MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Director: George Miller
(Gearing up for the Academy awards -- Sunday, Feb. 28th @ 7PM on ABC!! -- I recently caught-up with this movie in its theatrical re-release, and feel compelled to share my thoughts before the big unveiling of my own TOP TEN MOVIE LIST -- date TBD).
This action movie is nothing short of 'visionary' -- of course, this being the latest in the Mad Max franchise, the vision is of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Hellscape called Australia -- but what can one expect?
After a 30-year hiatus since Mad Max went Beyond Thunderdome, what is amazing is that the septuagenarian Aussie director George Miller not only still has the vision, he gives the series a jolt of adrenaline to excite both old and new audiences. (J.J. Abrams does something comparable with STAR WARS, under much more pressure from fans, and he likewise succeeds beyond expectations).
Mr. Miller can teach every Hollywood young-gun director a thing of two about staging action scenes : this entire movie is one extended chase sequence, on an epic scale, and he piles on one mind-blowing set piece after another (think 'pole-vaulting bad guys'). From the opening scene, the movie drops you into a horrifying existence, with little exposition, and forces you to go along for the ride.
The visual effects alone are worthy of an Oscar, but the cinematography, hair & make-up, sound mixing, and sound effects editing are also top notch. A note on the actors: amidst the chaos around her, Charlize Theron conveys more with her eyes than many a silent film star did. It is loud, confusing, and unrelenting. And for a movie-lover, it is why you go to the movies.
