REVscene Automotive Forum - View Single Post - What's the last movie you saw and rate it...

SkinnyPupp · 05-18-2015, 05:42 AM

MAD MAX 10/10

THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE AN ACTION MOVIE.

For a while I wondered if I was just never going to be able to enjoy action movies ever again. Every time I try, I get more and more jaded by how poorly they're mad. Shit plot lines that do nothing but give an excuse to show shitty CGI for 90 minutes at a time, broken up by dull exposition scenes with poor acting. I rarely care about any of the characters, because it feels like you know they are just going to come out fine in the end, with no threat to interrupt their pre-determined arc. There's no reason to care about Iron Man or Optimus Prime, because they're just going to do what they do - have a bunch of lame CGI fights against stuff that isn't there, in a world that is nothing but a backdrop to more CGI fights.

THIS MOVIE IS NOT LIKE THAT.

I can't believe how well constructed the world is. With no introduction at all (if I ever watched the original, I can't remember), you're thrown into what feels like a developed world that actually exists. There's no opening scroll of text telling you who is who, the characters are all just there. You know who they are just by watching them interact with each other. The plot line is thin, and that is a GOOD thing. We aren't worried about some macguffin that will destroy the world, it's just some evil tyrant that needs to be dealt with. The basic plotline has a very human feel to it, and was plenty to give the characters their motivations.

A thin plot line like this works because the ACTION IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD. There were two times where I had to remind myself to breathe. Because everyone is interacting with things that look like real objects - vehicles and weapons - and presumably it uses a lot of practical effects (if not, they're doing a damn good job of disguising CGI) it doesn't just looks like a silly cartoon. You're not watching a fake archer shoot arrows at fake robots flying around a fake skyline around fake buildings. Instead you have a dude fighting another dude on top of a moving truck, and shooting dudes in the face. Blood and guts go flying - not uncanny valley-shattering splashes of red mist.

And the world itself... Every new scene introduces a visual spectacle that brought a smile to my face every time. Each different faction had their own unique look and method of warfare. It has just the right amount of b-movie cheese to give it that fun comic feel, while maintaining an obviously bleak post-apocalyptic feel. Each new boss villain is introduced with his own fanfare, giving a whacky one-liner just to add a bit of flavour.

Finally, the action scenes are long, and chaotic. A lot is happening, but I never once found it difficult to follow. I have NO idea how the director managed this. It's just bat-shit insane, but you know exactly what is happening!

This is easily the best action movie I've seen in a very long time. Edit: I just realized that the last time I felt this way about an action movie was probably The Matrix. This movie was a masterpiece.

05-18-2015, 05:42 AM	#8918
SkinnyPupp Hacked RS to become a mod Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Sunny Hong Kong Posts: 55,110 Thanked 25,916 Times in 9,108 Posts Failed 1,574 Times in 720 Posts Member's Picture Albums	MAD MAX 10/10 THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE AN ACTION MOVIE. For a while I wondered if I was just never going to be able to enjoy action movies ever again. Every time I try, I get more and more jaded by how poorly they're mad. Shit plot lines that do nothing but give an excuse to show shitty CGI for 90 minutes at a time, broken up by dull exposition scenes with poor acting. I rarely care about any of the characters, because it feels like you know they are just going to come out fine in the end, with no threat to interrupt their pre-determined arc. There's no reason to care about Iron Man or Optimus Prime, because they're just going to do what they do - have a bunch of lame CGI fights against stuff that isn't there, in a world that is nothing but a backdrop to more CGI fights. THIS MOVIE IS NOT LIKE THAT. I can't believe how well constructed the world is. With no introduction at all (if I ever watched the original, I can't remember), you're thrown into what feels like a developed world that actually exists. There's no opening scroll of text telling you who is who, the characters are all just there. You know who they are just by watching them interact with each other. The plot line is thin, and that is a GOOD thing. We aren't worried about some macguffin that will destroy the world, it's just some evil tyrant that needs to be dealt with. The basic plotline has a very human feel to it, and was plenty to give the characters their motivations. A thin plot line like this works because the ACTION IS ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD. There were two times where I had to remind myself to breathe. Because everyone is interacting with things that look like real objects - vehicles and weapons - and presumably it uses a lot of practical effects (if not, they're doing a damn good job of disguising CGI) it doesn't just looks like a silly cartoon. You're not watching a fake archer shoot arrows at fake robots flying around a fake skyline around fake buildings. Instead you have a dude fighting another dude on top of a moving truck, and shooting dudes in the face. Blood and guts go flying - not uncanny valley-shattering splashes of red mist. And the world itself... Every new scene introduces a visual spectacle that brought a smile to my face every time. Each different faction had their own unique look and method of warfare. It has just the right amount of b-movie cheese to give it that fun comic feel, while maintaining an obviously bleak post-apocalyptic feel. Each new boss villain is introduced with his own fanfare, giving a whacky one-liner just to add a bit of flavour. Finally, the action scenes are long, and chaotic. A lot is happening, but I never once found it difficult to follow. I have NO idea how the director managed this. It's just bat-shit insane, but you know exactly what is happening! This is easily the best action movie I've seen in a very long time. Edit: I just realized that the last time I felt this way about an action movie was probably The Matrix. This movie was a masterpiece.