Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Since fuel is such a precious commodity in the film, why are all of the vehicles outrageous gas guzzlers? I guess it would be pretty boring otherwise.

 

I think it's supposed to be ironic and some kinda metaphor!

 

There is a video on youtube of a guy who had Max's Interceptor built and it gets like 6 miles to the gallon.

 

That's like asking why, in The Walking Dead, where fuel is scarce and walkers are attracted to sound, the characters decide to use a giant fire truck -- which probably needs diesel fuel and gets 5 miles per gallon -- to drive from Atlanta to Washington DC, and Daryl rides alongside solo in a noisy motorcycle. Because it looks cooler that way.

Next thing, you'll be Neil DeGrasse Tyson complaining about how the star field in scenes is not correct for the location (as he complained about Titanic, when Kate Winslet is on driftwood looking up at the sky).

 

I think it's different because in "MM:FR", the pursuit of fuel is a plot point. If it was just a matter of George Miller wanting loud muscle cars and whatnot to look "cool", he could do so without the story area related to fuel scarcity.

I don't think Miller chose to have characters pursue gas in gas guzzlers by accident - whether or not one agrees with this choice, I'm pretty sure it's intended as commentary...

 

It's ironic, intended or not. It gave me a chuckle to think about a gang riding around in economy cars due to their fuel efficiency.

 

I got the sense that water was actually more precious than gasoline in the film's universe.

 

The "pursuit" of fuel in FR is like a more dangerous trip to the local gas station--in this case "Gas Town"--but fuel doesn't appear to be scarce per se, so I don't see an issue with using gas guzzling vehicles. What I understood is that there are groups controlling precious materials and they trade with each other: there's Gas Town, I think it's Furiosa who also mentions "Bullet Town," and of course the water that Joe controls.

John K.

 

So ... the Doof Wagon was commentary?

 

Yes - it was a subtle critique of the excesses of the hair metal era!

A whole lot of "MM:FR" existed to look cool - too much, IMO. But I still think Miller used gas-guzzlers as irony...

 

I don't think gas-guzzlers were meant to be ironic. They're just a part of the macho, gang-based post apocalyptic culture.

 

Film of the year.

 

I rented this a few days ago and enjoyed it but rated it a 3.5, since you get the movie for a few days when you rent I watched it again a few days later and enjoyed it a lot more! I'd agree that Theron's character was the main one. Since it took the whole flick before Hardy says his name is Max I thought wouldn't have been cool if Theron had said her name was Max? I was surprised at the R rating as it seemed totally OK for a kid to watch. Man, Theron's beauty knocks me out!!! I read this past week that Hardy's signed up to do 2 more!

 

Perfect daily driver for Manhattan.

 

I was hoping the Doof Wagon would star at Riot Fest this year. How about Burning Man?

 

My opinion of this film has changed quite dramatically now I have it on DVD. I did like it at the cinema, watching it twice in 2D and once in 3D over a number of weeks. However, I now see it as a failure with little or no plot line and the action is somewhat diminished on the small screen. You notice the lack of plot / story a lot more when you're not focused on being blown away by stunts and live action on a large canvas in front of you. Someone suggested that this film is actually no better than Thunderdome. I'm now inclined to agree with that. Sure, it's noisier and has more explosive dare-devil stuntwork but it's far too thin everywhere else. Watching it today I have absolutely no clue about the motivation of any characters and care even less. MM II this certainly isn't. I would rather watch Thunderdome again. At least Thunderdome had more going on and it was as different to MM II as MM II was to the original MM. Fury Road is all noise and dust with little to resonate with the viewer once the credits roll. It's a 'straight' reboot of the chase sequence that helped make MM II into such a compelling film originally but it fails to engage the viewer in the way that film did. Where were all the colourful characters and quirky people who populated that film? And Max, whatever happened to him? He's now a grunting individual who suffers from cliched flashbacks! I'm inclined to think, no Mel, no Mad Max now.

 

Totally disagree. I never saw it in the cinema but home on TV and was totally blown away by the artistry, construction and pure adrenalin rush. And I could never understand the criticism that there was no plot or story. It's just amazing how two people can watch the same work and come away with totally different opinions.

