Mad Max: Fury Road

Much like Bridge of Spies, I never would have bothered to see Mad Max: Fury Road if it wasn't nominated for Best Picture. I haven't seen any of the Mad Max movies. When this newest installment came out during the summer, the previews didn't make me clamor to see it. Even the many positive reviews didn't make me want to see it.

And now I've seen it (thank you RedBox) and my life isn't any better for seeing it. I thought the movie was pointless and plotless. Dialogue was mumbled. I had no idea what was going on, but didn't care. The movie was just one incomprehensible car chase interspersed with moments of stopping to sort of talk about things so the characters could get moving to the next car chase scene. The "car chase" scenes aren't like Fast and Furious or the Bourne series car chase scenes, which either show off cool car stunts to cunning maneuvers through a city. These "car chase" scenes are really a band of weirdos chasing after a rig inhabited by the characters we're supposed to care about.

In a way Fury Road is similar to The Revenant in that both are very in love with their visuals - that sand storm was kinda cool - but the former is far less reverent about it. Both are "Hey, look what I can do!" concoctions of their directors (although George Miller is less showy about his in interviews and such).

Also, I am honestly baffled as to why Tom Hardy keeps getting these plum roles in huge movies. He is utterly unimpressive to me. This could be that the only movies I've really seen him in require him to wear a mask, but I just don't get the love for him.

This movie might be at the bottom of my Best Picture list this year...