I knew Rotten Tomatoes was based on other reviews but wasn't familiar with the details. And "good but not 98% good" was someone else's comment I passed along. Metacritic is similar but seems to average scores rather than simple good/bad. Fury Road is 89% over there.
I do like intelligent action movies, and this sounds like that, and apparently the message doesn't spoil the fun.
MaRo says if you don't like a card, it's not bad, just not made for you, so leave it for the people who do like it. I already applied that to media that appeals to women and minorities. I thought Fury Road may have been an example. Apparently not.
I've heard some people say it was good but not 98% Rotten Tomatoes good. Perhaps that's an action movie high. Maybe that's feminist appeal making it seem even better than it is. Often ideological appeal or lack thereof affects judgment of art in addition to technical quality.
It's definitely not 98% on Rotten Tomatoes because of its politics. Whatever feminist cheerleader strawmen the MRAs are imagining, they certainly don't make up 98% of major film reviewers. And the movie really is not heavy-handed about anything except explosions. Prometheus had a much more anvilicious feminist message, for example - and if you're thinking "Wait a minute, how was Prometheus feminist?", that's my point exactly.
I think the film isn't subtle about anything involving its themes, but it doesn't have to be because the over the top action makes it relatively understandable to miss them on the first watch. The second time I noticed:
Immortan Joe, Bullet Farmer, and People Eater all represent a testosterone parade mixed with religion, being macho with guns, and mesh of corporate business model (each respective to the antagonist as listed), all three "coincidently" associated as pillars of the Tea Party and extreme conservatism. Movements that have coincidentally have a history of saying... controversial things to put it mildly... about women. It seems to want to have feminist slant in my opinion.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
I think the film isn't subtle about anything involving its themes, but it doesn't have to be because the over the top action makes it relatively understandable to miss them on the first watch. The second time I noticed:
Immortan Joe, Bullet Farmer, and People Eater all represent a testosterone parade mixed with religion, being macho with guns, and mesh of corporate business model (each respective to the antagonist as listed), all three "coincidently" associated as pillars of the Tea Party and extreme conservatism. Movements that have coincidentally have a history of saying... controversial things to put it mildly... about women. It seems to want to have feminist slant in my opinion.
I have heard that the movie shows a tough guy attitude backfiring, a feminist argument that sexism hurts men as well, but I hadn't thought of that as a political allegory
Edit: got a free movie ticket deal off of Kelloggs cereal boxes. It's marketed for Age of Ultron (would like to see that too), but says it would work for any movie. Probably seeing Fury Road Friday afternoon.
I dont get why people is so obssesed with "the message" of this movie. Its two hours of people busting each other, riding cars. It could have had a racist/sexist/pro-dictatorship message and still be ( in terms of fun and formal value, not morals) a good movie.
I took my significant other to see it yesterday (truly hates actions movies), and ended up stoked and astonished.
I think the obsession with the message comes from the manner that the over-the-top crazy action acts as a spectacle in front of characters that actually have emotional arcs.
Take Nux - In retrospect, the fact that he was given more dialogue than necessary to explain 'I'm attached to Max.' should have signified something was up with that character before the second time he lived against all odds. But he went through a huge emotional journey and told us a lot about the world we were watching. Those scenes where the redhead bride talked to him (him, as a person) were a huge revelation to Nux. He went from a war boy, born to follow what he was told is glory by a guy up top because that is what you do, to someone suddenly feels another human care about him as a person. Care about him, for just that, not as a sacrificial lancer/driver/blow-upping-guy.
This is not only a crux of his personal story arc from 'be chrome' to 'I have value', but an exposition of what life is, or lacks, when you lose a multifaceted lens of seeing value within individuals of a society, and instead live under an abusive ideal.
You have crazy excellent action, but also tender scenes with folk like Nux giving you a glimpse of the world that can be considered in multiple ways. That is what makes it more meaningful than 'Crank', which I mentioned earlier. Crank has a similar adrenaline kick vibe throughout, but does it while murdering trans folk and making rape into a joke. Fury Road gives the adrenaline kick with room for us to explore the people involved. There's the obvious message, and room to tweak it as much as you feel like speaking about it.
