elements that take this movie beyond an already very good action film. Also, there is a car that has a dude with a flaming guitar and a set of drums, and then somebody is killed with a flaming guitar.

Also, the people on stilts in the bog. That was the moment I realized just how cool the movie is.

[Logic]

There was never a moment I disliked in this movie. It is the Die Hard of our generation.

[meltodowno]

I'll be honest, I went to the cinema expecting it to be average and was pleasantly surprised.

I was double please as I recognised the two cameos from returning actors. :smallsmile:

[Sith_Happens]

After eight years, the promised day has finally come. The first TRUE action movie now exists.

http://i57.tinypic.com/vhq3og.png (https://xkcd.com/311/)

Image edited by yours truly.
In before someone knows of another movie with remotely as high of an action runtime to total runtime ratio.

[Darth Credence]

That was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The cinematography, the action, the stunt work, the acting, the directing, everything about that movie was outstanding.

Saw it in 3D DBox. The 3D did not impact much - there were no major in your face moments. It was much more a depth of field from the 3D than a springing off the screen. The DBox, however, was outstanding. It really meshed well with the movie. When the chase is on, it did a good job of making you feel the movement of the cars. The things that most stood out to me were the people on the high poles and the quagmire. When they got to the quagmire, I almost fell forward out of my seat. Great effect. The people on the poles swinging in then back up was mimicked by the chairs, and it was great. I felt like I almost reached something, then popped back. It was just so much fun.

If you haven't seen it yet, go watch the movie. It is a ton of fun. And if you have motion chairs near you, this is the movie to experience them.

[Bulldog Psion]

You guys are torturing me. It's running in the local theater and I don't have time to go see it. :smallfrown:

[BannedInSchool]

That was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The cinematography, the action, the stunt work, the acting, the directing, everything about that movie was outstanding.
That this is being said about a Mad Max movie makes me want to check the color of the sky in this strange world I apparently find myself in. :smallsmile:

[comicshorse]

That this is being said about a Mad Max movie makes me want to check the color of the sky in this strange world I apparently find myself in. :smallsmile:

There's only one way for you to find out for yourself..............

[huttj509]

I think they had their budget, required half of it be spent on dirt, spikes, and fire, and the other half was to be spent in a metal salvage yard.

I've not seen any other mad max movies. I blame being a year from birth when Mad Max 2: Road Warrior came out (1981).

I now need to see other mad max movies.

[Zmeoaice]

That this is being said about a Mad Max movie makes me want to check the color of the sky in this strange world I apparently find myself in. :smallsmile:

Have you seen the Rotten Tomatoes scores for these films? They're all pretty good.

[BannedInSchool]

Have you seen the Rotten Tomatoes scores for these films? They're all pretty good.
Oh, I wouldn't say they're bad movies, and would recommend the first two without reservation, and the third as entertainingly cheesy, but it's just still seemingly miraculous that someone said, "Hey, let's make another Mad Max movie" and it reportedly turned out great. I guess I have really low expectations for remakes/revisitations these days. :smallsmile:

[Thanqol]

I loved everything about Fury Road. One of the many reasons:

An action movie with no Michael Bay shakeycam. It's got long, clean, smooth, perfectly composed camera angles that lets you see exactly what's happening and where. Also there's rarely if ever more than one thing happening in the same shot. You know exactly what you're meant to be looking at and why, and you get to see it all from start to finish.

[LaZodiac]

I loved everything about Fury Road. One of the many reasons:

An action movie with no Michael Bay shakeycam. It's got long, clean, smooth, perfectly composed camera angles that lets you see exactly what's happening and where. Also there's rarely if ever more than one thing happening in the same shot. You know exactly what you're meant to be looking at and why, and you get to see it all from start to finish.

Also, no purile childish humour.

[Thanqol]

Also, no purile childish humour.

Yeah. The depiction of Australian culture was respectful and nuanced, I thought.

[Sith_Happens]

Yeah. The depiction of Australian culture was respectful and nuanced, I thought.

I want to say this is a joke, but given what I do know about Australia I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't.:smalleek:

[BWR]

Just got back from watching it. I loved it to itty bitty gasoline-smelling twisted car bits.
It got everything right. It was simply beautiful in all its exaggerated post-apocalyptic glory. It had blown AoU out of the water with minimal effort by the time they hit the sandstorm and proceeded to get even better. Best damn action movie in years.

[Sholos]

All of the above and more. Such a wonderful movie. And Pitch Perfect 2 still somehow spanked it on opening weekend.

[oball]

...it's just still seemingly miraculous that someone said, "Hey, let's make another Mad Max movie" and it reportedly turned out great. I guess I have really low expectations for remakes/revisitations these days.

This wasn't a case of a studio going "we're all out of ideas, better remake one of our old movies", though - George Miller had been working on it and trying to get it made for over a decade. If they'd just tried to reboot the series with Michael Bay or Zach Snyder it probably would have been awful, but this was the original creative mind behind the first one making a movie he had been thinking about for years.

I saw this last night and loved it, and especially loved all the little uniquely Australian bits in it. FANG IT!

[The Glyphstone]

So in case this movie wasn't badass enough, apparently the old ladies on the motorcycles were doing their own stunts, including the 78-year old leader.

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/15/406731120/the-women-pull-no-punches-in-fiery-feminist-mad-max

[comicshorse]

Hold it ! We've reached the second page and everybody likes the film.
That's just................weird

[Thanqol]

I want to say this is a joke, but given what I do know about Australia I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't.:smalleek:

It's the little stuff. Things like Australians pronouncing 'Valhalla' as 'Walhalla', removing our steering wheels from our cars when we're not using them, and the traditional four drummers on the back of the boombox car instead of the ridiculous pop culture six or eight.

[Sith_Happens]

removing our steering wheels from our cars when we're not using them

That's actually a thing? Why?:smallconfused:

[Thanqol]

That's actually a thing? Why?:smallconfused:

It's what Australia's car manufacturers used instead of car keys back when we still manufactured cars. Nowadays most modern cars are imports and come with keys instead but anything made locally before 1990 probably has a removeable steering wheel.

EDIT: And a lot of people have their wheels modified to be removeable because that's what they're used to.

[Lethologica]

Just saw it. Great set pieces, great aesthetic. Doesn't mince words in its exposition or storytelling. Enough to analyze that I don't feel like the explosions were the point, per se. Nine out of ten.

[GolemsVoice]

Having four drummers and not six is an Australian thing?

[BWR]

Having four drummers and not six is an Australian thing?

That's the wrong question. The right question is "is it common for Aussies to have giant drums with drummers on the backs of big-ass modded trucks?"

[Sith_Happens]

That's the wrong question. The right question is "is it common for Aussies to have giant drums with drummers on the backs of big-ass modded trucks?"

I'm not an expert on Australia, but I imagine the answer depends largely on whether you're more or less likely to agitate the bulldog ants that way than if those same drums were on the ground.:smalltongue:

[YossarianLives]

I wonder why a culture where gasoline is an extremely rare and valuable commodity insists on having jets of fire on their cars and instruments.

[Excession]

I wonder why a culture where gasoline is an extremely rare and valuable commodity insists on having jets of fire on their cars and instruments.

Perhaps to demonstrate how rich and powerful they are.

[Yanagi]

I wonder why a culture where gasoline is an extremely rare and valuable commodity insists on having jets of fire on their cars and instruments.

1. Of the three antagonist gangs we've seen in the Mad Max films, Immortan Joe's is definitely the best situated for resources, and the best equipped. The Immortan's gang also seems to be doing much better set up than their local rivals--what with having a town that produces it (maybe that means a refinery? The distance shots sure suggested a refinery.) so they're in a position to use it more extravagantly. So it's a display of power and kind of conspicuous consumption.

2. Given the kind of car-to-car combat that's depicted. the burn weapons are a tactical choice. Vehicles are armored up in ways that stop bullets and make boarding attacks hard. The flaming gas jets...well, it's burning liquid, so it infiltrates any gap. But in addition to the obvious "it burns people" element, it also functions as a terror weapon, and the copious smoke/flame it produces obscures the vision of the driver of the car that, you know, just got set on fire.

3. Immortan Joe is operating a cult which incorporates a lot of car imagery. Engine blocks, steering wheels, and chrome are all present as iconography, which suggests that gasoline would also have significance to his War Boys. The morale and faith of the War Boys is a critical asset to controlling resources in the Wasteland, so rituals and spectacles can be viewed as tactical in the military sense.

Then again, sometimes a flamethrower guitar is just a flamethrower guitar.

[LaZodiac]

Something the director said that influence the design of the movie is the (quite accurate) belief that in a true apocolyptic scenario, people would try to make really neat, colorful things as a sort of reminder of the old days. Everything's drab because the world's been destroyed, so lets add a little color to this place. Thus we get vibrant flaming guitar man.

[GolemsVoice]

From the movie, I also got the feeling that they are not THAT tight on ressources, seeing how everybody has a whole fleet of endlessly driving vehicles. So it was all about showing off.

[Rodin]

Just got back from watching it. I loved it to itty bitty gasoline-smelling twisted car bits.
It got everything right. It was simply beautiful in all its exaggerated post-apocalyptic glory. It had blown AoU out of the water with minimal effort by the time they hit the sandstorm and proceeded to get even better. Best damn action movie in years.

I felt the same way, and it took me a little while to parse out why.

Avengers 2 just felt...formulaic. Insert evil AI here, add romantic sub-plot, have generic action scene against army of mooks, shake and serve.

Fury Road on the other hand just knew what it was going for. The design for it seems to have gone:

Car chases are awesome! But not awesome enough...ADD SPIKES! Still not awesome enough...add flamethrowers! Meh, still kinda mundane...add heavy metal flamethrower guitars!!!!

I didn't feel pandered to, in other words. They made an hour and a half long car chase and then filled in the plot around the edges. And it was awesome.

[Callos_DeTerran]

That's the wrong question. The right question is "is it common for Aussies to have giant drums with drummers on the backs of big-ass modded trucks?"


Then again, sometimes a flamethrower guitar is just a flamethrower guitar.


Thus we get vibrant flaming guitar man.

ALL HAIL THE DOOF WARRIOR!

http://i0.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-Coma-the-Doof-Warrior.jpg

More movies need eyeless freaks whose sole purpose in life if to play a flaming guitar as a source of morale for marauding mutant War Boys.

...I also really liked this movie. I also really liked upon further examination that aside from touching up some of the flame effects (to make them even more spectacular) all of the care chases were done entirely with practical effects...with cars made for this movie (some of which sadly did not survive the movie), and that many people chose to do their own stunts (like the group of badass grandmas and Charlize Theron).

Oh what a day! What a LOVELY day!

I enjoy CGI quite a bit...but practical effects and talented stunt doubles will always hold a special place in my heart.

...And again, all hail the Doof Warrior and his mighty Doof Wagon (yes, that's really the name of him and his vehicle)!

