Trailing Off: "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)

Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.

Trailer in Discussion

Directed By: George Miller

Written By: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

- Preamble -

I am not the biggest Mad Max fan out there. This isn't to say that I don't like the films. My general disinterest comes from the similar reasons of not liking most action movies. The first Mad Max was riddled with minimalist car chases and a romance that was crucial but only made it seem slow. When people think about the apocalyptic series, they think of the sequel The Road Warrior, which was very much a film that shook the world by its core and made Mel Gibson into a star. There was a lot to like about it, especially because its bigger budget meant that it could do more interesting things. 

While I wouldn't list it among my favorites, The Road Warrior is a well built film that manages to capture something great about the minimalism. Shot in Australia, it has a story dealing with hierarchy and even gas. It feels oddly prescient and is very much one of those miracle films that works better than it should. Most of all, it made George Miller a particularly exciting director to loom out for. I haven't seen Beyond Thunderdome yet, but I presume that it is on par with The Road Warrior in terms of overall quality.

What makes the latest film a particularly exciting one is that while it may be rebooting the series after a great absence, it is being done by the person who created it. Miller is a director who has had a creaky career to say the least. While he made some of Australia's most successful films, he also created the bothersome Happy Feet, which is completely removed from the Mad Max action set pieces. I am unsure if I really trust him, but there has to be something there if he feels the need to make it now after many decades and Gibson's tarnished image.

Of course, I simply think that Tom Hardy is a capable actor worthy of more success. Since Bronson, he has been one of my favorite action actors who continually surprises me and gives me reason to care. Even when he's just driving a car in Locke, he manages to bring something humane and personal. It has been awhile since I have seen a Hardy film that I downright love in an action sense, but he remains a consistent force of power worth investing in. 

I am both skeptical and curious to see what these two will do together. While Miller pretty much made the quintessential early car movies, he also made the least essential Oscar-winning penguin movie in existence. There's a lot to ponder with this choice. However, we have been waiting for a trailer to properly judge. Now that we have one upon us, it's time to see what exactly he has in store and if it can be worth ignoring that problematic middle point in his career.

- Dissection -

To say the least, Mad Max fans will not be disappointed by what they see here. From the opening stretch in which we see those familiar desert scenes, there's a sense of continuity that is one sign of relief. In a sense, everything that follows feels like a Neveldine & Taylor film full of ridiculously nihilistic action sequences and overdramatic score. It is overwhelming and cartoonish in ways that will either appeal to you or not. If you liked the previous Mad Max films, I have trouble seeing you disliking this. Even the conversation about oil that serves as the only actual plot discussion in the film feels familiar.

However, there is something that must be enjoyed. It is essentially just an excuse to have stylized cars and outfits in an apocalyptic landscape. While the effects look a little overpowering, it does create a sense of immediacy that you wouldn't necessarily expect. It grabs your attention as the cars are pretty much some of the most insane designs that are currently out there. There's Nicholas Hoult with a very weird face going on. Everything is moving too fast and if the insanity doesn't grab you, nothing will.

I am not entirely sure what to expect from it all. The dust storm is a little much for me, as it feels like the only addition to the original cars and oil story that doesn't work for me. Even then, the trailer manages to show the peril of driving cars with a lot of energy. If nothing else, this feels like a teaser trailer done right. It gives me enough to care and enough to wonder about until the film comes out. While Tom Hardy doesn't do much and the hyperbole of Miller as a "mastermind" is a little silly, it does all come together in a brilliant vision that will hopefully be brought to life on screen.

- One Sentence Sell -

Mad Max is back with another crazy car movie full of insane visuals thanks to a clearly larger budget.

- Trove or Trash -

TROVE

There could be some bias, as I do like me some Tom Hardy. However, the rest of the trailer is effective in getting me to care about this strange and presumed unnecessary sequel. It gives me a lot to chew on and the hope of something great to come. I do worry that the budget will make it a little too much, but for now it makes me excited in ways that I wasn't before for this film.