There's nothing wrong with stopping at 'Great action movie.'. But the underlying depth of world-building and characterization gives it subconscious appeal, even if you don't delve into the exposition of why someone dislikes 'action flicks' could like this one.
So the message seems more prominent compared to action movies that don't have one like that?
Mad Max: Fury Road was definitely great at being the action move that it was.
So much of this looked really cool, especailly the giant vehicles.
Immortan Joe being encased in armor due to sickness reminds me of Darth Vader; was that an intentional homage to the classic villain? Especially with some of the other people in Joe's camp, it was clear the environment was making people sick.
It seems the waterfall and hoses wasted some of the water they did have. Were those gas guzzlers necessary for the terrain? Are those plot holes, or points about wastefulness?
Likewise, did Joe need so much firepower to hunt down Furiosa? It seemed unnecessary or even counterproductive against their small numbers. At least one of his officers acknowledged the cost.
For me, the twist was when the renegades decided to turn around. I first saw that as clever tactics. It also seems like a message about not running from your problems, or leaving people behind, or abandoning something valuable due to difficulty.
Nux and Capable was great for some of the slower moments. Even something like this can't run full-throttle all the time.
The feminist plot elements were not overbearing or preachy at all. In that regard, I especially liked a shot where Max and Furiosa leaned in close but didn't kiss.
I do like intelligent action movies, and this sounds like that, and apparently the message doesn't spoil the fun.
MaRo says if you don't like a card, it's not bad, just not made for you, so leave it for the people who do like it. I already applied that to media that appeals to women and minorities. I thought Fury Road may have been an example. Apparently not.
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
I think the film isn't subtle about anything involving its themes, but it doesn't have to be because the over the top action makes it relatively understandable to miss them on the first watch. The second time I noticed:
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
I have heard that the movie shows a tough guy attitude backfiring, a feminist argument that sexism hurts men as well, but I hadn't thought of that as a political allegory
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
Please just go watch the movie. If you don't like it I will reimburse you, just go. Blinking Spirit can make me do it.
Maybe the MRA talk poisoned the well.
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
Shocker
Heh. Hope those kings don't return.
Edit: got a free movie ticket deal off of Kelloggs cereal boxes. It's marketed for Age of Ultron (would like to see that too), but says it would work for any movie. Probably seeing Fury Road Friday afternoon.
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
This is not only a crux of his personal story arc from 'be chrome' to 'I have value', but an exposition of what life is, or lacks, when you lose a multifaceted lens of seeing value within individuals of a society, and instead live under an abusive ideal.
You have crazy excellent action, but also tender scenes with folk like Nux giving you a glimpse of the world that can be considered in multiple ways. That is what makes it more meaningful than 'Crank', which I mentioned earlier. Crank has a similar adrenaline kick vibe throughout, but does it while murdering trans folk and making rape into a joke. Fury Road gives the adrenaline kick with room for us to explore the people involved. There's the obvious message, and room to tweak it as much as you feel like speaking about it.
There's nothing wrong with stopping at 'Great action movie.'. But the underlying depth of world-building and characterization gives it subconscious appeal, even if you don't delve into the exposition of why someone dislikes 'action flicks' could like this one.
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Mad Max: Fury Road was definitely great at being the action move that it was.
So much of this looked really cool, especailly the giant vehicles.
Immortan Joe being encased in armor due to sickness reminds me of Darth Vader; was that an intentional homage to the classic villain? Especially with some of the other people in Joe's camp, it was clear the environment was making people sick.
It seems the waterfall and hoses wasted some of the water they did have. Were those gas guzzlers necessary for the terrain? Are those plot holes, or points about wastefulness?
Likewise, did Joe need so much firepower to hunt down Furiosa? It seemed unnecessary or even counterproductive against their small numbers. At least one of his officers acknowledged the cost.
For me, the twist was when the renegades decided to turn around. I first saw that as clever tactics. It also seems like a message about not running from your problems, or leaving people behind, or abandoning something valuable due to difficulty.
Nux and Capable was great for some of the slower moments. Even something like this can't run full-throttle all the time.
The feminist plot elements were not overbearing or preachy at all. In that regard, I especially liked a shot where Max and Furiosa leaned in close but didn't kiss.
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica