[ SECRET POST #3378 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3378 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 053 secrets from Secret Submission Post #483.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

10. http://i.imgur.com/qiyUcb8.png

[(Anonymous)]

"Why should I root for these people trying to get away from the tyrannical rapist? For all I know they are not good people (even though nothing on screen ever indicates that)."

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP

That's missing the point I think. You'd root for anyone to get away, but that doesn't make them compelling heroes of a story in their own right. Sub in a group of unnamed civilians and you'd root for them to get away equally hard, but not as heroes unless they're given more depth and OP seems to feel the depth was lacking.

[kallanda_lee]

I...think it's sort of the point that almost no-one in a post-apocalyptic world is "untainted" so to speak - so no, our protagonists might not be pure a virginal snow. But you know what - the don't need to be. The are people-trying--survive versus a guy who treats people like actual chattel. I just...can't get over not seeing the gradations here.

Also, I dunno, if you like action movies - how can you not find it visually amazing? It's basically one giant nerve-wrecking car chase.

I mean, it's okay not to like things. And it has been over-hyped. But I feel like your reasons for not liking it are sort of bizarre.

[(Anonymous)]

Eh, I didn't really want anyone to be pure, I wanted them to be compelling as individuals beyond 'oh no, a bad thing is happening to me, I want to leave' which is not something I really got. I'd prefer the protagonists escape, but I wasn't really able to relate to them on any level beyond 'well anyone else would want to leave if they were in that situation, naturally'.

And it was a good enough car chase, but it was just so over the top to the point where I ended up tuning out. That's the weird part, the first movie with the level of realism it had to it kept me much more engaged. This felt more like a spectacle, flashy and dramatic but not really all that interesting. I like it when action tells a story; the only story this was telling was 'add more fire / ha ha cult and stuff' which was... pretty much already established early on. I didn't feel that it did much to develop the characters. I got a lot more out of the scene with the tree and them struggling to start the truck than the actual chases.

[(Anonymous)]

DA but "I'm not going to root for the lesser evil as a hero just because it's the lesser evil" is a far cry from "I can't tell that this is a lesser evil at all herp derp"

Not about MMFR but arguing in principle: being a lesser evil doesn't make a character automatically personally compelling. Giving it nothing else but that is lazy writing. Plenty of stories, especially action movies, fail in the same way - by assuming the evil is heinous enough so that of course the reader is on the hero's side by default so they don't worry about making the heroes compelling on their own.

See: 90% of 30 y/o white male video game protagonists

[(Anonymous)]

I definitely felt like Fury Road was overrated. I think a big reason people loved it was because for one, we get a lot of horribly done action movies so seeing one that is decent can make you think it's amazing, and it got a lot of attention for having a good female lead (which is another thing action movies often lack.)

I didn't have any major complaints but I didn't really like it either.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, OP here and I feel like that. I think it's like, from all the hype I expected a great action movie, and got instead a decent action movie with a lead who happened to be female. And you know, that's great in itself, I think it sets a nice precedent for Western action movies (I've watched a lot of martial arts stuff that has female leads, so not so novel exactly), but 'this sets a good meta precedent' does not to me make the movie itself any better.

Frankly I think it makes a better talking point / jumping off point for discussion than it does an action movie.

[(Anonymous)]

I think you're probably just a bad person I you don't root for the people trying to run away from a life of rape and forced pregnancy.

[(Anonymous)]

It's not about not rooting for them, it's about not really being inspired by them as the heroes of the story.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree, but I generally don't enjoy most action movies for this very reason: total lack of characterization, emphasis on non-stop spectacle instead of narrative, blah blah. I feel like there's so much of that in Hollywood these days I don't even want to watch anything...

I wouldn't have watched it in the first place, but my boyfriend had it on. It was visually appealing, I'll admit, but I find non-stop action to be a turnoff. It invites escalation of spectacle... I think you need to have some low points, some moments of calm punctuated by action to make the action stand out and be more impactful. The non-stop car chase just got...boring.

[(Anonymous)]

OP here and argh, yeah, I will happily say that Mad Max Fury Road had great moments of action, but there was so much of it to the point where I was very quickly saturated - and I actually enjoy action, so that says a lot. Pacing is extremely important so that people can appreciate what is going on, and it was really weird because honestly to me it just felt like ACTIONnnnnnn - drama stuff! - MORE ACTION UNTIL THE END HIGH OCTANE ACTION with no real regard to giving the viewers some space to breathe.

I literally ended up pausing the movie, going to get a drink, and forgetting about it for 10-15 mins at a time because there weren't any really compelling things to get back to besides 'will there be more of the same last 20 minutes'. It's odd because I read a lot about how it was edited differently with Margaret Sixel and stuff on her having a different approach and all that but... it really didn't come across at all to me.

[(Anonymous)]

+1000

[(Anonymous)]

I feel you, OP. The female characters other than Furiosa lacked any real agency--they were basically 'sexy lamps'. I honestly had to look the wive's names up online to find out they were more than just, you know, rainbow harem.

The story is Furiosa's arc, and she at least has agency, but, of course, she needs the help of a man to do anything, which may cut into your Strong Female Character appreciation (which isn't a big deal to me, but it does point out how rarely we see a male action hero NEEEEEED a female character to get anything done).

Basically, there was too much hype in your head when you saw it. I loved it, but I don't expect people who have been in Michael Bay films or are famous because their dad is a rock star to be, you know, able to act with any nuance or skill.

[(Anonymous)]

My fault for reading a lot of good coverage / online analysis of some of the points from the movie before seeing it - I was unspoiled on the plot but not so much on the themes. In retrospect it seems more like people were discussing all the stuff using the movie as a jumping point or projecting their own ideas onto it for those articles rather than taking the stuff from the movie itself, which... didn't have all that, or at least not to the extent I'd thought it would.

