Oh whoopee, another Mad Max movie is turning the franchise into the ‘The Fast and Furious of Scifi.’ Sure, this time we’ve got girls and Chris Hemsworth coming to a cineplex near you, but so what? I’m not commenting on this movie or the previous one – much too violent for me. I feel compelled to point out something that’s been scratching at the back of my head since the last movie came out: What’s Mad Max *about* anymore?
Maybe I’m asking the wrong question, but the Mad Max franchise was a strong pillar in the post-apocalyptic scifi genre throughout the late 70s and 80s. Culturally, there’s very few people who don’t know Max Rockatansky or his nitro-injected cop car. The pathos of a man who loses his family to violence and re-invents himself among the post-nuclear wasteland spoke to all of us. Along the way, George Miller examined interesting topics like ‘what if the children of the survivors of a plane crash became a cargo cult?’
We’ve read enough reviews, seen enough commercials, or seen a few seconds of the movies on TV to know what they’re about. So that comes back to my original question – ‘what’s Mad Max *about* anymore?’
Seriously, take a step back. The fourth movie, they … rebooted the concept? Now it’s off talking about somebody that had nothing to do with the original franchise? As scifi fans, how are we supposed to process a major studio-induced retcon of the original material? I mean, the first time they did it … okay, whatevs. Now you’re doubling down and telling us via major scifi media outlets that we’re supposed to care? This is how things are now?
The Trouble with Fast and the Furious
Yeah – I have a few questions. My only conclusion goes back to the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise. I hate the F&F movies, but I watched the first three. That’s why I feel qualified to say that the movies started out bad and only got worse with time. No, strike that. They’re *awful*.
Let’s remember: F&F started with a ho-hum premise (“Oh cool, ‘Point Break’ reboot. Never seen that before!”) and spiraled into ever-escalating acts of public destruction with the emotional abandon of a six-year-old playing destruction derby with his Hot Wheels. We’ve seen movies like these before (Looking at you, ‘Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry’ and ‘Breaker, Breaker’) and they’re fine if that’s what you’re into.
Here’s the thing, as Lydgate said: you can have too much of a good thing. Harvard Business Review did a study in 2006 and found ‘more isn’t always better.’
That memo never reached the Fast and Furious franchise, and then ‘oh, waah – nobody wants to go to the movies anymore!’ I digress – this isn’t a takedown of Fast and Furious – other people have done this and they’re much more invested in you understanding why Fast & Furious movies suck.
Anyway. Fast and Furious is fine if that’s what you’re into, I’m not going to judge. It’s just not for me, and it’s why – in the era of ‘Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry ‘ and ‘Convoy’ – that Mad Max was such a thematic palette-cleanser. Sadly, Mad Max is now becoming the over-produced, under-felt movie franchise that keeps adding more noise while taking away its heart.
Mad Max: Fast and Furious
All trailers/commercials/news stories I’ve seen point back to an experience that prays you’ll never ask the most important question: ‘Why would things happen that way?’
Seriously, look at the movie description: ‘Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers (‘Why did things happen that way?’), young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus(‘Why did things happen that way?’). Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe(‘Why did things happen that way?’). As the two tyrants fight for dominance, Furiosa soon finds herself in a nonstop battle to make her way home (‘Why did things happen that way?’).’
Am I sounding redundant? I apologize. I guess the Mad Max thing is rubbing off on me. Regrettably – Mad Max took a page from F&F and doubled-down on their ‘charm.’ Um … kay. I’m gonna go out on a limb. This new movie will suffer some alarming lack of engagement and disappointing box office returns. You gotta capture the viewers hearts and minds, and this movie is failing on both fronts.
Best wishes folks, I hate to see good stories die.
