Mad Max: Fury Road Review

"I live, I die. I live again." - Nux

 I have rarely seen a good car chase sequence in films. In the past I saw car chases as cheesy and simply used to fill in time with confusing angles and nothing to add to the plot. Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially a two-hour car chase and I enjoyed every second of it.

This movie takes place in a post apocalyptic world where men are brain washed warriors and women are trapped for their milk and to breed. This is the story of a group of women leady by Furiosa (Charlize Theron) escaping this prison in hope for their version of a “promised land”. Through a series of events Max (Tom Hardy) joins this group and assists them on their quest to escape.

My adrenaline rose from the first chase scene that captured the essence of the film and stayed high until the very end. Through good pacing and direction the film was able to keep my attention throughout the entirety of the film. What really kept my attention were all of the realistic effects that were created using real props. It is a visual spectacle to see a car actually blow up on screen in the middle of a chase.

One interesting thing to note is that this movie is technically the fourth in its series. The first film came out in 1979 with the next two coming shortly after. Due to behind the scenes delays this new film has taken years to come to the screen. Luckily for the audience you don’t need to have seen the other films to be able to enjoy this latest installment. It was created to stand apart from the rest so that anyone new to Mad Max (such as myself) could also enjoy the film.

Through amazing special effects to the creation of an intriguing world Mad Max: Fury Road created an experience to truly kick off the summer. Although there wasn’t a strong story line there was enough action to keep any viewer entertained. I would recommend this to any fan of film.

Four out of Five Stars

*This film passes the Bechdel Test

Pitch Perfect Two is Acca-Average

As a fan of the original Pitch Perfect I walked into the theater with high expectations. Sadly the showing I attempted to attend at 7:25 was sold out and I was forced to buy tickets for the almost sold out 10:10 showing. I was displeased that I had to wait but I am a major fan of watching movies in a full theater so I did not mind.

Pitch Perfect Two takes place a few years after the first movie ended. All of the a ccappella members are seniors and ready for their last year. The film starts out on a high note featuring Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) revealing an unpleasant surprise in the middle of a performance. The movie seemed to only go downhill from there.

             This sequel is a series of predictable events with a few amazing jokes that can get lost in the jokes that fall flat. All of your favorite stars return including Anna Kendrick, which makes the movie a worthwhile site to see. Elizabeth Banks returns not only as a reporter but also as the director of Pitch Perfect Two. Seeing how this is her directorial debut I would say it was a success.

The music in this film can only be considered spot on. This film traveled from old classics (Any Way You Want It) to contemporary hits (We are Never Getting Back Together) and even an original (Flashlight). The quality of music in this film holds up to the original and even features an a ccapella battle with the Green Bay Packers.

Although this movie had a lot of potential and contained a wide variety of jokes it will nonetheless be added to a collection of sequels that did not live up to the original. While it did not live up to the original I would still recommend seeing this movie if you need your mood brightened with a few laughs. 

3 1/2 Stars (Out of Five)