Another week, another collection of hot takes for you to sift through. This week we’re discussing the prospect of GTA 6 breaking the industry’s new $70 price point, giving our Hades 2 impressions, going deep into Elden Ring lore, and talking up a different Supergiant Games title.
This weekend brings George Miller’s epic Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to theatres. It’s the latest entry into the definitive post-apocalyptic saga of our time and a series that minted Mel Gibson as a global superstar, transformed Charlize Theron into an action heroine, and seems poised to do the same for Anya Taylor-Joy. In my opinion, there’s never been a bad Mad Max film, as they’re all quite different in tone and technique, although we all have our favorite. So, here’s my list of Mad Max movies ranked from worst to best!
The only PG-13 entry in the saga, this movie has scenes that seem shocking for how cheesy they are in the context of the series. The two movies that came before this pushed the boundaries of their R-ratings, so I’m not sure what kind of carrot Warner Bros dangled over Miller’s head to get him to make this a teen-targeted family flick, but I have a bit of a clue. For one thing, the movie came along at the height of MTV, so the movie was heavily tied into the network, with co-star Tina Turner cutting two hugely popular singles, “One of the Living” and “We Don’t Need Another Hero” that gave the movie some big-time cross-promotion to teens. Thus, the suits probably wanted to make sure those teens would be able to see it.
There’s also the fact that Miller’s best friend and close collaborator, Byron Kennedy, died in a helicopter crash before filming. Miller’s grief was so intense that he had to bring on a co-director, George Ogilvie, and the result is a movie that’s tonally out of whack. Some of the action scenes are great, such as the Thunderdome battle. Still, even those sequences have heavy doses of melodrama, such as the reveal of the baddie, “Blaster,” as a mentally disabled boy Max refuses to kill (complete with a corny soundtrack by Maurice Jarre). They really did soften Max up for the movie, too, with him less of an anti-hero this time, as he protects a tribe of lost children.
However, it’s still a pretty decent movie. For one thing, the action sequences are great, and you can see the germ of ideas Miller would explore later on in the saga, with Bartertown a kind of dry run for The Citadel. At the same time, the tribe of children in their Oasis, “Planet Erf,” seems like a prelude to The Green Place in Furiosa. Gibson, as always, is in top form, even if the old age makeup to make him look middle-aged isn’t convincing. Despite not being a trained actress, Tina Turner is memorable as the Aunty Entity, who’s undoubtedly the most sympathetic villain the series ever had. It also has a memorably grim ending with the Tomorrow-Morrow land the kids are seeking, just the bombed-out ruins of Sydney. At the same time, Max ends the movie wandering the Wasteland alone, without even his V-8 Interceptor.
Some will undoubtedly take issue with the low ranking of the original entry into the series, but hear me out. This is still one of the best Ozzploitation movies ever made. However, Miller admits that the film was a rough draft for the formula he would perfect with The Road Warrior a few years later. Even still, it’s an essential movie to watch, with Mel Gibson arriving on the screen fully formed as Max. The film gives us the essential backstory on the world we’d later see Miller develop, with this taking place relatively soon after the nuclear war that would lead to the end of civilization, with Australia the last place standing.
In this one, society has only just started to crumble, with Max, the best driver among his Main Force Patrol, trying to keep society in order as it starts to fracture more and more. This is the movie that shows how Max becomes the hard-bitten antihero we know and love, with his family being cut down by the first in a series of memorable villains for the franchise, The Toe-Cutter, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who’d return to play Immortan Joe in Fury Road. There are a lot of classic moments here, but I’d wager the movie starts on an incredible note the rest of the film can’t quite measure up to – the iconic Night Rider chase sequence.
Notably, this movie was dubbed by AIP for its US release, which pretty much ruined the film. Thankfully, the only version of the movie in circulation now is the Australian cut, which does proper justice to the amazing acting by Gibson, Keays-Byrne, and Steve Bisley, who steals many scenes as Max’s doomed best friend, Goose.