Agree with you on the female characters though. I also looked them up and was legitimately surprised they had names and were supposed to have characters, because I really did not get that at all. Everyone who did have a character was also awkwardly one note - Max was Brooding Antihero, Furiosa was Typical Videogame Hero, there was the sympathetic guy and the eye candy and the obvious villain and the supporting crew and while its sure nice to have women in those roles, it didn't make the roles and more interesting.

I read stuff about Max being a good ally and all, but on watching it came. off more like this awkward struggle between the want to show Max off as tragic but noble and not really knowing how to do that besides having him save the day for the girls and Furiosa every now and then. Felt a bit off to me.

[(Anonymous)]

I thought the wives were all quite different and had at least somewhat different motivations. Angarad is heavilly pregnant and the clock is ticking and whatever happens when the pregnancy ends, it won't be good. Toast wants to be someone more like Furiosa - valued for skills or knowledge (look at thge look she gives Angarad when the latter can't do anyrhing with the rifle) - and she can't achieve that as a concubine. Cheedo doesn't want to leave at all, initially, but eventually finds strength. Capable and the Dag are a bit harder to pin down for motivation beyond the obvious "get out of sex slavery" but they are very distinct characters, and not just because of hair color.

[sparrow_lately]

I really wish I wasn't as high as a really blazed kite cuz I want to eloquently defend this movie.

Watch this spot(?).

[(Anonymous)]

IA with you. I actually saw it in the cinema and left thinking that was a spectacular action movie in the sense that the effects were amazing, the visuals almost overwhelming, etc. But that was it. No characters, no plot. The world-building was pretty decent. So yeah, I was as surprised as you are now to find out people thought it was the greatest thing ever.

[(Anonymous)]

Fans think the characters are interesting because they do that thing where they overanalyze every movement and facial twitch as saying something deep about the character's personality, motives, and psyche.

(And then make fun of people who do the same thing with characters on shows like Supernatural.)

[(Anonymous)]

I think a lot of the hype was because people who really got into the movie started reading the comics and commentary and conflating the character development and themes that occur in those with what is actually written in the film. The film is pretty spare on that front, though, which is cool. That's Miller's style.

I enjoyed it as an action film: watched it in the theater and bought a copy to watch at home, but never watched it again after that because the movie struck me as just that, an awesome action film, another terrific Road Warrior film, visually stunning this time. The visual effects have never been better. I like Thunderdome the best in terms of characters and plot. The characters in that get fleshed out a fair bit more, especially Auntie Entity and the desert kids. It's the women and girls in that community who break out to find the better place, btw. Fury wasn't Miller's first feminist film. And even Master/Blaster turns out to have a backstory we comprehend. It's a pretty little set piece. I have watched it countless times.

[(Anonymous)]

Weren't the comics kind of terrible, though? (<--Has not actually read the comics herself, but read several reviews of them.)

And I first watched Fury Road without having read any in-depth commentary or (natch) the comics, and I loved it. It hits the exact same emotional spot for me that CA: TWS does, where I'm so overwhelmed by the combination of the action and my feels that I basically sob my way through the movie every time I watch it.

[ypsilon42]

Unpopular opinion: I think most people who claim that Fury Road didn't have a story or enough characterization or character development to carry a movie missed fundamental parts of the movie. No one has to like the movie, taste is subjective after all, but claiming that the movie in completely void of these things is just not correct. Max and Furiosa both have complete story arcs and the supporting characters also have depelopment (e.g. Cheedo growing more confident and self-reliant).

I also think that the reason some people might not see those developments maybe the fact that the film relies a lot less on words that most other films we watch. From what I heard they worked mostly from story boards and didn't have much of a script for the movie. Therefore most of the development doesn't happen during dialogue or is verbalized at all, but instead conveyed through visuals and action. While that applies to all movies in a degree, I think it applies to Mad Max in a higher than average degree.

[(Anonymous)]

I find this line of thinking strange to be honest, mainly because I don't think Fury Road is the kind of film that needs to be quite so character-driven. It's a cinematic experience, a big spectacle chase movie. When you watch a horror film, do you need to be assured that the hapless victims trying to evade the killer are good, compelling characters before you can enjoy their escapades? Sure it would be nice if they're at least sympathetic -- and the Fury Road crew are certainly sympathetic enough, I'd say -- but it's not a prerequisite for enjoying the thrill ride.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't care about this movie either! The visuals were grand but after a while I got fed up with staring at miles and miles orange sand and rocks and just everything on fire. The only bit that was genuinely interesting to me was the dead swamp-looking place where people were walking on all fours with stilts. That was really weird and fascinating and I wanted to see more of that.

I also didn't connect with the characters in any significant way. I feel like there were too many of them for the available screen time, and I didn't even manage to learn the names of most of them, let alone their personalities. I felt like the warboy was unecessary and I couldn't keep track of the wives. None of the characters were compelling to me and a lot of the time it felt like they were just saying or doing what was necessary to make the next explosion happen.

I'm glad to see an action film with female characters and it's cool that so many people enjoyed this movie. But I just didn't fall in love with it the way everyone else apparently did. Truth be told I got bored in the cinema.

[(Anonymous)]

Honestly, I think it's a classic case of the hype being bigger than any movie, no matter how good, could possibly live up to. The reason I was so impressed with the movie came largely from the element of surprise. I always felt that it was less feminist and more just not sexist. Maybe those mean the same thing to a lot of people, but it was like, I was just SO RELIEVED to have the women not be walking sexpot cliches that it brightened the whole experience. However, if you go in expecting all this breathless greatness as written across all social media now, it's just not gonna deliver.