[Fawkes]

Huh, I'm amazed then. From the ads I figured it was just Road Warrior redone again with a bigger budget, which isn't enough of a reason to spend money on it for me.

It's similar structurally and thematically, but it tells a new story and has all-new characters (aside from Max, of course). It's close enough for familiarity, but different enough to be exciting.

[Yanagi]

It's similar structurally and thematically, but it tells a new story and has all-new characters (aside from Max, of course). It's close enough for familiarity, but different enough to be exciting.

I've been told that there's a George Miller interview where he says that "Max" isn't actually the same guy, he's an aggregate hero in the folklore of the Wasteland.

Which actually makes a bunch of sense, given how each movie past the first has included a coda in which a third party (Feral Kid, the Ewok Kids, the History Man) tells us about Max. So the pattern of the stories might be intentional.

It also fits with the film's larger approach to showing mythology and ritual in a post-catastrophe society. The villains are all consciously larger-than-life: their choices of costume, their language, the argot they share with their followers. Humongous, Auntie Entity*, and Joe are all actively cultivating awe and mystery as a path to power. Max, as we, the audience, see him, is the new culture hero archetype: a tyrant slayer; a man that chooses not to rule; a broken person who nonetheless does not view "survival" as a zero-sum competition.

* Beyond Thunderdome wasn't a good movie, but Bartertown with its ritualized rules and very distinct watchwords was an interesting concept. An arid Port Royal.

The Ewok kids were also kind of anthropologically interesting...kids with little to no direct knowledge of before, much more explicitly mythologizing the past, with lots of cargo-cult-type recreations of tech they have no direct experience of. Sadly, they were not interesting-interesting.

In a better world, you could make two good Mad Max movies out the concepts in Beyond Thunderdome.

[Blackhawk748]

So in case this movie wasn't badass enough, apparently the old ladies on the motorcycles were doing their own stunts, including the 78-year old leader.

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/15/406731120/the-women-pull-no-punches-in-fiery-feminist-mad-max

And this movie just went form a 10 to an 11.

Also, all hail the Doof Wagon!!!

[Muz]

Any Farscape fans notice Melissa Jaffer (Noranti) as the bad-ass woman with the bag of seeds?

So along with Virginia Hey (Zhaan), now that's two Farscape actresses in the Mad Max series. (Plus Bruce Spence had a single episode role...)

I saw this movie last night. Nearly complete action save for a few (well-done) quiet moments, but done in such a fantastic way that I didn't get action fatigue. Very, very pleasantly surprised. :smallsmile:

[Muz]

Most of all, this film was one of the best examples of show-don't-tell. Almost all of the world-building and character development came from visual cues rather than dialogue. In fact, you could almost cut out the dialogue entirely and not lose much of the total experience. I say that as a compliment. It's almost a silent movie.

I especially liked the scratching/filing at the mask. *nodnod* :)

By the way, this is an absolutely awesome review on SBNation (http://www.sbnation.com/2015/5/15/8611525/MAD-MAX-FURY-ROAD-REVIEW-CANT-STOP-SCREAMING-AHHHHHHH?_ga=1.58119725.623426553.1432322242)...

[Hazzardevil]

I was looking at it as the story being told primarily through action and not dialogue. The numerous scenes make relationships clear between the characters and you never need a scene that is just two characters talking, without something directly plot related happening.

[DigoDragon]

A friend linked me a Mario Kart parody (https://youtu.be/NAxFjVCkpRY) of the Fury Road trailer. It's pretty funny.


You guys are torturing me. It's running in the local theater and I don't have time to go see it. :smallfrown:

I don't have a sitter, so I'm outta luck for at least 3 weeks. The movie might not be around by then.



So in case this movie wasn't badass enough, apparently the old ladies on the motorcycles were doing their own stunts, including the 78-year old leader.

Wow, that really is badass. Awesome!



It's what Australia's car manufacturers used instead of car keys back when we still manufactured cars.
EDIT: And a lot of people have their wheels modified to be removeable because that's what they're used to.

Steering wheels don't really fit in your jean pocket though. :/
Do they hang them from a chain off their belt?



ALL HAIL THE DOOF WARRIOR!

"Doof" keeps making me think of the mad scientist (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Heinz_Doofenshmirtz.png) from Phineas & Ferb.

[Yanagi]

Any Farscape fans notice Melissa Jaffer (Noranti) as the bad-ass woman with the bag of seeds?

So along with Virginia Hey (Zhaan), now that's two Farscape actresses in the Mad Max series. (Plus Bruce Spence had a single episode role...)

I saw this movie last night. Nearly complete action save for a few (well-done) quiet moments, but done in such a fantastic way that I didn't get action fatigue. Very, very pleasantly surprised. :smallsmile:

Immortan Joe is the same guy that played Grunchlik, so that's another Farscape tie-in.

[Muz]

Immortan Joe is the same guy that played Grunchlik, so that's another Farscape tie-in.

Holy dren! He was tripping some sort of familiar switch in my mind, but it didn't even occur to me. Awesome! :smallbiggrin:

[Kalmageddon]

ALL HAIL THE DOOF WARRIOR!

http://i0.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/Mad-Max-Fury-Road-Coma-the-Doof-Warrior.jpg

More movies need eyeless freaks whose sole purpose in life if to play a flaming guitar as a source of morale for marauding mutant War Boys.

...I also really liked this movie. I also really liked upon further examination that aside from touching up some of the flame effects (to make them even more spectacular) all of the care chases were done entirely with practical effects...with cars made for this movie (some of which sadly did not survive the movie), and that many people chose to do their own stunts (like the group of badass grandmas and Charlize Theron).

Oh what a day! What a LOVELY day!

I enjoy CGI quite a bit...but practical effects and talented stunt doubles will always hold a special place in my heart.

...And again, all hail the Doof Warrior and his mighty Doof Wagon (yes, that's really the name of him and his vehicle)!

HAIL!
If I had any doubts that the movie was awesome, they were destroyed the instant the Doof Warrior appeared!:smallbiggrin:

[jere7my]

Holy dren! He was tripping some sort of familiar switch in my mind, but it didn't even occur to me. Awesome! :smallbiggrin:

He was also Toecutter from the original Mad Max.

[Blackhawk748]

He was also Toecutter from the original Mad Max.

Holy crap really?? I guess you never actually see his face, which is why i didnt recognize him. Also yay Farscape!

[Lvl45DM!]

I caught a glimpse of this movie while working at the cinemas. I saw the Doof Warrior playing his flaming guitar.
I immediately resolved to see this movie.

It. Was. Amazing.
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS AMAZING!
Feminist action movie in the original meaning of the word. Women are equal to men. Everyone treats them equally. Joe enslaves his men as warriors and his women as breeders but has physcially useless men and badass women doing jobs that suit them.
Perfect action. No shaky cam, no random explosions just long perfect shots and explosions that make sense. Insanity and badassery to spare while building a world you can infer rather than telling you.
And the effects! The crashes! The practical impracticality of the cars! I want to make a game system around it now its so goddamn great!


OTHER GOOD THINGS
seriously i cannot stress how much i love this movie!

[Thanqol]

And the effects! The crashes! The practical impracticality of the cars! I want to make a game system around it now its so goddamn great!

Way ahead of you. (http://apocalypse-world.com/) Apocalypse World is excellent and cheap, take a look at the Legal Trifolds to get an idea of how it works.


Movie was just as good the second time.

[brionl]

Well, what do ya' know. It passes the Bechdel test. Several times even.

Although once again it shows that the only thing more hazardous than being the leading lady in a Mad Max film is being a girlfriend to one of the Cartwrights.

[jere7my]

Well, what do ya' know. It passes the Bechdel test. Several times even.

Although once again it shows that the only thing more hazardous than being the leading lady in a Mad Max film is being a girlfriend to one of the Cartwrights.

More than that, it only barely passes the reverse Bechdel test ("Do two named male characters have a conversation about something other than a woman?"). I think the only dialogue between two named dudes that doesn't bring up the wives or Furiosa is the "Are you a black thumb?" exchange when the War Rig's engine dies. (But I've only seen it twice, and might have missed something.)

[MCerberus]

Theory: Mad Max doesn't have a continuity, he's the setting's Arthur/Zorro. Max was a person who in retelling becomes romanticized as "The Road Warrior" and ends up in legends and stories that he really wasn't involved with.

[Ranxerox]

More than that, it only barely passes the reverse Bechdel test ("Do two named male characters have a conversation about something other than a woman?"). I think the only dialogue between two named dudes that doesn't bring up the wives or Furiosa is the "Are you a black thumb?" exchange when the War Rig's engine dies. (But I've only seen it twice, and might have missed something.)

There is the fight over the steering wheel between the two warboys. I think they both address each other by name which would make them named characters. Also, Immorton Joe talks to his brothers, one of his sons (the big one), and his father.

[Sith_Happens]

The one thing I can't figure out is, what was up with the whole "blood bag" thing? Is it just for when a war boy gets shot up, or are all the war boys anemic somehow, or do they all blood dope, or what? And how do you test someone's blood type in a post-apocalyptic hellscape?:smallconfused:

[The Glyphstone]

Theory: Mad Max doesn't have a continuity, he's the setting's Arthur/Zorro. Max was a person who in retelling becomes romanticized as "The Road Warrior" and ends up in legends and stories that he really wasn't involved with.

I'm pretty sure there's an interview with the director somewhere that makes this semi-canon...not that he wasn't involved in the legends, but that there are multiple real people across the legends and across time who get amalgamated into one mythical hero called Max.

[jere7my]

There is the fight over the steering wheel between the two warboys. I think they both address each other by name which would make them named characters. Also, Immorton Joe talks to his brothers, one of his sons (the big one), and his father.

The fight over the steering wheel starts with "An Imperator's gone rogue! Furiosa!" or something very similar. And I think all of Immortan Joe's conversations mention Furiosa ("Put a bullet in her skull") or the wives ("Don't shoot them!") at some point, though there may be an exception or two.

[thorgrim29]

This is probably the case... I mean max does narrate the intro, but his narration makes absolutely no sense. He mentions being a cop but is clearly in his 30s in a world that's been post-apocalyptic at least 60 years, possible a generation or two more. And his PTSD hallucinations are not wearing post-apocalyptic clothing...

This film has a screwy timeline. But then again it is very very very cool so I'll forgive it. Starting from now a movie can be forgiven a timeline that makes no sense if it has a blind guy playing a flaming electric guitar to spur on of warband of cancerous diesel punk pseudo-vikings. I have spoken.

[comicshorse]

This film has a screwy timeline. But then again it is very very very cool so I'll forgive it. Starting from now a movie can be forgiven a timeline that makes no sense if it has a blind guy playing a flaming electric guitar to spur on of warband of cancerous diesel punk pseudo-vikings. I have spoken.