Usually, when a movie screens for junketers, the early reviews pump a movie up to nearly ridiculous levels, as the early watchers can’t help but get a bit caught up in the excitement of a junket (I’ve been guilty of this myself). This is the rare case where those early reviews undersold just how good of a post-apocalyptic odyssey this is. You can read my review for more in-depth thoughts, but early viewers seemed shell-shocked because this was a very different kind of movie than Fury Road. I think those of us who saw it later went in knowing this fact and, as such, had a better appreciation for what it is, which is pretty damn awesome.
So here’s where it gets dicey. I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: the Mad Max saga contains two of the most incredible action movies ever. As such, I firmly believe Fury Road is a masterpiece, and even if it only comes in second in my Mad Max movies ranked list, I don’t mean to diminish it in any way. The film has so many iconic images and set pieces that I’d wager it’s probably the best movie of the last ten years (maybe more) and a modern classic. It’s a drag that Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron had such a miserable time with each other, as neither has ever been better than they are here.
I went into this somewhat resistant to the idea of Hardy replacing Gibson, but he’s so different in the role that he truly defies comparison, which I think was the right approach. And Theron’s Furiosa takes her place as one of the best action heroines ever. Plus, there’s the score by Junkie XL, which, for my money, was the first time any of the movies ever had a soundtrack that could genuinely go toe-to-toe with what was happening on-screen.
All that said, The Road Warrior is better. Considering how low-budget the movie was and the fact that Miller’s resources were so scarce, it truly feels like a miracle. There are sequences in here that defy explanation, and it’s a wonder Miller could put any of this carnage on screen without getting anyone killed. Both The Road Warrior and Fury Road make the case for Miller being one of the most greatest action directors of all time, and he’s matched by his leading man, Mel Gibson. With the first film having set up Max’s grief, Gibson turns him into a stoic, tragic anti-hero that ranks among the best we’ve ever gotten on screen. The final tanker pursuit action scene is one of the best sequences in film history – action or otherwise.
What do you think of my Mad Max movies ranked list? Let me know your rankings in the comments!
The post Mad Max Movies Ranked: The Entire Saga From Worst to Best! appeared first on JoBlo.
Earlier this week, Sony published an interview with The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann about the future of gaming. The president of Naughty Dog was quoted as saying the PlayStation studio’s next game “could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.” In a shocking twist, Druckmann now says he never actually said…
Earlier this week, Sony published an interview with The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann about the future of gaming. The president of Naughty Dog was quoted as saying the PlayStation studio’s next game “could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.” In a shocking twist, Druckmann now says he never actually said…
Alec Baldwin’s request to have a grand jury indictment against him dropped has been denied, meaning that the actor will still be going to trial for the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
“It is ordered that defendant Alec Baldwin’s Motion to dismiss the indictment is hereby denied,” said Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. The State v. Alexander Rae Baldwin trial is due to start in Santa Fe on July 9th and is expected to last around two weeks. The actor faces involuntary manslaughter charges and faces a possible 18 months in prison if found guilty.
During the production of the Western film Rust, a live round was discharged from a revolver used by Alec Baldwin, which killed Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin was originally charged last year, but the charges were dropped just a few months later, although they were dropped “without prejudice,” which meant that the prosecutors could still refile charges as the investigation continued. Baldwin was again charged with involuntary manslaughter earlier this year, with the actor’s lawyers saying, “We look forward to our day in court.“
During a two-hour hearing last week in which Judge Sommer said she’d consider the motion to dismiss, Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey rejected the arguments of Baldwin’s defence team. “The defense wants somehow to try to convince the court that the actor who is holding a real gun in his hand has absolutely no responsibility for what he does with that gun,” Morrissey said. “And it’s simply not the case. The reason that this death occurred is because the safety protocol was not followed.“
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer on Rust, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her part in the death of Halyna Hutchins. Her defence team filed motions for her to be released from jail and be given a new trial, but Judge Sommer denied them. She was sentenced to 18 months behind bars. “You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon,” Judge Sommer said to Gutierrez-Reed during her sentencing last month. “But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner and a little boy would have his mother.“
The post Alec Baldwin will stand trial for Rust shooting as New Mexico judge denies motion to dismiss indictment appeared first on JoBlo.
After Jeremy Renner was involved in a horrific accident in January 2023, many doubted that the actor would recover, let alone be able to return to work on his Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown. Renner had suffered blunt chest trauma and 30 broken bones after being hit and run over by a snowplow on his property. He told Good Morning America that he was too “worried about real life” to think about working on the series but explained that there was a “perspective I had to shift” to make it happen.
