The madness of max

So I was just minding my own business while jackin off to porn on the work computer when the errand boy ran into my office. He was ecstatic with news akin to the Allied victory of World War II. “Did you hear that Furiosa bombed at the box office?!” he beamed.

I thought it was weird to be excited about that, but different strokes for different folks ya know? But I can’t say I was surprised. I sorta thought the studios overestimated the excitement for the Mad Max intellectual property. And that’s largely because George Miller hasn’t made a good movie since The Road Warrior.

You read that correctly: I didn’t like Fury Road. Personally, I felt that it relied too heavily on CGI when the previous Mad Max films were cheaply made and used practical effects. That was what made those movies cool. Fury Road was doing something else entirely so I couldn’t connect with it. Perhaps I came into it with different expectations so maybe Fury Road requires a second viewing. But that’s where I currently stand. Red Letter Media suggested that Fury Road made The Road Warrior obsolete and I thought that to be an absurd statement. The stunts in those original Mad Max films felt real. Lives were at stake. And that came through in the viewing experience. I would go so far as to say that those original Mel Gibson films are an entirely different franchise from the current Mad Max iteration. As a result, Fury Road might’ve been the box office equivalent of lightning in a bottle, the success of which cannot be easily replicated. Perhaps that’s why Furiosa bombed.

But this made me think about why I love the James Bond franchise. Despite 20+ films, they’ve largely stuck to their guns. The Broccolis found a formula that worked and they’ve never gotten away from practical effects and real stunts. That’s provided a sense of continuity and audiences know what to expect when they go see a 007 picture. Maybe that’s why, at least as far as I know save for one, each film has been successful at the box office.

Just a thought.