A World Without Mel: Mad Max Fury Road

Full disclosure - I love Mel Gibson. No, I don't love love him, and I wouldn't say I even had a man crush on him. My love for Mel is purely based on an appreciation for his talent. Talent might even be too strong a word for it. What I appreciate most about him is his presence. Whether you consider him in his heyday as a young, charismatic leading man (sans mullet), or in his later years as an acclaimed director, you have to admit, the man has presence.

Now, obviously there's the private life of Mel that we're all aware of - his drinking, his relationships, his religion. To be honest, I generally avoid the tabloids and what celebrities do outside of their work. Fact is, some of my 'heroes' have been highly flawed individuals with questionable ideals. J. D. Salinger, for instance. Or Philip K Dick. Want to knock someone of the pedestal you've put them on? Read their biography.

Anyone who's had a quick look at this blog will undoubtedly notice numerous references to the Mad Max films (particularly Beyond Thunderdome, my favourite). So, when shooting began on Fury Road, I was excited to see where George Miller would take our eponymous hero. Since it's release, I've watched it repeatedly - and there are very few movies released this decade that I could say the same thing for. Fury Road is an extremely well made, highly watchable film, but it isn't perfect. Even on the first viewing, I knew something was off. Sure, the throwbacks to the previous films were often off-putting. The lack of screen time for Tom Hardy's Max was somewhat baffling. But my biggest issue with the film was the complete lack of disregard for the timeline.

George Miller has never been one to pander to the desires of the fans. Once you've seen Bruce Spence play a pilot in the second film and a completely different pilot in the third, it becomes pretty clear that Miller isn't fazed by a need to retain perfect continuity between films.

Bruce Spence: Gyro Captain/Jedediah the Pilot.

The society and structure of the world of Fury Road is so different to the previous films, so extreme, it would make sense to call this a comic book style reboot. Except you can't, because the prelude graphic novel released after the film tells us the first three movies are cannon. 

1985 vs 2015: Were Films Better 30 Years Ago?

There has been a lot of negative talk recently about the state of the film industry (and by recently I mean the past 15 years). From fanboys and film geeks to skinny jean hipsters and wise old Gen Xs, many, including myself, have lamented the lack of original content in cinemas. It feels like every movie released today is an adaptation, sequel, remake or reboot. “Remember the 80s?” we'd cry, “when film makers told original stories that would spawn franchises and potentially achieve cult status?”

For illustrative purposes only.

We are quick to blame the corporations. If movies have taught us anything, it's to never trust the company stooge. Concerned only with brand recognition and profit margins, corporate bigwigs have been known to frequently treat the film industry like some kind of 'business', callously stifling creativity for the sake of a few dollars. 

What if we were to line up the movies of 1985 and 2015 side by side - would the statistics prove the mid-eighties to really be the halcyon days of cinema? Was 1985 truly the greatest year in film history, or are you looking at the past with nostalgia goggles?