So say we all

[LaZodiac]

The one thing I can't figure out is, what was up with the whole "blood bag" thing? Is it just for when a war boy gets shot up, or are all the war boys anemic somehow, or do they all blood dope, or what? And how do you test someone's blood type in a post-apocalyptic hellscape?:smallconfused:

The Bloodbag thing was part medicine since the Half-lifers are all dying from radiation poisoning and thus blood transfusions from a clean source would help a little. It's also part psychosomatic, emphasis on the psycho part. They said that since Max is a wild thing, his blood will make Nux wild as well. It's a twisted example of "gaining power from your dead foe" style belief systems.

[Lvl45DM!]

So say we all

AS WE RIDE SHINY AND CHROME INTO VALHALLA!

But seriously it has a screwy timeline because the director is like "screw the timeline who cares? Hes Mad, He used to be a cop and he's in this world. ROCK!"

[YossarianLives]

I just realized that the Doof Warrior would likely be unable to hold his guitar as the metal would be extremely hot from all the fire.

Maybe I'm over thinking this movie, nevertheless I think it will probably be the best action movie of 2015.

[Fawkes]

I just realized that the Doof Warrior would likely be unable to hold his guitar as the metal would be extremely hot from all the fire.

I don't think that's a concern, considering they actually built the thing and the guy actually held it.

[huttj509]

The Bloodbag thing was part medicine since the Half-lifers are all dying from radiation poisoning and thus blood transfusions from a clean source would help a little. It's also part psychosomatic, emphasis on the psycho part. They said that since Max is a wild thing, his blood will make Nux wild as well. It's a twisted example of "gaining power from your dead foe" style belief systems.

There was also Immortan Joe's speech at the beginning something like

"argleblargle water argleblargle resist its call argleblargle become dependant on it argleblargle"

I assumed the war boys deliberately avoid drinking and the blood was to compensate when someone was about to pass out or something. No clue of the logistics of that, but the movie managed to hit my "ok, not all questions have answers, but not all questions NEED answers, I'm having too much fun" point.

[The Glyphstone]

And it actually shot fire, though according to the guy who played Doof, this came at the cost of making the actual guitar-part sound kind of awful.

[LaZodiac]

There was also Immortan Joe's speech at the beginning something like

"argleblargle water argleblargle resist its call argleblargle become dependant on it argleblargle"

I assumed the war boys deliberately avoid drinking and the blood was to compensate when someone was about to pass out or something. No clue of the logistics of that, but the movie managed to hit my "ok, not all questions have answers, but not all questions NEED answers, I'm having too much fun" point.

I don't know the exact quote, but basically what he said was that they should enjoy their water, but not let it's vice control them, for they shall go mad with it's being gone. So that might be why the Warboys are so messed up too. Like for why some of them, like Nux, have parched lips.

[Ranxerox]

And how do you test someone's blood type in a post-apocalyptic hellscape?:smallconfused:

Actually blood type testing can be done VERY low tech. All the equipment you need for it would be available in a bronze age setting. The transfusion is harder since you need both tubing, which will bread down over time and need to be replaced, and hollow needles. However since the culture is clearly has the ability to refine gasoline which is no easy matter, producing tubing and needles would probably also be in their capability.

Now, if you really have a beef against catgirls or merely like killing them for sport, it is worth knowing that there is no such thing as a universal blood donor for the sort of straight person to person transfusion we see in the film. "O Negative" is the universal donor in the hospital setting because all the donor plasma has been removed. Anybody can take "O Negative" red cells, but only another "O" can take "O" plasma. Since in the film the red cells weren't being separated off the from the plasma, a transfusion reaction would happen if the recipient wasn't type "O".

Of course that is totally meaningless in this sort of fantasy environment. I'm only explaining it here to do my part to promote scientific literacy.

[LaZodiac]

Of course that is totally meaningless in this sort of fantasy environment. I'm only explaining it here to do my part to promote scientific literacy.

It's also totally meaningless because the person getting the blood transfusion is a close to death radiate half-lifer Warboy who's bat**** insane. I don't think it really matters if the blood is or isn't really that good for him, so long as he gets it at all.

[Ranxerox]

It's also totally meaningless because the person getting the blood transfusion is a close to death radiate half-lifer Warboy who's bat**** insane. I don't think it really matters if the blood is or isn't really that good for him, so long as he gets it at all.

No, when I say transfusion reaction, I'm not talking about hives. I'm talking about internal blood clot followed rapidly by death.

[LaZodiac]

No, when I say transfusion reaction, I'm not talking about hives. I'm talking about internal blood clot followed rapidly by death.

Ah. Well I mean it wouldn't be IMPOSSIBLE to suggest that the mutated half-lifers might have some resistance to something like that, or might just have their blood so worthless that it can take even O Plasma?

Either way, I think in the grand scheme of things we can just assume that yes, Nux is just also O type.

[Eldan]

So. The film was, I guess, very good for what it tried to be. I wasn't as overwhelmed as everyone else seemed to be, but I expected it.

I should qualify those statements. If I ever made a list of things I don't like much in most movies, it would certainly contain car chases, very long action scenes and probably that sort of weird pseudo-punky aesthetic. Long action scenes, especially, tend to bore me quickly. I was offered a ticket to this movie by friends who had one left over after someone else dropped out at the last minute, or I wouldn't have seen it.

And yet, this film didn't bore me. I was quite excited at times, even. Plus the cinematography is beautiful at times (man, that sandstorm). And the worldbuilding is excellent. Done almost entirely through sets and characters and the plot itself rather than dialogue. Which I like a lot.

[The Glyphstone]

So. The film was, I guess, very good for what it tried to be. I wasn't as overwhelmed as everyone else seemed to be, but I expected it.

I should qualify those statements. If I ever made a list of things I don't like much in most movies, it would certainly contain car chases, very long action scenes and probably that sort of weird pseudo-punky aesthetic. Long action scenes, especially, tend to bore me quickly. I was offered a ticket to this movie by friends who had one left over after someone else dropped out at the last minute, or I wouldn't have seen it.

And yet, this film didn't bore me. I was quite excited at times, even. Plus the cinematography is beautiful at times (man, that sandstorm). And the worldbuilding is excellent. Done almost entirely through sets and characters and the plot itself rather than dialogue. Which I like a lot.

This actually sounds like a huge ringing endorsement to me, if you enjoyed it despite its core premise being basically a list of things you don't like in movies.

[Eldan]

Yeah, I know. The first few scenes actually were mostly what I expected. The weird flashbacks and the tunnel chase scene? Didn't like that at all. But as soon as they went fully big and bombastic, it was difficult not to like it.

[Mono Vertigo]

This is probably the case... I mean max does narrate the intro, but his narration makes absolutely no sense. He mentions being a cop but is clearly in his 30s in a world that's been post-apocalyptic at least 60 years, possible a generation or two more. And his PTSD hallucinations are not wearing post-apocalyptic clothing...


One theory running around: there are (well, were) small pockets of surviving communities of people still living in a mostly civilized way. Max used to be part of one of them and was (playing the role of) a cop. It predictably crumbled down when bad stuff happened (implied to be an assault from post-apocalyptic barbarians but you could add a whole load of additional reasons for the fall). Max is the only survivor, or close enough. The actual civilized world he appears to come from, the same as ours, was likely already dying before his birth.

That, or the theory he's an agglomerate of several figures and the story isn't meant to be taken 100% at face value. It also makes a lot of sense. (See also 300 that can perfectly well be interpreted as a story told by a patriotic soldier rather than the literal war waged by ridiculously outnumbered Spartan badasses.)

[LaZodiac]

One theory running around: there are (well, were) small pockets of surviving communities of people still living in a mostly civilized way. Max used to be part of one of them and was (playing the role of) a cop. It predictably crumbled down when bad stuff happened (implied to be an assault from post-apocalyptic barbarians but you could add a whole load of additional reasons for the fall). Max is the only survivor, or close enough. The actual civilized world he appears to come from, the same as ours, was likely already dying before his birth.

That, or the theory he's an agglomerate of several figures and the story isn't meant to be taken 100% at face value. It also makes a lot of sense. (See also 300 that can perfectly well be interpreted as a story told by a patriotic soldier rather than the literal war waged by ridiculously outnumbered Spartan badasses.)

Both of these things are basically true. The first thing you said...basically describes the first Mad Max movie entirely. The second thing you said is also an appropriate meta reasoning for the "lore" in these movies. It's just the ongoing adventures of Mad Max, the Road Warrior. Apocrephyl (sic) and legendary.

[Hazzardevil]

This film has a screwy timeline. But then again it is very very very cool so I'll forgive it. Starting from now a movie can be forgiven a timeline that makes no sense if it has a blind guy playing a flaming electric guitar to spur on of warband of cancerous diesel punk pseudo-vikings. I have spoken.
I've also heard that the first film is in a semi apocalyptic scenario, where society is collapsing and he was in an area where people were holding on, so he was in less of a police force and more a slightly more heroic gang than the other warbands.


Yeah, I know. The first few scenes actually were mostly what I expected. The weird flashbacks and the tunnel chase scene? Didn't like that at all. But as soon as they went fully big and bombastic, it was difficult not to like it.

The first few scenes, especially the whole making him into a blood bad and then the partially human powered nature of everything made me feel slightly sick and uncomfortable. I think me thinking about implications didn't help.

Actually, there's one thing I didn't get about the film. I didn't understand the scene with the tree.

[thorgrim29]

I've also heard that the first film is in a semi apocalyptic scenario, where society is collapsing and he was in an area where people were holding on, so he was in less of a police force and more a slightly more heroic gang than the other warbands.



Ok that makes sense, never actually watched the first one



The first few scenes, especially the whole making him into a blood bad and then the partially human powered nature of everything made me feel slightly sick and uncomfortable. I think me thinking about implications didn't help.

That was the point, the citadel is a very very bad place despite all the water and food. Fun note, the doctor is apparently called the organic mechanic.



Actually, there's one thing I didn't get about the film. I didn't understand the scene with the tree.

Why? The truck was stuck in mud and they tried to pull it closer out using a winch and a dead tree. It's pretty straightforward. Nux didn't know what a tree is because he's a sheltered brainwashed idiot.

[Hazzardevil]

Ok that makes sense, never actually watched the first one



That was the point, the citadel is a very very bad place despite all the water and food. Fun note, the doctor is apparently called the organic mechanic.

I was sure that was Bill Bailey when watching, apparently it's Angus Sampson, who I don't know.



Why? The truck was stuck in mud and they tried to pull it closer out using a winch and a dead tree. It's pretty straightforward. Nux didn't know what a tree is because he's a sheltered brainwashed idiot.

I hadn't realised the truck was stuck, that's what was confusing me, I didn't see why they were pulling on it.

[Olinser]

See, Mad Max is a kind of movie that I've always enjoyed thoroughly - a movie that makes no pretense about what it is.

