Better than expected. Oscars are not all about art films and complex dramas

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2016)

Before talking about Fury Road, I must say a few words about its roots, the Mad Max franchise.
The original Mad Max was one of those movies from back in the days when B movies are like that - sometimes one design element or the poster created a lot of expectations. I personally think Mad Max is one of them. The world setting and the character design is so intriguing that it spawned many works inspired by Mad Max. This, in a way, creates Mad Max shadow larger than Mad Max itself. Perhaps people who are exposed to a long list of pop culture things that are influenced by Mad Max and don't even know it. (This list is readily available on Wikipedia and sites alike).
So the point is? Mad Max is significant as in pop culture, but judging the films based on its influence many be a bit too much. It was what it was - a B movie to begin with.
I didn't see Fury Road when it was released in the theaters. I blame that on the promos and the character designs. It felt like a cheesy reboot without Mel Gibson (although I am not a Gibson fan, not interested in him since Braveheart). Glanced at the poster and I didn't even noticed the female protagonist is Charlize. Had I known it was her, my interest level would be higher.
Then came the DVD release, and I watched it because of the Oscar buzz (as a surprise). This movie is absolutely stunning. Other than that one shot of a CG car flipped over, which looked fake, it's an amazing execution of cinematography. A Mad Max movie should deliver a out of the world experience and amazing car chases and fights. In that regard, the movie delivers just that. Would it be a better movie if there is tighter story, and twists and turns every 15 mins? Of course it would! However, I watched this movie very well knowing it is Mad Max.
I gave it a 7 because it is an enjoyable watch. I love the car designs in this movie. There is not really parts of the movie that fells boring or too long. An enjoyable watch. The Oscar definitely helped this movie to get audiences. The movie is good ride and not winning the best picture is expected. At least it was never nominated for best screen writing. Otherwise I would really have a problem with the academy.