 

Well you're certainly in the majority, so no worries there! I can't find a bad word written about this film anywhere by anyone in a professional capacity. It is probably the most critically acclaimed film of the past 15 years. I'm happy to be in the minority; I'm not going to like it for anyone else. I gave it a fair chance (more than most movies these days) due to my long-held appreciation for MM II and the original film to a lesser degree. Certainly there is nothing in Fury Road that hasn't been done by Miller before. I don't like any of the characters; they are so under-written and 2 dimensional. I couldn't care less who dies or who doesn't. In MM II you have to route for Max, Gyro-Captain and a few others possibly. Here it's impossible to know why Furiosa is doing what she's doing, what motivated her or why she's doing it now. As for Max, he's a side-show who could have been killed at the beginning and the movie would have been the same. Sorry, I'm in the minority and I'm cool about that but I just don't get the acclaim of this film now.

At least Thunderdome had the fight sequence, Bartertown and a few David Lean-esque desert scenes. The chase was a damp squid compared to MM II but Fury Road is JUST a chase that makes ZERO sense. Think about it: they follow Furiosa in the War Rig so far and then just STOP for no reason. She turns around (hey?) and goes back exactly the reverse of the way she came. They coveniently start their pursuit again. WTF? The script is nonsensical to the point of distraction (for me).

 

Are we not entertained?!

 

Well he did say "dvd" lol

 

I just watched this last night and posted on it in the thread "Last Movie You Watched".

Here's the post: After the first 30 minutes of watching I thought I was playing "Twisted Metal" on my Playstation. But, I stayed with it and actually enjoyed it for what it was, mindless entertainment at it's finest. I'll give it 7 out of 10. I'll go a bit further on here cause i wanna know, WHAT was the point of getting sprayed with silver spray paint in the mouth for? Never got it unless it was just some sadistic ritual that clown used to keep his minions under his thumb. And I do agree that WATER was the most precious commodity. In the beginning wasn't that a refinery that produced gas where Theron and her skeletor ghost men were going with the select breeding girls lol? GOD thats funny to me. Without water there is no "green".

 

It was a part of a ritualistic custom before going into battle and/or doing something suicidal, in the belief that it would lift them to a higher place - Valhalla.

George Miller remarked about his inspiration where he saw a documentary where young Cambodian soldiers would go into war with little jaded deities, and before they ran into battle, they put them in their mouths and held them with little straps.

 

Here the whole story from the Fury Road Wiki, http://madmax.wikia.com/wiki/War_Boys

• War Boy's act of spraying their teeth with chrome paint was inspired by a 1981, Oscar nominated documentary entitled "Front Line". It follows the career of Tasmanian-born combat cameraman Neil Davis, particularly his time in South Vietnam and Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[3] George Miller said in an interview[4]:

“ I saw a documentary where young [Cambodian] soldiers would go into war, they had little jaded deities -- and before they ran into battle, they put them in their mouths and just held them with little straps. ”

– George Miller

Seeing this peculiar act on screen inspired him to create a similar ritual for the War Boys whom would spray their teeth with chrome paint before battle (or more precisely, before an attack) which would help bring them to Valhalla. Additionally, this ritual is analogous to a real world act of 'Chroming', i.e. inhaling intoxicative volatile vapors or gases of chrome paint via the nose and trachea.[5] A third reason for this ritual is that the War Boys - weary of their dwindling health desire to be more like 'indestructable' machines, not only through body modification representing mechanical parts (engine blocks, spanners, cog wheels etc), practicing the religion of the "V8", but also ultimately spraying their faces with chrome paint - regarded as the most beautiful finish on a machine, which might help them reach 'Valhalla'.

 

I wished Miller had spent half as long writing a half decent script for the film than he obviously did thinking about half-baked analogies or references to obscure Cambodian documentaries, that have little or no resonance within the film.

 

The specific knowledge of the Cambodian inspiration wasn't at all relevant to my enjoyment of the movie. I did not know about it at the time I saw the film, but it was obvious to me that it was just some kind of waring ritual that tends to develop all the time in isolated tribal communities. To later learn that it was based on a specific real-world ritual is just icing on the cake.