Nowhere is it implied that there is Shakespearean level script, Oscar worthy drama scenes, or any cutting social commentary.

This is a movie that embraces the fact that it is essentially 10 minutes of excuse plot followed by 90 minutes of extended action sequence with occasional 2 minute breaks. And it does it VERY well :smallcool:

A couple interesting notes about the props:

1) Every one of the cars, from the Pursuit Special all the way up to the War Rig, are ACTUAL, FUNCTIONAL VEHICLES. They put them together and actually built them to run.

2) That flame throwing guitar? IS AN ACTUAL FLAME THROWING GUITAR. No CGI here, folks, that **** is authentic.

3) Those poles dudes are hanging off of? Yeah, they actually did that.

[Lethologica]

See, Mad Max is a kind of movie that I've always enjoyed thoroughly - a movie that makes no pretense about what it is.

Nowhere is it implied that there is Shakespearean level script, Oscar worthy drama scenes, or any cutting social commentary.

This is a movie that embraces the fact that it is essentially 10 minutes of excuse plot followed by 90 minutes of extended action sequence with occasional 2 minute breaks. And it does it VERY well :smallcool:
Are you sure you're not talking about Redline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_%282009_film%29)? This is exactly the comment I had about Redline. But Mad Max's story is hardly an excuse plot--and it does have a good deal of social commentary.

[Mono Vertigo]

Both of these things are basically true. The first thing you said...basically describes the first Mad Max movie entirely.


Ok that makes sense, never actually watched the first one

Same here (geez, and I'd extrapolated that whole theory from the opening sequence and flashbacks and nothing else). I'm basically waiting for the original 3 movies to pop up on Netflix or something. Gotta watch the classics.

[Aedilred]

Are you sure you're not talking about Redline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redline_%282009_film%29)? This is exactly the comment I had about Redline. But Mad Max's story is hardly an excuse plot--and it does have a good deal of social commentary.

It is a bit of an excuse plot. It exists principally to frame the characters so we can root for the goodies as the baddies try to kill them in increasingly implausible ways. That the plot happens to make a bit of sense (though there are a lot of unanswered questions) and feminist underpinnings can be identified is a bonus really. I don't feel like the film ever lost sight of the fact it was principally about people smashing ridiculous cars together - and every time it seemed like things were getting too serious, the Doof Warrior appeared to remind us of what we were actually dealing with.

I think my favourite part, in retrospect, was when they turned down a perfectly reasonable opportunity to end the film in favour of basically doing the whole film again backwards.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the same. I suspect I'd have preferred it in 2D, but I'm a 2D snob.

[LaZodiac]

Same here (geez, and I'd extrapolated that whole theory from the opening sequence and flashbacks and nothing else). I'm basically waiting for the original 3 movies to pop up on Netflix or something. Gotta watch the classics.

You really should. Even if Beyond Thunderdome isn't all that good, it's still quite enjoyable I feel, and has a lot of wonderful lines.

Seriously though, without spoiling the first movie, you basically got it spot on. There are some minor differences of course mind you, but you figured it out. One could argue this is both good because it shows how such a simple movie can attract such wide appeal (the first Mad Max) and how well done the opening bit of Fury Road was.

[meltodowno]

I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the same. I suspect I'd have preferred it in 2D, but I'm a 2D snob.

I saw it in 2d (I find 3d glasses leave me with a headache).

That was probably my main gripe about the film, their were several stand out moments which you could tell were added in purely for 3d, with pieces flying towards the screen. I always find those moments rather cringe-worthy.

[Lethologica]

It is a bit of an excuse plot. It exists principally to frame the characters so we can root for the goodies as the baddies try to kill them in increasingly implausible ways. That the plot happens to make a bit of sense (though there are a lot of unanswered questions) and feminist underpinnings can be identified is a bonus really. I don't feel like the film ever lost sight of the fact it was principally about people smashing ridiculous cars together - and every time it seemed like things were getting too serious, the Doof Warrior appeared to remind us of what we were actually dealing with.

I think my favourite part, in retrospect, was when they turned down a perfectly reasonable opportunity to end the film in favour of basically doing the whole film again backwards.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the same. I suspect I'd have preferred it in 2D, but I'm a 2D snob.
My reaction on watching was precisely that it had enough narrative heft that I didn't consider the movie to be an excuse for the explosions. It's exceptionally good at the explosions, of course, but the non-explosion parts are straight-up better than 90% of movies and 'excuse plot' fails to capture that.

On 'unanswered questions' in particular, that wasn't how I saw it. The movie runs on the assumed knowledge of the characters, and the viewer has to pick up that knowledge from all the little details that pop out between explosions. Most of the answers are hinted at, but not given; most of the answers that are given are not given through dialogue. It's an incredibly refreshing change from movies that try to Explain Everything. Mad Max might have a 7/10 story but it has 11/10 storytelling and that is so valuable.

[Aedilred]

It's less about the mythology and whatever that isn't really explained since as you say we see enough of that to realise that it works internally at least. It's more the fridge logic when you sit down and think about some of the situations:

Why is the (very attractive) Furiosa one of Joe's soldiers, rather than one of his harem, considering she was taken as a slave?
Given that she was ostensibly going to collect gas from Gas Town, why does she have a full fuel pod, of sufficient size to be used as a bargaining chip, attached to her rig?
Similar questions could be asked about the fuel capacity of the rig itself, apparently carrying sufficient fuel to drive flat-out for (seemingly) over 24 hours while originally prepped for a short supply run.

And so on. I know it's not a thinking film, and it doesn't detract from the overall experience, but I don't think we should pretend the story was a flawless masterpiece either.

[BRC]

It's less about the mythology and whatever that isn't really explained since as you say we see enough of that to realise that it works internally at least. It's more the fridge logic when you sit down and think about some of the situations:

Why is the (very attractive) Furiosa one of Joe's soldiers, rather than one of his harem, considering she was taken as a slave?
Given that she was ostensibly going to collect gas from Gas Town, why does she have a full fuel pod, of sufficient size to be used as a bargaining chip, attached to her rig?
Similar questions could be asked about the fuel capacity of the rig itself, apparently carrying sufficient fuel to drive flat-out for (seemingly) over 24 hours while originally prepped for a short supply run.

And so on. I know it's not a thinking film, and it doesn't detract from the overall experience, but I don't think we should pretend the story was a flawless masterpiece either.
RETRO-JUSTIFICATION TIME!
1. We don't know whether she lost her arm, or if she was born without it. Either way, such a "Defect" could have rendered her unfit for his Harem. That, or perhaps she's infertile.
2. Maybe the fuel pod was supposed to be empty (to be filled up along with the Rig itself in Gastown), but she was able to get a full one attached. Or, the War Rig normally rolls with a full fuel pod, in case it, any patrol vehicles, or any vehicles they capture along the way run out of fuel.
3. Considering how quickly Joe's Fleet of cars was able to begin the chase, I would guess that it's standard for the War Boys to keep all their vehicles fueled up to capacity. They have a steady supply of fuel from Gastown. I don't know what sort of engines those deathcars are running, but nobody seemed worried about running out of gas. Maybe they've all got massive extra fuel tanks for long hauls.


But anyway, one of the reasons the plot worked was that it was simple enough that it would be hard to find inconsistencies.

Of course, the setting did a lot of the heavy lifting as far as justifying the explosions and car chases went. A lot of "excuse Plots" come from the need to fit action movie setpieces (Car chases, explosive gun battles, ect) into a setting (like the modern world) that is not really open to such things. Traffic Jams happen, police happen, it's surprisingly hard to find 30+ henchmen willing to risk their lives in the name of some megalomaniac's scheme, it's rare that "Shoot your way through 30+ people" is a justifiably heroic act, ect. So, the Plot, written by somebody not really interested in telling a story, needs to twist itself into knots to justify or explain it's action setpieces.

The setting of Mad Max does most of the work here. Within the context of this post-apocalyptic hellscape, it makes perfect sense for Immortan Joe to have an army of fanatical followers willing to die for him, it makes perfect sense that Max and Furiosa are justified in killing them. This means that the plot does not need to do the work of Justifying itself within the setting.

[Lethologica]

It's less about the mythology and whatever that isn't really explained since as you say we see enough of that to realise that it works internally at least. It's more the fridge logic when you sit down and think about some of the situations:

Why is the (very attractive) Furiosa one of Joe's soldiers, rather than one of his harem, considering she was taken as a slave?
Given that she was ostensibly going to collect gas from Gas Town, why does she have a full fuel pod, of sufficient size to be used as a bargaining chip, attached to her rig?
Similar questions could be asked about the fuel capacity of the rig itself, apparently carrying sufficient fuel to drive flat-out for (seemingly) over 24 hours while originally prepped for a short supply run.

And so on. I know it's not a thinking film, and it doesn't detract from the overall experience, but I don't think we should pretend the story was a flawless masterpiece either.
There's at least one clear reason why she wouldn't qualify for his harem now: the missing arm. But devil's advocate would say it's likely she was kidnapped as breeding stock and lost the arm as a soldier. The Internet murmurs about infertility (via a Charlize Theron interview), which is particularly plausible given the setting, but I don't remember if the movie ever hints at it. (Certainly it doesn't do what Age of Ultron did.)

As for the logistical details of how Furiosa planned the run, we take as a core premise that Furiosa is able to smuggle out Joe's most prized possessions, so the fuel canister is not a significant marginal implausibility--it could be routine, it could be Furiosa brazening past some warboys, or any number of other things. It's not surprising that the truck is fully fueled, either--extravagant resource consumption by the post-apocalyptic 1% is a core feature of the movie, so they're not carefully rationing every last drop of fuel. Rather, they're hoarding the resource wealth and showing it off at every opportunity. See also: the water that's fueling Immortan Joe's agriculture and also being offered (in an extravagantly wasteful way) to the teeming masses below. (That the chase goes on for effectively 30 hours leads to capacity questions, though. This is where action movie logic does kick in.)

There's going to be a Furiosa prequel comic (http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-dcs-mad-max-fury-road-furiosa-1-cover-and-solicitation), and these questions will find more explicit answers there. But the movie doesn't need to explicitly answer those questions. They aren't the story. The story is Max's collision with this story-in-progress.

Lastly: "Flawless masterpiece" is not what I'm arguing. Remember, I said 7/10 story. Initially rated the movie 8/10 as a whole before changing to 9/10. I'm arguing "enough narrative heft" and "better than 90% of movies" over "excuse plot." I don't think the questions you've offered would substantially undermine that position even if they were unanswerable. And I would certainly argue that this was a "thinking film" as well as an action movie, because anyone who turned their brain off to enjoy the explosions was seriously missing out.

[Olinser]

It's less about the mythology and whatever that isn't really explained since as you say we see enough of that to realise that it works internally at least. It's more the fridge logic when you sit down and think about some of the situations:

Why is the (very attractive) Furiosa one of Joe's soldiers, rather than one of his harem, considering she was taken as a slave?
Given that she was ostensibly going to collect gas from Gas Town, why does she have a full fuel pod, of sufficient size to be used as a bargaining chip, attached to her rig?
Similar questions could be asked about the fuel capacity of the rig itself, apparently carrying sufficient fuel to drive flat-out for (seemingly) over 24 hours while originally prepped for a short supply run.

And so on. I know it's not a thinking film, and it doesn't detract from the overall experience, but I don't think we should pretend the story was a flawless masterpiece either.

1) Most likely it's Reality As Stated, not actual reality. Charlize Theron is reasonably attractive. Furiosa is not supposed to be. In fact pretty much NOBODY outside the harem is actually supposed to be attractive (remember one of the Mothers marveling about the fact that one of the harem actually had all her teeth). Add that on to the already suggested infertility, and her demonstrated badassery in a fight, the fact that most of the War Boys are absolute morons, AND the fact the purpose of his harem seems more directed towards breeding rather than pleasure, and it makes perfect sense Joe wants her fighting more than as a sex toy.

2) My impression was it was a two-way delivery with the Rig - water to gas town, gas to the citadel. The pod was just standard extra fuel in case of emergency - unfriendly characters abound, never know when you have to make a run for it. So she brings water to Gas Town, they either swap the Rig trailer (or possibly the whole truck) or just empty the water out and fill it up with gasoline to go back to the Citadel.

3) If #2 is true, then it means the extra fuel pod was meant to supply the entire convoy, not just the Rig. So again, it makes perfect sense that a pod meant for a whole convoy can sustain a single truck for quite a long time, especially if they were running off just the pod until it was destroyed, and only then switched to the Rig's own gas. A big rig with an expanded fuel tank can run a LONG time on it's tank. Current 18 wheelers set up for long hauls can easily go over 1000 miles without a refill. If Furiosa purposefully expanded the fuel tank in preparation for this haul I wouldn't be shocked if it could go 1500+ miles without a refill.

[Lethologica]

2) My impression was it was a two-way delivery with the Rig - water to gas town, gas to the citadel. The pod was just standard extra fuel in case of emergency - unfriendly characters abound, never know when you have to make a run for it. So she brings water to Gas Town, they either swap the Rig trailer (or possibly the whole truck) or just empty the water out and fill it up with gasoline to go back to the Citadel.
There's also a delivery of breastmilk to the People Eater somewhere in there, in theory.


3) If #2 is true, then it means the extra fuel pod was meant to supply the entire convoy, not just the Rig. So again, it makes perfect sense that a pod meant for a whole convoy can sustain a single truck for quite a long time, especially if they were running off just the pod until it was destroyed, and only then switched to the Rig's own gas. A big rig with an expanded fuel tank can run a LONG time on it's tank. Current 18 wheelers set up for long hauls can easily go over 1000 miles without a refill. If Furiosa purposefully expanded the fuel tank in preparation for this haul I wouldn't be shocked if it could go 1500+ miles without a refill.
If anything, the limiting factor in the chase length is Joe's army, not the war rig. (They might have brought extra gas, though. In the Doof Wagon, perhaps? It'd be hilarious if that thing actually had a purpose on top of the cool factor.)

[The Glyphstone]

It's a rolling motivational/morale engine, isn't it? I mean, that does count as 'cool factor', but it's one that applies simultaneously in and out of universe.

[LaZodiac]

If anything, the limiting factor in the chase length is Joe's army, not the war rig. (They might have brought extra gas, though. In the Doof Wagon, perhaps? It'd be hilarious if that thing actually had a purpose on top of the cool factor.)

Aside from the fact that yeah, that big thing probably has a lot of spare gas to give, it DOES actually serve a purpose. In war times we used to ride with marching bands. This is just the logical conclusion of what a modern, post apocolyptic marching band would be. Because seriously, if seeing a red jumpsuit wearing flame guitar playing badass riding on a mobile sound system doesn't get yo pumped for war, go back to being a farmer.

[Weimann]

Watched it two days ago. I'm not a big film aficionado, but I did really like it. It was intense, paced so that didn't outstay it's welcome while still managing to say everything it needed. It's certainly a big old action movie, but the fact that there was an efficiently told story with rich themes (particularly for an action movie) is what really carried it for me. That said, it really couldn't have gotten by without the action either. Removing either would make it much less of a movie.

[Yanagi]

It's a rolling motivational/morale engine, isn't it? I mean, that does count as 'cool factor', but it's one that applies simultaneously in and out of universe.

Okay, so I just got a giant fit of the giggles imagining the Doof Wagon acting as an equivalent to military bugle calls.

Taps, reveille, pay call.

[The Glyphstone]

Okay, so I just got a giant fit of the giggles imagining the Doof Wagon acting as an equivalent to military bugle calls.

Taps, reveille, pay call.

For all we know, they do use it (or at least the Doof Warrior) for that. Starting and ending the day with a "BWAAAAAAAAAANNGGG-FWOOOOSH-WAH-WAH-WAH!" seems like an incredibly War Boys thing to do. At the very least, it ensures no one will oversleep.

[BannedInSchool]

For all we know, they do use it (or at least the Doof Warrior) for that. Starting and ending the day with a "BWAAAAAAAAAANNGGG-FWOOOOSH-WAH-WAH-WAH!" seems like an incredibly War Boys thing to do. At the very least, it ensures no one will oversleep.
I'm already tearing up at him playing at funerals. :smallfrown:

[The Glyphstone]

I'm already tearing up at him playing at funerals. :smallfrown:

That makes even more sense, since they have that Norse-flavored cult-of-death thing going on. A War Boy funeral is basically going to be a rave/wake; they're not mourning the fallen warrior, they're celebrating his final ultimate triumph.

[Lethologica]

Certainly the Doof Warrior would be playing at whatever the Warboy equivalent of the sjaund was.

[huttj509]

For all we know, they do use it (or at least the Doof Warrior) for that. Starting and ending the day with a "BWAAAAAAAAAANNGGG-FWOOOOSH-WAH-WAH-WAH!" seems like an incredibly War Boys thing to do. At the very least, it ensures no one will oversleep.

Also, it's a demotivator as well.

They weren't being stealthy. It was "we're here, we are coming."

All through the day, all through the night, the Doof Wagon is playing. Audible from a large distance, "we are coming."

[Sith_Happens]

mutated half-lifers

I don't remember anything about radiation.:smallconfused:


Every one of the cars, from the Pursuit Special all the way up to the War Rig, are ACTUAL, FUNCTIONAL VEHICLES. They put them together and actually built them to run.

And then actually destroyed almost all of them.:smallcool:


2) That flame throwing guitar? IS AN ACTUAL FLAME THROWING GUITAR. No CGI here, folks, that **** is authentic.

Ironically, I heard that the music coming out of the Doof Wagon was post-production because the actual flamethrower-guitar sounded like crap.:smallbiggrin:


I think my favourite part, in retrospect, was when they turned down a perfectly reasonable opportunity to end the film in favour of basically doing the whole film again backwards.

Oh man, so much this. I totally thought the movie was going to end with
Max watching the rest of the cast ride into the sunrise before getting on his bike and taking off at 90o to them. But then he catches up and tells them "We're taking the Citadel" and I just think "YESSSS!! MORE MOVIE!!!"

For all we know, they do use it (or at least the Doof Warrior) for that. Starting and ending the day with a "BWAAAAAAAAAANNGGG-FWOOOOSH-WAH-WAH-WAH!" seems like an incredibly War Boys thing to do. At the very least, it ensures no one will oversleep.

HEADCANON ACCEPTED.

[Hazzardevil]

I don't remember anything about radiation.:smallconfused:

The term "half-life" is tied to radioactive decay, so presumably the Half-life boys have something to do with radiation.




And then actually destroyed almost all of them.:smallcool:

Mad Max probably breaks the record of the most number of cars destroyed in a film.


Ironically, I heard that the music coming out of the Doof Wagon was post-production because the actual flamethrower-guitar sounded like crap.:smallbiggrin:

I didn't like the music coming out post-production, so I can't see how the original could have been worse, unless it was general audio issues.



Oh man, so much this. I totally thought the movie was going to end with
Max watching the rest of the cast ride into the sunrise before getting on his bike and taking off at 90o to them. But then he catches up and tells them "We're taking the Citadel" and I just think "YESSSS!! MORE MOVIE!!!"
As Furiosa rode off, I was expecting something to happen like they find a warband of the stilt walking people to pick a fight, doing the whole film backwards was much better.
But Rest in Peace War Wagon, I loved the design of that thing.

[Eldan]

I saw it in 2d (I find 3d glasses leave me with a headache).

That was probably my main gripe about the film, their were several stand out moments which you could tell were added in purely for 3d, with pieces flying towards the screen. I always find those moments rather cringe-worthy.

I saw it in 3D and I only recall one, where the Guitar was flying at our heads. For the most part, the 3D was subtle and well done.

[huttj509]

I don't remember anything about radiation.:smallconfused:



The "two friends, always with me, until I die" for the warboy's tumors?

[brionl]

Mad Max probably breaks the record of the most number of cars destroyed in a film.


Hah, not even close. Although there's a lot of action, the actual crash total is pretty low for an action movie. Blues Brothers 2000 destroyed 104 police cars, I'll bet there weren't even 104 vehicles total in Mad Max. The Fast & Furious movies have killed over 1000 cars.

http://www.carthrottle.com/post/top-9-movies-that-killed-the-most-cars/

[LaZodiac]

I don't remember anything about radiation.:smallconfused:


Aside from all the things other wonderful people said that are true, at the very start of the movie during the opening narration, a news reporter said some people, due to radiation, where becoming "half-lifers" and though they don't super elaborate on it (like everything in this movie) it's fairly clear taht the albino guys who have a culture revolving around dying glorious rather then fading out, one of whom has radiation tumors, are clearly those Half-lifers. Extrapolating from what the term half-life means made it simple to understand.

[Aedilred]

Apparently there were 88 conceptual vehicles, although they actually constructed 150. "More than half" were destroyed during filming: it's not clear whether that's half of the 88 or half of the 150. (Source (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-12/every-killer-car-in-mad-max-fury-road-explained))

Still a long way short of the excesses of Matrix and Transformers sequels though.

[Wardog]

I have a problem.

I haven't seen any of the Mad Max films before and I am the type of person who can't see a sequel unless I have seen the previous films first.

I am trying to watch the whole series, but I just can't get beyond Thunderdome.

The other films are worth watching, but you don't really need to see any of them to understand this one (or any others).

Max is the only character that occurs in more than one film*, and the only background you need to understand films 2 to 4 is "Max used to be a cop, but became a broken man after his family were murdered, and wandered out into the post-apocalyptic wasteland to lose (and eventually find) himself" - all of which is explained in the first minutes of the film. (Although personally I think the Mad Max 2 intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n29c-q3_8Q) does it better).



* Although slightly confusingly, there is a character in 3 thats played by the same actor who played a different but almost-identical character in 2

[meltodowno]

* Although slightly confusingly, there is a character in 3 thats played by the same actor who played a different but almost-identical character in 2

You're probably referring to Bruce Spence. He also had a cameo in Fury Road, he's in the crowd of people clamouring for water at the start. There is on guy the camera hovers over slightly longer than the others - that's him.

I think I was just about the only person who recognised him, certainly in the cinema here :smallfrown:

[Bulldog Psion]

You're probably referring to Bruce Spence. He also had a cameo in Fury Road, he's in the crowd of people clamouring for water at the start. There is on guy the camera hovers over slightly longer than the others - that's him.

I think I was just about the only person who recognised him, certainly in the cinema here :smallfrown:

Weird. Why is he included as a different character each time? :smallconfused:

[Fawkes]

Miller purposefully didn't have any characters recur except for Max himself, probably to keep Max isolated, but he wanted to work with that actor again. Also, there's the whole myth thing.

Alternately, both non-cameo characters are pilots. Maybe Spence can actually fly. That'd be more convenient.

That's not the only instance of an actor playing two characters. Immortan Joe is played by the same actor who played the villain Toecutter in the first Mad Max.

[Darth Credence]

As I understand it, based on interviews with Mr. Miller, even Max isn't the same character from movie to movie. Max is actually a composite, myth like character - the hero of the wastelands.
Think of Robin Hood. Robin Hood was almost certainly not a real, single person. He was a composite of a number of English heroes - some of them outlaws, some of the nobles, some of unknown origin. But after the first stories started going around, when another even vaguely similar person did something along the same lines in pretty much anywhere in England, some people telling the stories would attribute them to Robin Hood, since others would already know about him. Those stories became part of the Robin Hood legend.
Mad Max was the story of someone, probably the original Max, who lived at the end of civilization. The Road Warrior was the story of some drifter in the wastelands after the full collapse of civilization, who reluctantly became a hero to a group that would move on and establish a more permanent, and civilized, society outside of the wasteland. Fury Road and Beyond Thunderdome are both about revolutions in some brutal wasteland civilizations that were being built up. When people from the northern tribe meet people from the tribe at the end of Thunderdome, and they pass their stories of how they got out of the waste on to each other, they both think of the mysterious hero of the wasteland as the same guy - Max.

[meltodowno]

The theory that he is a composite myth-like character, is just that - a theory.

Miller has specifically never confirmed or denied it, and that is the way he likes it, with it been open to interpretation. It makes sense. As does the general cinematic wiggly timeline theory. As does the theory that the first film was also post apocalyptic, and he was just living in a society that was trying to keep itself 'to the norm ... but missing the mark'.

All theories are equally as relevant, all could be true, and all may be true.

[Sith_Happens]

Nothing is true, everything is permitted.

[Wardog]

You're probably referring to Bruce Spence. He also had a cameo in Fury Road, he's in the crowd of people clamouring for water at the start. There is on guy the camera hovers over slightly longer than the others - that's him.

I think I was just about the only person who recognised him, certainly in the cinema here :smallfrown:

Yes, that's the guy (the Gyro Captain / Jedediah the pilot).

[Avaris]

Interesting detail I noticed: Max's back tatoo gives a possible date for the film. According to an image from the Art book (http://www.quora.com/What-is-tattooed-on-Maxs-back-after-being-captured-by-the-War-Boys-in-Mad-Max-Fury-Road), he is capTured on day 12,045. 12045/365 is exactly 33 years, which makes me think it was deliberately chosen. So it's been 33 years since the warboys started counting, which I would guess was either the Apocalypse itself or the date the Imortan came to power.

[Olinser]

Interesting detail I noticed: Max's back tatoo gives a possible date for the film. According to an image from the Art book (http://www.quora.com/What-is-tattooed-on-Maxs-back-after-being-captured-by-the-War-Boys-in-Mad-Max-Fury-Road), he is capTured on day 12,045. 12045/365 is exactly 33 years, which makes me think it was deliberately chosen. So it's been 33 years since the warboys started counting, which I would guess was either the Apocalypse itself or the date the Imortan came to power.

Or it's just an Easter Egg.

The original Mad Max was released in 1979, Fury Road was filmed in 2012.

[Kittenwolf]

I finally saw this on Saturday, and I was really, really impressed. Excellent gender representation, actual REAL vehicles and stunts rather than everything being done with CGI (seriously, even that speaker-truck with the guy with the fire-breathing guitar was all done for real!), an utter lack of gender or disability shaming (seriously, nobody makes comments about Furiosa only having one arm, or 'women can't fight' or comments about Max's PTSD hallucinations [barring one small 'I thought you were sane now' offhand remark], there was just no "You're X and therefore less helpful" kind of attitude), some very appropriate and believable reactions to things that happened..

Yeah, very very much liked this one :)

[Logic]

Interesting detail I noticed: Max's back tatoo gives a possible date for the film. According to an image from the Art book (http://www.quora.com/What-is-tattooed-on-Maxs-back-after-being-captured-by-the-War-Boys-in-Mad-Max-Fury-Road), he is capTured on day 12,045. 12045/365 is exactly 33 years, which makes me think it was deliberately chosen. So it's been 33 years since the warboys started counting, which I would guess was either the Apocalypse itself or the date the Imortan came to power.

You are forgetting leap years, good sir. 12045 needs to be divided by 365.25 to account for them. That figure is 32 years, and 8 days shy of another full year.

[LaZodiac]

You are forgetting leap years, good sir. 12045 needs to be divided by 365.25 to account for them. That figure is 32 years, and 8 days shy of another full year.

Implying they care about leap years.

[Hazzardevil]

Implying they care about leap years.

Implying the weather changes enough to notice calender drift.

[Tvtyrant]

It would be funny if they immediately went on a lunar calendar and ruined the dating system.

[Aedilred]

Implying they care about leap years.


Implying the weather changes enough to notice calender drift.

Whether or not either of these is true is somewhat beside the point given that it seems the Warboys don't have an annual calendar anyway, instead counting days: they'll count leap days as any other day. But it's relevant for us since we do count years and by our standards it's not quite 33, as Logic says.

It is however entirely possible that not only Avaris, but also the film-makers, forgot about leap days and therefore it was supposed to be 33 years to the day.

[Avilan the Grey]

Here is my thorough and deeply analytical review of this movie:

HELL.



YES.



Oh btw, Road Warrior was the first VHS tape I rented as a kid.

[Solse]

I just saw the movie and my reaction is about the same as Avilan's. Great movie, great action, the characters were good, and even though I didn't understand some things (Were the warboys or whatever they were called human? What was the "familial conflict" mentioned), it was still a great movie.

[LaZodiac]

I just saw the movie and my reaction is about the same as Avilan's. Great movie, great action, the characters were good, and even though I didn't understand some things (Were the warboys or whatever they were called human? What was the "familial conflict" mentioned), it was still a great movie.

They are human, just radiated to the point of changing horribly.

The familial conflict if something I'm surprised not many people picked up on. Basically, the Citadel, Gas-town, and the Bullet Ranch are three places that pretend to be "in shaky peace" with each other when in truth, they're all family. The conflict in particular was Joe's wives "running away". And it doesn't matter how much pretend fighting you do, if your brother's wives run away you're gonna help get him back! Gotta protect those assets, after all.

[jere7my]

The familial conflict if something I'm surprised not many people picked up on. Basically, the Citadel, Gas-town, and the Bullet Ranch are three places that pretend to be "in shaky peace" with each other when in truth, they're all family. The conflict in particular was Joe's wives "running away". And it doesn't matter how much pretend fighting you do, if your brother's wives run away you're gonna help get him back! Gotta protect those assets, after all.

The Bullet Farmer says "All this over a family squabble" because Immortan Joe has hauled three war parties out into the desert to chase after his wives and unborn children. He's so dismissive because he thinks Joe is foolish to waste so many resources on what he considers a frivolity.

[Avilan the Grey]

The Bullet Farmer says "All this over a family squabble" because Immortan Joe has hauled three war parties out into the desert to chase after his wives and unborn children. He's so dismissive because he thinks Joe is foolish to waste so many resources on what he considers a frivolity.

Indeed, this is what I picked up as well. They are not family, they are trading partners. It also seems these two other warlords are not as fixated by genetics as Joe; my take on that is that Joe is a heavily mutated man who desperately tries to have healthy sons. His disgusting skin, his need for a breathing apparatus and all his well, failed sons (for lack of a better word) points this way. He sees himself as the new "Father" of the human race, but is so mutated himself he has never managed to father a truly healthy child. What I don't know is if he blames their condition on his former "wifes", or if he is aware of his own condition and tries to find "prime breeding stock" to compensate. I am leaning towards the latter, he is not stupid after all.

Anyway, it seems Bullet Farm and Gas Town has a healthy trading relationship with the citadel. How this came to be I do not know of course, did the three warlords try to conquer each other and ended up in a stalemate, or did they all realize each other's needs and actually negotiated right away?

As for gas guzzlers and the "lack of gas". This was brough up after the second movie came out and the problem is that there wasn't enough gas for everyone, back before the bombs. After the bombs, and the (presumed) death of about 90% of all people, it is a matter of who controls the oil wells. If you control an oil well, you can afford heavily mechanized war parties.

[huttj509]

Indeed, this is what I picked up as well. They are not family, they are trading partners. It also seems these two other warlords are not as fixated by genetics as Joe; my take on that is that Joe is a heavily mutated man who desperately tries to have healthy sons. His disgusting skin, his need for a breathing apparatus and all his well, failed sons (for lack of a better word) points this way. He sees himself as the new "Father" of the human race, but is so mutated himself he has never managed to father a truly healthy child. What I don't know is if he blames their condition on his former "wifes", or if he is aware of his own condition and tries to find "prime breeding stock" to compensate. I am leaning towards the latter, he is not stupid after all.


"I had a brother, and he was perfect!"

[LaZodiac]

I seem to recall Joe calling the People Eater his brother at one point. When it comes out on DVD I'll have to pick it up to be sure. Good enough excuse as any to rewatch it.

Though yes the crux of the "family issue" was that Joe just really wanted his wives back.

[Hazzardevil]

I was given the impression in the beginning that Furiosa was meant to raid Gas Town and the Bullet Farm to take their stuff, but them working together later implied to me each settlement was acting as enemies for everyone else to keep the common folk in line. The warriors collect resources, come back saying they'd been "raiding" and get showered with glory for having kept the enemy at bay while taking their stuff.

