Mad Max: Fury Road

WOW. My initial reaction. Absolutely incredible. This was a blast from the past and a brand new experience all at the same time, and I LOVED every second of it!

From beginning to end this is a visceral and vicious film that any action film fan will enjoy. In a post-apocalyptic world where oil is the desire of Immortan Joe (evil comes to life from Hugh Keays-Byrne), but water holds the real power, Max (embodied perfectly by Tom Hardy) and Furiosa (exquisitely played by Charlize Theron) must team up to escape. Nux (a surprising performance by Nicholas Hoult) is a great addition to the team.

If you enjoy action movies, this is right up your alley. This is the best action movie of the year, if not the decade. It could even be the best action movie of all time. It was fun, nuanced, and amazing. You think in seeing an action film, the character development won't be there, but George Miller brings you into the world perfectly and allows characters to say only the things, which are absolutely needed to tell the story. In an interview Tom Hardy was quoted saying that "you can fit all my dialogue on one page." Initially I scoffed at this statement, but after seeing the film I can't argue with it. It's a rare moment when it's funny because it's true. He has so few lines that his time on screen heavily depends on his actual acting ability and he doesn't disappoint.

Not only is the acting on all accounts fantastic (Charlize Theron brings it home, once again), but the way this was filmed blows my mind. Every stunt was done in real time and was not CGI. This might not sound that impressive, but once you see the film, you will go insane trying to think of all the planning, money, and skill that went into every single shot, stunt, or intense moment of the film.

Throughout the movie I was cheering, laughing, and clapping, probably to the dismay of others in the theater, but I was so invested and involved in the story that I didn't care. Many others were doing the same. It was that much fun. But more often than that, I found myself starring in awe of some of the incredible, beautifully composed shots during this action-packed adventure. The poster above is a part of the opening shot of the film and it pulls you into the world, both literally and figuratively.

One last note, I think this has been the absolute best use of 3D that I've ever seen. Mad Max: Fury Road proves that 3D can still be exciting and add to a storyline as opposed to just being a flash in the pan (*cough-cough* Avatar)

Never forget the importance of water in this world, or (Mad) Max Rockatansky will find you and make you regret your incompetence.

If you like action films, GO SEE MAD MAX: FURY ROAD NOW!

Dark Knight Rises

I have started this post at 3:54 am, the morning of July 20th. Or more accurately the day I've been waiting for for nearly a year, anticipating the glorious end to a great trilogy.

My previous favorite movie theater experience was a stereotypical event that many people would find irritating. I saw Wolf Creek in Mayfair mall at night. While at the theater the other spectators were yelling at the screen, which I loved! However this triple-feature at least tied that. In between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight we had trivia and between each of the movies we had a jolly old man come in and introduce the next film. It was also filled with some big Batman nerds, which made the experience that much greater. And I should say that midnight showings are nearly sacred to me. I LOVE midnight showings, the entire atmosphere is just better at these showings.

The third act of this trilogy is one of the better third acts I've ever seen. My opinion could be swayed due to my viewing of the entire trilogy in theaters. This was the first time I've ever done an in-theater movie marathon before and I'm happy this was the one I chose to see. The Dark Knight Rises tied in so closely and so well with the first two that having just seen them a mere six hours before the midnight premiere made the tie-ins that much more apparent. Many of the similarities were in the dialogue and a few flashbacks, but what set this apart in the trilogy was the cast.

The characters in every movie have had great performances (i.e. Joker/Heath Ledger). However, every character of this film has a perfect actor or actress who should have portrayed them and in true Christopher Nolan fashion each received his or her perfect fit. Whether it was newcomers Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) or John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) or old favorites Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) or Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) the actors were pitch perfect. Ladies and gentlemen we have a Catwoman that I actually liked! Not just a sex symbol, but a real character, Hathaway showed some grit in her performance as the jewel thief. For a comic book movie the characters felt real and not just like they were straight off the pages of a book.

What was really weighing on this film for many moviegoers was the villain, Bane. If you remember back to the first two trailers, his voice was nearly unintelligible and their best solution was to re-dub the film. It was the best solution and only strayed into the unbelievable and almost annoying once. Annoying may not even be the right word, but it got a bit high for a big guy like Bane. I simply cannot write a review without mentioning how Tom Hardy compared to Heath Ledger's Joker. Seeing as how the two villains are nearly polar opposites (one more physical and the other playing a more mental game) they were both great performances. Aside from Hardy's voice his performance gave me chills. I had to get picky to even think of this one incident.

As for the action, what would a Christopher Nolan Batman movie be without a lot of action? From the many new gadgets and the old ones he brought back were great fun to watch on screen. It was a terrific blend of action, character development, and story. So perfect that Nolan almost achieved something only two things have accomplished before: getting me to cry. I know I'm not the only one in the theater who was close to tears, and I don't care either. It was that good.

There are plenty of twists and turns that, while sometimes guessable, are much more fun to just let them happen. Replete with many jaw dropping, "aha," and "oh my god, did that really happen?" moments, Overall I thought it was a near perfect end to an outstanding trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises is the summer movie event I've been waiting for. I cannot wait to see it a few more times in the theaters. 

9.5/10