Hello, all!
Some out there might think this is a particularly topical pick, and maybe it really is yet another illustration of the old adage that art imitates life. Whether or not that’s true, however, it is a very solid sequel to the original film, broadening the scope of the mid-apocalyptic world introduced in the original.
While MAD MAX introduced the idea of a society beginning to break down thanks to oil shortages, THE ROAD WARRIOR plants the audience right in the middle of the dystopian landscape of a society reduced to communities clustered around whatever oil [or oil refinery] they can find and the roving marauders seeking to take it. While there could be plenty of discussion about the potential for such an apocalyptic world to develop, and the film smartly allows for that, the focus is primarily on the actions between “settlers” and the “raiders.”
Much like yesterday’s film, then, this could be considered a kind of Western film, with the Mad Max character being akin to something from one of Eastwood’s “Man With No Name” films, the aforementioned “settlers” being the townsfolk he’s somehow obliged to deliver from their Alamo-like circumstances, and the gang led by the aptly named “The Humungus.” Vernon Wells deserves a shoutout here, too, as the lead henchman for The Humungus. He plays the part with the same sort of demented exuberance as you’d expect from him, especially in a role like this.
Despite all of it being just a little weird, like director George Miller hijacked a music video from the 80s to conduct principal photography, it’s grounded enough in a reasonable “What if?” world and what we all know about human nature to work.
And then, of course, there’s the action. It’s absolutely brilliant, particularly the stunt work. For one example, I submit:
It’s everything that MAD MAX was… but bigger. Happily, the film doesn’t dumb anything down. No, it isn’t a documentary of Kasparov playing chess against IBM’s Watson, but the film always keeps at least one foot inside the realm of what is plausible in such situations. Even The Humungus is more than just some dumb brute, as one might expect from someone leading a band of mohawked motorcycle miscreants. In other words, it’s what you’d want from a sequel – more of the same, but without insulting either the original film or the audience. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO]
Some out there might think this is a particularly topical pick, and maybe it really is yet another illustration of the old adage that art imitates life. Whether or not that’s true, however, it is a very solid sequel to the original film, broadening the scope of the mid-apocalyptic world introduced in the original.
While MAD MAX introduced the idea of a society beginning to break down thanks to oil shortages, THE ROAD WARRIOR plants the audience right in the middle of the dystopian landscape of a society reduced to communities clustered around whatever oil [or oil refinery] they can find and the roving marauders seeking to take it. While there could be plenty of discussion about the potential for such an apocalyptic world to develop, and the film smartly allows for that, the focus is primarily on the actions between “settlers” and the “raiders.”
Much like yesterday’s film, then, this could be considered a kind of Western film, with the Mad Max character being akin to something from one of Eastwood’s “Man With No Name” films, the aforementioned “settlers” being the townsfolk he’s somehow obliged to deliver from their Alamo-like circumstances, and the gang led by the aptly named “The Humungus.” Vernon Wells deserves a shoutout here, too, as the lead henchman for The Humungus. He plays the part with the same sort of demented exuberance as you’d expect from him, especially in a role like this.
Despite all of it being just a little weird, like director George Miller hijacked a music video from the 80s to conduct principal photography, it’s grounded enough in a reasonable “What if?” world and what we all know about human nature to work.
And then, of course, there’s the action. It’s absolutely brilliant, particularly the stunt work. For one example, I submit:
It’s everything that MAD MAX was… but bigger. Happily, the film doesn’t dumb anything down. No, it isn’t a documentary of Kasparov playing chess against IBM’s Watson, but the film always keeps at least one foot inside the realm of what is plausible in such situations. Even The Humungus is more than just some dumb brute, as one might expect from someone leading a band of mohawked motorcycle miscreants. In other words, it’s what you’d want from a sequel – more of the same, but without insulting either the original film or the audience. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO]
