George Miller has used a particular filming technique in his previous Road Warrior movies. He will capture the action with the camera running at a slightly slower speed. Then, when the footage is played back at normal speed, the action speeds up. This technique is called undercranking. The drawback is that sometimes the way people move quickly looks unnatural, "Charlie Chaplin-esque" in the way characters zip about. There were moments where this seemed to evoke some laughter from the audience. Something I'm not sure Miller wanted in those scenes.
As I mentioned, Miller has done this filming technique before, but as far as I can remember, it wasn't as obvious, at least not as obvious as it is in Furiosa. What Miller has perfected in these films are the intense pacing of the action scenes. There are some spectacular stunts that if were featured in some other action flick, it would be shown from several angles in slow motion. Not here. This is quite the assault on your senses as the relentless action is accompanied by a pounding soundtrack.
The female lead is the young version of Charlize Theron's character from "Fury Road". What a great job of casting. You really can believe this is a young Theron. The stunts in this movie certainly top anything seen in the Fast & Furious franchise or John Wick. You have to hand it to the action scene designer for coming up with some thrilling scenarios with some interesting wrinkles. Such as a big set piece located in a quarry. Another is our heroine grappling under a speeding semi-truck, nearly making contact with the spinning truck tires, making repairs while repelling boarders. Also worth noting is the intricate production design and cinematography. Going hand in hand, there are grand images of machines and structures against a desert background that are iconic.
As you may have heard, the action quotient for Furiosa tops Fury Road, which was also all action. There are more motorcycles and motorized hang gliders, adding another dimension to the type of stunts we are given this time. As for the casting, Chris Hemsworth works well as the charismatic villain. There are many other supporting characters that have their unique look, primarily with full body tattoos. The one exception is the truck driver, looking like the familiar Mad Max character. In this case, he is an actor I'm not familiar with. However he fulfills the role of the fearless road warrior just as well.
This movie fleshes out the backstory presented in Fury Road, and one could argue it is more interesting than the story in Fury Road. Both films have their moments, and Tom Hardy was perfect as Max, and Theron was his perfect foil. Here, it is Furiosa as the hardcore rebel that ultimately wants to get back to her homeland. Anya Taylor-Joy plays her with unrelenting intensity, reminding me of the lead in "Hanna", very smart with superb survival skills. I would say that "Fury Road" has a more satisfying ending, and I have to raise a yellow card for Furiosa clocking in at two and a half hours. Even with the sped-up action, there was just a bit too much. Part of that comes from numerous chases of one character after another.
But yet I am not complaining really. Sure some of the CGI was obvious, but not distracting. It is a far more original blockbuster movie for this summer than anything. The extended Road Warrior universe is worth the extra time, despite the slightly comical undercranking.
As I mentioned, Miller has done this filming technique before, but as far as I can remember, it wasn't as obvious, at least not as obvious as it is in Furiosa. What Miller has perfected in these films are the intense pacing of the action scenes. There are some spectacular stunts that if were featured in some other action flick, it would be shown from several angles in slow motion. Not here. This is quite the assault on your senses as the relentless action is accompanied by a pounding soundtrack.
The female lead is the young version of Charlize Theron's character from "Fury Road". What a great job of casting. You really can believe this is a young Theron. The stunts in this movie certainly top anything seen in the Fast & Furious franchise or John Wick. You have to hand it to the action scene designer for coming up with some thrilling scenarios with some interesting wrinkles. Such as a big set piece located in a quarry. Another is our heroine grappling under a speeding semi-truck, nearly making contact with the spinning truck tires, making repairs while repelling boarders. Also worth noting is the intricate production design and cinematography. Going hand in hand, there are grand images of machines and structures against a desert background that are iconic.
As you may have heard, the action quotient for Furiosa tops Fury Road, which was also all action. There are more motorcycles and motorized hang gliders, adding another dimension to the type of stunts we are given this time. As for the casting, Chris Hemsworth works well as the charismatic villain. There are many other supporting characters that have their unique look, primarily with full body tattoos. The one exception is the truck driver, looking like the familiar Mad Max character. In this case, he is an actor I'm not familiar with. However he fulfills the role of the fearless road warrior just as well.
This movie fleshes out the backstory presented in Fury Road, and one could argue it is more interesting than the story in Fury Road. Both films have their moments, and Tom Hardy was perfect as Max, and Theron was his perfect foil. Here, it is Furiosa as the hardcore rebel that ultimately wants to get back to her homeland. Anya Taylor-Joy plays her with unrelenting intensity, reminding me of the lead in "Hanna", very smart with superb survival skills. I would say that "Fury Road" has a more satisfying ending, and I have to raise a yellow card for Furiosa clocking in at two and a half hours. Even with the sped-up action, there was just a bit too much. Part of that comes from numerous chases of one character after another.
But yet I am not complaining really. Sure some of the CGI was obvious, but not distracting. It is a far more original blockbuster movie for this summer than anything. The extended Road Warrior universe is worth the extra time, despite the slightly comical undercranking.
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