[comicshorse]

I'd agree with Avilian that there is a trading relation between the three war lords (though I presume the Bullet Farmer calling Joe 'Brother' was in a comradely sense). The pomp and glory for a trading run to an ally is partially because Joe's Empire is built on that kind of thing but also because in this world, with the number of raiders and psycho's out there, even a trip to an allies stronghold is fraught with danger

[BRC]

According to the backstory comic (Which I bought, but wasn't worth it in my mind), Gas Town and the Bullet Farm are part of Joe's organization. The Fat Man was the one who told Joe about the Citadel, and the Bullet Farmer was his second-in-command.

[Avilan the Grey]

So less "Trading Partner" and more "outpost / colony". I, too, saw the "brother" as a camaraderie term.

[Derthric]

I too thought it was a trading mission furiosa was being sent on. She had such a small escort and they had trouble with a few bandits once off road so I don't think it could have the strength to do anything else. Plus it would be symbiotic to the three leaders to keep themselves in power. My only question, and I almost don't want an answer to it, is how does one farm bullets?

RE: Max as mythic figure

This story made me think of Max as a post apocalyptic Conan the Barbarian. In this story his is a drifter captured and then freed by raiders, in Road Warrior he is a wanderer saving a besieged village. He is the hardened hero the story needs, just like in the original Conan stories he could be a King leading a war in one story, a wanderer usurping a pirate lord the next, and chasing Ice Giants in the far north after that. The core of the hero is their will to survive, the strength not to break and adhering to their own code of how the world should be.

[Fawkes]

I too thought it was a trading mission furiosa was being sent on. She had such a small escort and they had trouble with a few bandits once off road so I don't think it could have the strength to do anything else.

Wasn't the tanker full of water? I think she was supposed to deliver the water, and bring back a tanker of gas.


My only question, and I almost don't want an answer to it, is how does one farm bullets?

Pretty sure they were just manufacturing bullets the same way we do now. They just happened to have the equipment to do so.

And 'Bullet Farmer' sounds cooler than 'Bullet Manufacturer'.

[Tyndmyr]

My only question, and I almost don't want an answer to it, is how does one farm bullets?

My guess is that the original meaning of the word "farm" is lost. It never comes up, and why would it? Farming in the traditional sense is no longer a profession. A farm is where things are created, and thus...bullet farm is where the bullets are made.

[comicshorse]

My guess is that the original meaning of the word "farm" is lost. It never comes up, and why would it? Farming in the traditional sense is no longer a profession. A farm is where things are created, and thus...bullet farm is where the bullets are made.

Nice, and fits with Nux's not even knowing what a tree was

[Olinser]

I too thought it was a trading mission furiosa was being sent on. She had such a small escort and they had trouble with a few bandits once off road so I don't think it could have the strength to do anything else. Plus it would be symbiotic to the three leaders to keep themselves in power. My only question, and I almost don't want an answer to it, is how does one farm bullets?

RE: Max as mythic figure

This story made me think of Max as a post apocalyptic Conan the Barbarian. In this story his is a drifter captured and then freed by raiders, in Road Warrior he is a wanderer saving a besieged village. He is the hardened hero the story needs, just like in the original Conan stories he could be a King leading a war in one story, a wanderer usurping a pirate lord the next, and chasing Ice Giants in the far north after that. The core of the hero is their will to survive, the strength not to break and adhering to their own code of how the world should be.

You 'farm' bullets by presumably mining and refining the raw materials and then casting them into bullets, and a chemical production set up to make the powder. The fact that they essentially have explosive spears also points heavily to the probability they have a gunpowder lab set up to mass-produce it for them.

So they probably have a scrap reclamation facility set up to crush down and convert metal from cars/buildings/pipes/anything into metal they can cast into casings and slugs for various size bullets, and then the chemical process to produce the gunpowder. So they are 'farming' bullets by having the facilities for converting raw materials into finished bullets.

[Solse]

They are human, just radiated to the point of changing horribly.

The familial conflict if something I'm surprised not many people picked up on. Basically, the Citadel, Gas-town, and the Bullet Ranch are three places that pretend to be "in shaky peace" with each other when in truth, they're all family. The conflict in particular was Joe's wives "running away". And it doesn't matter how much pretend fighting you do, if your brother's wives run away you're gonna help get him back! Gotta protect those assets, after all.
Got it. What I don't understand about them though is the mention of half-lives and Nux's "I live, I die, I live again" line. Is this talk all rooted in the belief of Valhalla/an afterlife that Joe rooted into his subjects, or that the warboys actually do go into a death-like hibernation period after which they are reborn?

Ah, that makes sense. I sometimes have trouble picking up on dialogue in movies, and I knew that the citizens of the Citadel were going to Gastown to pick up supplies (or that was what Furiosa was intended to do) but I didn't really see how the other "rulers" fit into that. I didn't realize that they were the leaders of Gastown and Bullet Farm. Thanks for the explanation.

[BRC]

With Half-Lives, I think the idea is that between radiation, spoiled food, and poor living, plenty of people are afflicted with a host of mutations and chronic illnesses, such that they can never expect to live to see old age. The Warboys especially seem to be pulled from this population of Half-Lifes.

As for Valhalla, that seems to be an aspect of Immortan Joe's Cult. The War Boys don't expect to live very long regardless, so Joe built a mythology glorifying death as the ultimate expression of devotion to the Immortan. The whole Valhalla/I LIVE I DIE I LIVE AGAIN thing is just part of their programming so they are not afraid of sacrificing themselves for Joe.

[zorenathres]

RE: Max as mythic figure

This story made me think of Max as a post apocalyptic Conan the Barbarian. In this story his is a drifter captured and then freed by raiders, in Road Warrior he is a wanderer saving a besieged village. He is the hardened hero the story needs, just like in the original Conan stories he could be a King leading a war in one story, a wanderer usurping a pirate lord the next, and chasing Ice Giants in the far north after that. The core of the hero is their will to survive, the strength not to break and adhering to their own code of how the world should be.

George Miller was introduced to the book "The Hero of a Thousand Faces" by a friend, & he made the Road Warrior after reading it (EDIT: or was it thunderdome? i can't remember).

Fury Road could in a way continue this idea, that Max is more a mythical figure than a real-life hero, as many warriors of the wastelands likely had their deeds attributed to his name over time & the myth grows... i don't want to use the James Bond analogy, since it does not entirely fit, but the "mythical figure" part resonates.

[The Troubadour]

Max only really started to become an archetypal figure in "Beyond Thunderdome", though. Back in "Mad Max 2" (or "The Road Warrior", whichever you may prefer), he was still very much a character, not an archetype (not to mention he was much less of an "action hero" than he would become later, especially in "Fury Road").

[Fawkes]

Max only really started to become an archetypal figure in "Beyond Thunderdome", though. Back in "Mad Max 2" (or "The Road Warrior", whichever you may prefer), he was still very much a character, not an archetype (not to mention he was much less of an "action hero" than he would become later, especially in "Fury Road").

The narration at the beginning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n29c-q3_8Q) and ending (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcK8FLGx0fo) of Road Warrior does set him up as a folk hero, though.

[zorenathres]

The narration at the beginning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n29c-q3_8Q) and ending (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcK8FLGx0fo) of Road Warrior does set him up as a folk hero, though.

found the article on the inspirations for the Road Warrior:

The Road Warrior (1981):
Inspiration:

A core inspiration for the sequel stemmed directly from the reception to the first movie. Miller found that Mad Max seemed to translate seamlessly across cultures, super-imposing itself on the mythology of every country it was popular in. As he often observes, the Japanese would equate it to samurai films, Europeans would compare to spaghetti westerns and so on. Miller realized that in making the first film, he had—unknowingly—reinterpreted some universal definitions of heroism.

For the second film, he decided to explore that concept further and, this time, by design. This endeavor led him to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces, a book about the classic hero figure that has transcended historical and cultural differences. Miller believed that the heart of the first film’s success was summed up neatly by Campbell’s book. “So we decided to expand on it,” said Miller in a Films in Review interview. “We decided to see if we could create a real hero.”

Source: Films In Review, “George Miller” by Pat Broeske

[The Troubadour]

The narration at the beginning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n29c-q3_8Q) and ending (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcK8FLGx0fo) of Road Warrior does set him up as a folk hero, though.

In-universe, sure; but out-of-universe, he's too well-developed to be just an archetype, I'd say.

[DigoDragon]

Finally saw this movie, and it was awesome! :D

So I enjoyed it and really not much else to say that hasn't already been said. Pretty straightforward and easy to follow.

[Benthesquid]

On the bullet farmer- was it just me, or was he at one point loading his teeth into his weapon?

Edit: Also, on why the bullet farm is a bullet farm- it's because of the whole bullet/seed dichotomy they've got going on, yeah?

[Hazzardevil]

I think it's because they don't understand agriculture anymore. Nuck didn't know what a tree was, so nobody has any idea what farming meant. To them a farm is just another word for factory and they are making bullets there, so it's the bullet farm.

[Aedilred]

Yeah, I think "farm" has now become a word for "where stuff is made". Where was food made? Farms. Where are bullets made? The bullet farm.


On the bullet farmer- was it just me, or was he at one point loading his teeth into his weapon?
I'm pretty sure that happened, yes. Although I think that's because he'd had at least some of his teeth replaced with bullets, rather than loading his actual teeth into the gun.

[Avilan the Grey]

Oh they knew about farming. The whole top of the cliffs at the citadel is one big farm. And the movie makes a point of showing the indoor greenhouse when Imortan Joe runs through it.

[Avaris]

So, out of curiosity I looked Fury Road up on the Rotten Tomatoes top films of all time list. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/)

It's number 10.
It's the only film in the top 10 released in the last 40 years. The next most recent is the Godfather.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, though given Rotten Tomatoes is an aggregate score of reviewers this speaks highly of Fury Road. I'll be interested to see how many Oscars this oh so silly action film gets!

[Avilan the Grey]

So, out of curiosity I looked Fury Road up on the Rotten Tomatoes top films of all time list. (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/)

It's number 10.
It's the only film in the top 10 released in the last 40 years. The next most recent is the Godfather.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, though given Rotten Tomatoes is an aggregate score of reviewers this speaks highly of Fury Road. I'll be interested to see how many Oscars this oh so silly action film gets!

The thing is that the movies is rated Mature, which is a gamble in itself because it severely limits the audience until it's released on BR. It is in fact a miracle that the movie got made at all, and especially during this conditions:

The same director as the first trilogy.
Rated Mature.
Rebooting (although this is NOT a reboot, it's a true sequel) a cult franchise few people care about anymore.
99% action, 1% dialogue.
A 2,5 hour long car chase.

In short, whoever approved this must have had no choice (which was basically the case. George Miller had the rights to Mad Max AND a clause somewhere that made Warner Brothers obligated to give him a movie, AFAIR).

[The Troubadour]

Rebooting (although this is NOT a reboot, it's a true sequel)

That's what Miller says, but it really feels more like a reboot than a true sequel. For starters, Max's child was a boy in the first movie of the original trilogy.