“I had to cross the threshold of, ‘Do I want to go tell fictional stories?’ I’m worried about real life — putting a foot in front of another to walk,” Renner said. “I think what happened is we just switched the thinking of the whole thing. I didn’t go to Pittsburgh to film Mayor of Kingstown, I went to go in my recovery and then Kingstown was kind of on the side.“
Renner added that the third season of Mayor of Kingstown will have “more emotional, intimate” moments that offer the actor a “reprieve” from the intensity of past seasons. “There’s more sentiment to it, because I think I sort of had to bring it in a little bit, just because of where I was at in my life,” Renner explained. “Mike McLusky is still pretty aggro, but I think he’s a little softer as well, just sort of ’cause I had to play him.” The actor did admit that he had to change his approach to the series. “My mind thinks I’m like, perfect. My body is saying, ‘Dude, you’re a hot mess! Chill out, pump the breaks, man!’,” Renner said. “But again, nothing is wrong with my brain, even though it got crushed.“
The official synopsis for the third season of Mayor of Kingstown: “A series of explosions rock Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob sets up shop in the city, and a drug war rages inside and outside prison walls. The pressure is on Mike McLusky (Renner) to end the war but things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the Mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions.” The new season will debut on Paramount+ on June 2nd.
The post Jeremy Renner on Mayor of Kingstown return: “Do I want to go tell fictional stories? I’m worried about real life” appeared first on JoBlo.
ShowBiz Direct has released the first trailer for Reagan, the biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. If it feels like we’ve been hearing about this one for a while, it’s because we have; Reagan actually wrapped production almost four years ago.
The film follows Ronald Reagan from “his humble beginnings to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and finally on to his biggest role as Commander in Chief set on the world stage… Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first catches the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, this film offers a perspective as unique as it is captivating.“
In addition to Dennis Quaid, Reagan stars Penelope Anne Miller as Nancy Reagan, Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich, Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Kevin Dillon as Jack L. Warner, and more. “I’ve always been told bits and pieces of the stories of Ronald Reagan’s life, but this movie puts the whole story together,” Quaid said in a statement. “I’ve played quite a few real people over the years, and I like to play them from their point of view, without judgment. It was a big challenge for me to get behind the public persona of the man and also to move beyond my own feelings of admiration for him.” The cast also includes Mark Moses, Trevor Donovan, Xander Berkeley, Dan Lauria, Amanda Righetti, C. Thomas Howell, Nick Searcy, Justin Chatwin, and Robert Davi. The film is also said to include Scott Stapp, best known as the front-man of the American rock-band Creed, as the legendary Frank Sinatra.
Based on Paul Kengor’s The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, Reagan is directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) and written by Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys) and Jonas McCord (Eulogy). The film will be Showbiz Direct’s debut release, headed by Kevin Mitchell, Richie Fay, and Scott Kennedy. “We are honored for the opportunity to launch ShowBiz Direct with REAGAN and the cast does such an amazing job in this movie,” Mitchell said. “Our team is ready to show the creative and exhibition communities that we want to work with you to put movies on the big screen where they belong and are extremely excited to bring REAGAN to a theater near you with our wide release on August 30.“
Reagan will hit theaters on August 30th.
The post Reagan trailer: Dennis Quaid stars in the presidential biopic appeared first on JoBlo.
We’re now halfway through the life-cycle of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but Call of Duty doesn’t appear to be giving up on the last-gen consoles that preceded them yet. A leak out of GameStop suggests that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will still come to PS4 and Xbox One, but continue to cost the same as the…
We’re now halfway through the life-cycle of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but Call of Duty doesn’t appear to be giving up on the last-gen consoles that preceded them yet. A leak out of GameStop suggests that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will still come to PS4 and Xbox One, but continue to cost the same as the…
According to a new report, it seems like the next big Doom game from Id Software and Bethesda will be announced soon. But it sounds like this next entry in the popular FPS franchise won’t be a traditional sequel, but instead, possibly a prequel showing the origins of the series’ main character, the Doomslayer.