Mad Max…right…wow…Where to start. I didn’t know much about this film I just went to see it because it looked fun and I guess you could say it was fun… if you are clinically insane.
First let’s do the good bits, which there are quite a few. The cars, if that is what you can call them. Every young monster truck fans dream. I don’t know who was in charge of designing these contraptions but he deserves a pat on the back. The cars are not just pretty props, they are built to perform the most outrageous live stunts. They were one of the best parts of this film. Another thing I liked about Mad Max was the actors. I think it’s fair to say that these actors had little to work with but they manage to pull off some seriously good performances. Nicholas Hoult who is known for being the young ‘Beast’ in the new X-men series, which he is pretty good in. He gives probably the best performance in this film, he really embraces the madness of the whole thing. He makes us believe that he is a bald, post-apocalyptic degenerate who loves to drive monster trucks and blow stuff up. I mean who doesn’t love that. Also Charlize Theron who plays Furiosa at first I thought she was a daughter of the ‘King Guy’ (I have no idea who he is). But no we are told that she was born in this ‘Green place’. I would have liked a bit more back story to her character. On the other hand, the performance is pretty good again she is very believable. In contrast to Hoult’s character she seems to be a person have been effected by all the madness she is a very sombre character and also a very good shot. Hugh Keays-Byrne who returns to Mad Max but as a different villain, Immortan Joe, he’s the ‘King guy’. He would definitely give a lot of 10 year olds nightmares. So a good villain I would say.
I’m not sure I can call this film is aestechtically pleasing because at some points it’s not very pleasing to look at, putting it bluntly. Some of it is actually quite hard to watch, I think the word is creepy like the man who is a baby? Or doesn’t have legs? Or the rather large ladies getting the ‘mothers milk’ pumped from them. However, there is some truly wonderful shots in the film. There is a point where Theron’s character is having a little breakdown and the sand is flowing past and it is quite mesmerising. The sandstorm sequence also was pretty baffling. There are makings of a visual masterpiece in this film but sometimes it is just too ‘Mad’.
Now, the not so good things. Tom Hardy, Max. Don’t get me wrong he is a brilliant actor and does act well in this but it just doesn’t feel right. He never actually gets Mad, I wanted to see him hulk out and smash something up but for 75% of the time he was just sitting in silence. I also didn’t understand what was going on with the little girl he kept seeing, I think he could see people die or something. Another annoying thing is the lack of dialogue, there are parts of the film where you are waiting for something to be said and it just doesn’t come and when the dialogue comes it’s mostly meaningless.
I know this film is called MAD Max but George Miller didn’t need to go all out insanity on us. Some bits are just too crazy and as I alluded to earlier it is actually hard to watch at some points, I don’t know if that was what Miller was going for but if it was I don’t think it was the right way to go. Probably the worst thing in the film is the story line, or the lack of one. You don’t really understand what has been going until the last 20 minutes and even then it’s quite stupid. I get the whole redemption thing Furiosa has going on but that just can’t be the only story going on, the film isn’t called ‘Mad Furiosa’.
Despite all the film’s short comings, it is still spectacular. It is probably too mad but there points where it is just right and you are taken away with the madness. There are lots of words to describe the film but boring is not one of them. The film is basically 90% fight scenes, car chases and explosions what’s not to like. Its 2 hour of uninterrupted, captivating action. I understand that poeple completely adore this film but I don’t really get why. I see the incredible production desing and stunt work but beyond that I don’t really see anything else which is why in my opinion this film is…
What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate 