Sarah has written at length about Comic-Con strategy – how often false hype can be generated out of San Diego (Sucker Punch) that ultimately leads to disappointment. But Comic-Con can also be a legitimate momentum build, especially for projects that seemed worrisome, projects that may have been burdened by the weight of expectation.
Like Mad Max: Fury Road. There were production delays. There were rumours that spending was out of control. There were reports that studio executives had to fly to set to handle the crisis…
We are now 9 months away from the movie release. And Comic-Con was the perfect time to turn Mad Max’s story around. And they did. Holy sh-t did they ever.
The Mad Max: Fury Road trailer emerged as one of the biggest highlights of geek weekend, putting aside many doubts as to whether or not George Miller still has his sh-t together. This preview is GORGEOUS.
God, those dusty exploding fireworks are gorgeous. The imagery – warriors flailing from bendy poles attached to cars, villains with rotting mouths – is gorgeous, fresh…but not too modern. Not too Zack Snyder. Not computerised at all. And that’s the spirit of Mad Max, non? You want it to feel like a throwback.
But this time, with a bitch driving around picking fights. Or something. I don’t know the story, but I do know Charlize Theron is some kind of boss, and a convincing one. She looks wicked with those blazing eyes and that buzzed head, shouting and directing while urchin models stand around looking hungry and confused.
While Tom Hardy’s Max is at once tortured and then…an enigma. We saw this in Lawless, Hardy’s ability to act with few words, through body language and a series of grunts. That was apparently just a prelude to what we’ll be getting in Mad Max – and, on a primitive level, even if it’s wrong, that’s exactly how I like him. Even more than I like him with a puppy.
Mad Max: Fury Road opens May 15, 2015 – 5/15/15. Just two weeks after The Avengers: Age Of Ultron.