[zorenathres]

That's what Miller says, but it really feels more like a reboot than a true sequel. For starters, Max's child was a boy in the first movie of the original trilogy.

"Sprocket" was an infant unable to walk or talk, & died in his mothers arms, & is completely unrelated to the girl.

The girls name is "Glory" & will be featured in the upcoming Mad Max comics which are said to take place right before the film. GLory's story should be explained then, though a lot of people have become confused, assuming that its a retcon of some kind. However, this is not the case.

In the comic Max saves glory from some "Buzzards" in :the sunken city".

[The Troubadour]

The girls name is "Glory" & will be featured in the upcoming Mad Max comics which are said to take place right before the film.

If that's true, I find it extremely silly.

[LaZodiac]

If that's true, I find it extremely silly.

Ignore all the tie in prequel comics they're actually really bad and contradict the movies.

[BRC]

Ignore all the tie in prequel comics they're actually really bad and contradict the movies.
Yeah this.

The first one: "I LOVED THAT MOVIE! I LOVE COMICS! MUST CONSUME!"
After: wow, that was dissapointing.

The second: Okay, the first one was dissapointing, but FURIOSA BACKSTORY! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!
After: Well, that answered none of the questions I wanted answered, while at the same time providing answers I didn't want to questions I wasn't asking.

[Avilan the Grey]

To be fair, I don't think I have EVER read a tie in comic that was better than "passable". "Horrid" is rather more common.

[Logic]

To be fair, I don't think I have EVER read a tie in comic that was better than "passable". "Horrid" is rather more common.

Star Trek: Countdown (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Countdown) is the best one I have read. And even then I'd recommend it to serious fans only.

[Lacuna Caster]

The thing is that the movies is rated Mature, which is a gamble in itself because it severely limits the audience until it's released on BR. It is in fact a miracle that the movie got made at all, and especially during this conditions:

The same director as the first trilogy.
Rated Mature.
Rebooting (although this is NOT a reboot, it's a true sequel) a cult franchise few people care about anymore.
99% action, 1% dialogue.
A 2,5 hour long car chase.

In short, whoever approved this must have had no choice (which was basically the case. George Miller had the rights to Mad Max AND a clause somewhere that made Warner Brothers obligated to give him a movie, AFAIR).
Ah... That would explain a good deal.

I love Mad Max: Fury Road. I'm a nitpicker, but I honestly can't find a damn thing to actively complain about, and there is much and much to praise.

I love the sheer bravado of opening with a climax and deciding to escalate from there. I love the joyfully lampshaded B-movie-esque spot-on-over-the-topness mixed with a genuine intelligence and cinematic craftsmanship. I love the perfect pacing, the total absence of dull moments without devolving into a noise festival and the effortless punctuation of small but real moments of character development. The action scenes, needless to say, are phenomenal.

I love how a movie that's almost entirely car-chases manages to communicate so much about a world and setting, and leaves me wanting to explore it. I have more than a twinge of pity for Rictus and the Valkyrie, and want to see how how Corpus Colossus does in middle-management. And those are just the greek chorus.

It's rare that you find a movie that cuts this close to the bone about what our species is, and what we'll do to try and live forever.

(I also rather like the soundtrack by Junkie XL, who does particularly fine work in 'Storm is Coming' and 'Brothers in Arms'. I may be preaching to the choir, but if you haven't seen it already, go do it now.)

[Avilan the Grey]

To expand the explanation, it seems WB was "safe"; Miller had a clause that made them owe him a movie. BUT He did not have the rights to Mad Max and so opted to never use it.
Then he GOT the rights... and WB had to do this.
Now, I am not sure there was any true resistance, but this is probably why Miller could get the Adult rating, for example.

[Lacuna Caster]

Oh, that's even more delicious. How did he finally acquire the IP?

[Avilan the Grey]

Oh, that's even more delicious. How did he finally acquire the IP?

Honestly I do not remember.

[Rodin]

Honestly I do not remember.

I choose to believe that he drove the Doof Wagon through the walls of WB's records office and made off with the documentation into a sandstorm.

[Lacuna Caster]

*nods sagely*

[LaZodiac]

Honestly I do not remember.

If I recall he asked "Hey can I have this?" and they just kinda shrugged and said yes.

[Lethologica]

Oh, that's even more delicious. How did he finally acquire the IP?
Wasn't he set to direct some other movie? *checks* Yeah, he was going to direct a new Justice League movie, and acquired the rights to Mad Max/Road Warrior as part of the deal to cancel that contract.

[Avaris]

Wasn't he set to direct some other movie? *checks* Yeah, he was going to direct a new Justice League movie, and acquired the rights to Mad Max/Road Warrior as part of the deal to cancel that contract.

So it was a case of "hey George, we're really sorry, but we're not doing that Justice League movie we signed you for. We'll give you the rights to your old franchise back though: they're not worth much, but we know you want them?"

Miller: "Oh, that's a shame. Such a shame. Hey, I think you kind of promised me a movie a while back?"

Them: "Sure, we said you could do a movie of you... wait. Oh. Oh god."

Miller: "WITNESS ME!"

[Avilan the Grey]

Wasn't he set to direct some other movie? *checks* Yeah, he was going to direct a new Justice League movie, and acquired the rights to Mad Max/Road Warrior as part of the deal to cancel that contract.

Yes, that was it!


So it was a case of "hey George, we're really sorry, but we're not doing that Justice League movie we signed you for. We'll give you the rights to your old franchise back though: they're not worth much, but we know you want them?"

Miller: "Oh, that's a shame. Such a shame. Hey, I think you kind of promised me a movie a while back?"

Them: "Sure, we said you could do a movie of you... wait. Oh. Oh god."

Miller: "WITNESS ME!"

And Awesome was made.

[JoshL]

Finally saw this, and loved it as much as I expected I would.


And it actually shot fire, though according to the guy who played Doof, this came at the cost of making the actual guitar-part sound kind of awful.

This part, however, just seems crazy to me. I know at least a half dozen people who have guitars that shoot fireballs, and the guitars sound fine (yeah, I travel in odd circles). Properly shielding and isolating the pickups, you'll be fine, even with the extreme flamethrower. Not like was doing more than generic nu-metal riffs anyway; didn't exactly need nuance of tone! Tangentially, that it was post-added guitar is not a big deal. On average, 75% of the dialogue you hear in films is recorded in post (it's called ADR and it's an insanely difficult and thankless job). In a film with this many loud engines and fast motion (read: wind on the mic)? Probably a little bit more. It's all part of the process.

Anyway, loved the film. Not sure about Hardy's batman-growl, but his stoic detachment nailed the character.

[VariSami]

In at least the last page, there were some comments about Max's history being retconned or him becoming a folk hero not tied to a single person. Today, I read an article (in Finnish) about how one could justify the "Max" in Fury Road being the Feral Kid from Mad Max 2 (I have not seen the rest of the movies yet, mind you). It seemed convincing to me. To summarize the arguments:

1. The setting is much further into the post-apocalyptic future than the other movies, making Max's age not match his surroundings. Furiosa had spent 20 years under Immortan Joe, plus she was not a baby when taken.

2. The character does not match Max's actual cynical attitude. In the opening narration, he calls himself an asphalt warrior fighting for justice while in the original movie, Max wanted to quit because he was starting to enjoy the violence too much for his own good.

3. He has all the iconic gear he had lost at some point in the earlier movies... After parting ways with the Feral Kid who would still remember Max as he was then. Also, his leg seemed to have gotten better despite still wearing the support and his jacket was stitched together from multiple pieces, making it seem like an imitation.

4. He also has a certain music box which never held any value to Max. But it did for the Feral Kid whose most valued possession it was.

The theory was that the Feral Kid became a chieftain of sorts but when his family/tribe was killed, he retreated into the persona of the hero he had admired. This would also explain how the girl calls him her father despite Max's child having been a baby boy, at least to a degree.

[DigoDragon]

So like Dread Pirate Roberts, Mad Max is more a 'name' passed on than a specific person?

[LaZodiac]

Oda, the mangaka of One Piece, has made a picture of the cast from Mad Max: Fury Road.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CInvWGFUkAAY4Aq.jpg

[Lethologica]

that's pretty sick

i mean fury road was already pretty much a manga so
y'know
good medium for it

[GolemsVoice]

Awesome! nux looks extra scary

[PontificatusRex]

Hello all, just joined and though this is on the edge of thread necromancy I had to comment on what I think is the best science fiction/action flick I've seen in like forever. I join in the chorus about it's overall quality, very welcome feminist view point, etc, and wanted mostly to share my view of Max himself.

As others have noted, max can't realistically be the Max of the first three movies. Gotta figure that something like 40 or 50 years have passed since civilization 's fall - enough time for the Many Mothers tribe to form, establish a culture, and for Furiosa to be born into it, kidnapped and grow into adulthood. meanwhile, a new civilization capable of creating fuel and ammunition and explosives has grown out of the wreckage - Bartertown's progeny, spiritually if not literally. I'd say longer except that Immortan Joe and his brothers seem to actually be original survivors from the old days.

So who is Max then? Yes, the Feral Kid is a possibility, but I don't particularly care for the returning that the entire tribe that Max saved and Feral became the leader of in Road Warrior was wiped out offstage (though timelinewise, he could be the Feral Kid's son). I have to admit my favorite explanation drifts toward the mystical - just as it has been suggested by some film critics that Clint Eastwood's nameless gunslinger is not merely a homeless wanderer but is actually an aspect/incarnation of Death itself, I can't help but think that this Max is still the same Max Rockatansky, transformed by guilt and grief into an almost-ghost himself, mortal enough that he can be killed by others yet not allowing himself to die, and perhaps compelled on by the spirits in his memories that he failed to save.

One of the reasons I gravitate toward this idea is the way the girl in his memory (did she really say she was his daughter? I Only got that she was someone he said he would try to save but couldn't) went from tormenting him into following his conscience to actively saving his life, and then we never saw her again. She seemed more than a hallucination to me, she seemed like an actual spirit following him. And once that door is opened, there are all sorts of possibilities.

Anyway, that's my .02$. Awesome, amazing piece of cinema.

[brionl]

Just thought I'd mention, Mad Max: Fury Road DVD is on the 10 dollar shelf at Target now. I picked it up and it has some pretty nice special features, including a good one on the major vehicles.

[Blackhawk748]

Wow, that dropped in price fast.

[factotum]

Wow, that dropped in price fast.

Not really? It's more than a year since the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film happened, after all.

[brionl]

Oh yeah, and the show Jay Leno's Garage recently had a segment on Mad Max "re-enactors" who make those style cars are zoom around the desert in costume.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFMy0vrnA0I

[JoshL]

Part of the price drop is because of the special edition out soon. Theatrical version, plus a B&W version, which Miller has wanted to do for years. Apparently the rush-cut for Road Warrior was in B&W, and he loved how it brought out different details. Not sure how I feel about that, but looking forward to watching and finding out!