Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/516462
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 MAY 2015 32 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY St James Cavalier Valletta Tel. 21 223200 Wild Tales (18) 20:00 Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Mad Max: Fury Road 3D (15) 10:30, 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15 The Avengers: Age of Ultron (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 21:00 Child 44 (15) 14:30, 18:00, 20:55 Far from the Madding Crowd (12) 10:10, 13:00, 15:45, 18:20, 21:00 Get Hard (15) 10:30, 13:45, 16:05, 18:25, 20:50 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (PG0 10:00, 12:15, 16:00, 18:15, 20:50 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Project Almanac (12) 14:05, 16:20, 18:45, 21:05, 23:30 The Avengers: Age of Ultron (12A) 14:15 (3D), 17:30, 20:45 (3D) Woman in Gold (12) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:15, 23:35 Cinderella (U) 14:00, 18:30 John Wick (15) 14:10, 16:30, 18:45, 21:10, 23:30 Get Hard (15) 14:10, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:15 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (PG) 14:15, 16:20, 18:35, 20:45, 23:00 Wild Tales (15) 14:30, 21:00 Fast and Furious 7 (12) 14:30, 17:45, 20:50, 23:45 Mad Max – Fury Road 3D (15) 14:30, 18:35, 21:15, 23:50 White God (15) 18:30, 23:30 Far From the Madding Crowd (12) 14:30, 18:15, 21:05, 23:40 A Royal Night Out (12A) 16:25, 20:55, 23:05 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 A Royal Night Out (12) 11:00, 13:35, 15:50, 18:25, 21:10 Child 44(15) 10:05, 12:55, 15:40, 18:25, 21:10 The Avengers: Age of Ultron (12A) 10:00 (3D), 12:45(3D), 15:35, 18:25, 21:15 (3D) Fast and Furious 7 (12) 10:10, 12:55, 15:40, 18:25, 21:15 Far From The Madding Crowd (12) 10:40, 13:10, 15:40, 18:10, 20:50 Mad Max – Fury Road 3D (15) 10:45, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Get Hard (15) 11:05, 13:25, 15:45, 18:00, 20:50 TO say that George Miller's post-apocalyptic western trilogy of Mad Max films – starring a young Mel Gibson and released between 1979 and 1985 – remain influential is an understatement to topple all others, as they pre- sented an Australian re-wiring of the dystopian landscape from a neon-infused urban sprawl to desert wasteland, using the unique spread of the Antipodean desert to accentuate the uncom- promising grit that lend the story its drama and horror. Of course in today's cinematic landscape this kind of strong brand recognition can't remain on the shelves for very long, keen as studios and film moguls are to capitalise on safe properties that will rally fans both fresh and nos- talgic. But returning to the story that made his name, Miller – now with an Oscar under his belt, for Happy Feet (2006), of all things – performs a sly hattrick over his new competition, updating the material in a way that will ap- peal to new audiences but that doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater... far from it. In an apocalyptic wasteland at the furthest reaches of the planet, populated by crazed pockets of fringe humanity, two mavericks struggle to establish a semblance of order. On the one hand there is Furiosa (Charl- ize Theron), a communal rebel leader convinced that crossing the desert and back to her child- hood abode is the only way for- ward. On the other hand there's Max (Tom Hardy), a stowaway seeking solace after the death of his wife and child. But with the Frankenstenian tyrant Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) hot on their trail, they have their work cut out for them. Internet outrage is something Miller may not have had to con- tend with back in the 80s when the first Mad Max trilogy was unleashed, and ahead of Fury Road, he was regaled with a par- ticularly noxious version of it. Rampant Keyboard Misogynists - or as they like to call themselves, 'Men's Rights Activists' – ex- pressed enraged umbrage at the fact that Theron's Furiosa was in fact the bona fide protagonist of the piece, and not the titular Mad Max. But barring the fact that Max was never exactly the front-and-centre alpha male of the story even in the original tril- ogy, the argument that the film is smuggling 'feminist propaganda' into a testosterone-infused ac- tion blockbuster cannot really stand as a legit piece of criticism for various reasons. Firstly, Furiosa's quest – the carting away of forcibly impreg- nated 'brides' from a self-crowned barbarian king to a promised all- female utopia – only counts as 'feminist propaganda' if you're a psychopath. Secondly, its very structure is exactly right for the kind of high-octane chase that underpins the film. And even though some have described its plot as being in- substantial – 'wafer-thin' was bandied around a lot in reviews – far from being lacking, the Fury Road is the perfect canvas on which Miller can splay out a wonderfully grotesque and in- ventive series of action set pieces that, for all their variety, never distract from the story. This serves as an important re- minder: despite often serving as the by-word for post-apocalyptic grittiness, the Mad Max fran- chise always came with its fair share of flamboyance. Even the character names bear this out – 'Rictus Erectus', 'The Splendid Angharad', 'Cheedo the Fragile' – but the set pieces and minute details will be what you remem- ber: Immortan's convoy coming complete with a flotilla of drum- mers and an red-onesie sporting guitarist (whose two-pronged hammer occasionally spits flame); one of the brides' vagina dentata cod piece; albino soldiers promoted in the ranks by a jet of silver spray to the mouth… Rather than the uninterrupted – and mind-numbing – feature- length action scene we got in the last Hobbit film, what we have instead is an accumula- tion of imaginative detail and a kinetic narrative that tells its story through the set pieces, rather than alongside or despite of them. Compare this, too, to the bitty and fragmented Marvel Studios fare – with Age of Ultron punctuating its CG-heavy action with hip one-liners in a sad at- tempt to stay afloat – and you'll get an idea as to why this is head and shoulders above the compe- tition. If this is an action block- buster, it's an action blockbuster of the Asian kung fu kind, where action sequences aren't there to bulldoze plot and dialogue away, but serve as a bona fide storytell- ing technique in their own right. Don't let Keyboard Misogynists fool you. This is a story for all of mankind. A petrol-caked, desert- crossing odyssey of crazy. By Teodor Reljic Petrol-caked odyssey of crazy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ MAXIMUM SATISFACTION ★ ★ ★ ★ SHY OF THE MAX ★ ★ ★ BARE MINIMUM ★ ★ PEPSI MAX ★ MAXI PAD MAD MAX FURY ROAD (15) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ FILM Fury squared: Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron negotiate a hostile post-apocalyptic landscape in this highly anticipated franchise reboot