some quotes....

I just want to tell you, I'm the one who was supposed to take care of everything. I'm the one who was supposed to make everything okay for everybody. It just didn't work out like that. And I left. I left you... And now, I'm an old broken down piece of meat... and I'm alone. And I deserve to be all alone. I just don't want you to hate me.

-Randy 'The Ram' Robinson, The Wrestler

jeudi 14 mai 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)




(vì review viết vội nên tôi dùng tiếng Anh, rất xin lỗi nếu làm bạn nào thấy khó chịu)

One of the best action films I have seen in years! I have to give this film four and a half stars despite its full five-star quality due to its simplistic script (one may call it minimalist, but I think that such simplicity is definitely intentional for the sake of the action set-pieces). Simply put, "Fury Road" is a cat-and-mouse race full of awesome heroes and villains, spectacularly choreographed action sequences, but without any character development, in which the roles and characteristics of all the "racers" are set at the very beginning with only slim back-story and some slight "twists" along the race (the premise of this film is really similar to "Children of Men"'s, with an even stronger metaphoric emphasis on the matriarchy and the essential role of woman in human history but less complexed situations or twist-and-turn). But does that matter? No, absolutely not. Firstly, the film succeeded in NOT betraying its incredible trailer, a feat that not many films were able to accomplish in recent years. "Fury Road"'s trailer reminds me of Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch" - intense, stylistic, vengeful, and with a unique style of post-apocalyptic fantasy. But whereas "Sucker Punch" did suck in delivering such premise (pun intended), "Fury Road" in full is even more furious than its trailer and admirably appears with its own thirsty ambiance, ruddy environment, post-apocalyptic background without any lengthy voice-over explanations. One can tell that the director was able to achieve such amazement since he had done three such films before (I cannot tell, because I have not watched any of them, or could not remember watching them before - I was only amazed finding out that this is the same director of ... "Happy Feet" and this is the film pure action film that he directed after thirty bloody years!), but nevertheless such unique look and style are really really a treat to the audience's eyes with amazing details after amazing details, from the crazily-primped cars to the metaphoric appearance of the characters (this film definitely deserves to be watched on big screen, IMAX preferably, for thorough appreciation). The simple story-line and heroic awesomeness of the protagonists (which means not much place for contemplation or inner struggle - this film does not need them anyway) are delivered through spectacular high-octane action sequences (I feel sorry not being able to find a better word to describe their beauty), arranged with excellent tempo throughout the film, seamlessly stitched together through short but much-needed silence and peaceful moments. Even better than the choreograph and practical effects of the action sequences themselves is the superb score that successfully puts classical and metal soundtracks into an intense, excellently-timed, and, amazingly enough, touching when needed. Due to its thin plot, it will be a little bit difficult for the audience to "retell" "the film's story" to others, but every single one of those who have watched the film will definitely be able to tell how awesome and dominant Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa was throughout the film (euphorically and figuratively, since this is the first film I have seen that is able to "utilize" Theron's well-known super model build), even in comparison with the subtler Tom Hardy's Mad Max. As impressive as her own name, Imperator Furiosa might be one of the best action heroines of Hollywood this decade, alongside with Emily Blunt's Rita Vrataski from "Edge of Tomorrow". Not satisfied with that giant and effective pair of protagonists, the director still gave enough space for the minor characters to shine, and shine indeed they did, from the crazy but gradually likeable Nicholas Hoult's Nux, to the "Victoria Secret" Queens, who, despite their limited "true" on-screen time and restraint roles of "being beautiful", still have their own shining moments, especially Riley Keough's Queen Capable (capable indeed she was). In comparison, the antagonists were less built and appeared more generic and even a little bit disappointing (especially the boss-like ones), but they are nonetheless memorable for their fantastic outfits and some strange but iconic sequences. If not for the expensive price of the IMAX ticket, I really want to go back to the cinema to immerse myself in "Fury Road"'s awe-inspiring soundtrack and watch the breathtakingly iconic scenes that are normally reserved for epic historical/war films. Yes, in a way, this is a true epic action film, if I may say, and not those pretentious Marvel films, of which no "super-heroines" (well, they have only one so far) can be compared with the one-and-only true heroine Imperator Furiosa (I doubt that Warner Bros. can retain this effective style for their up-coming DC "movie-verse", given a was-and-always-will-be pretentious Zack Snyder). I can write longer and longer about this beloved film, but really, this is a cinema experience and high-quality entertainment that the audience deserves. Love this film, yes, I love this film.