Looking back at the early days of Blu-ray, a mere decade ago, the discs were essentially unconverted MPEG-2 (DVD) transfers put on a Blu-ray. Hell, the format might not even make it (HD-DVD anyone?). Like any new fledgling format, it’s a bit difficult to really get a feel for how these discs will end up looking.
There really seems to be a broader spectrum with these 4K discs. I mean, after all, this is 4K (well, ok, not really) but for all intents and purposes…And, from my streaming on Netflix and seeing the demos in stores like Best Buy, the one thing that really stands out to me isn’t so much the deal, but it’s the color depth. Was there really room for improvement? The marketing folks who are in charge of UHD would like you to believe that there is! Popping the disc into the player, I was actually pretty giddy with anticipation. I was debating to even get a UHD player, but had a bit of store credit at Best Buy and figured why not? Assuming you’ve read the Blu-ray review of this title, it was among the best that the Blu-ray format had to offer last year offering up perfect audio and video scores. Please read our review criteria for Ultra HD discs.Īs of this writing, this is my first Ultra HD review. Now tell me how that makes any sense? Video: How’s it look? What’s really got me scratching my head is that this same gentleman also directed 2006’s Happy Feet. Granted, this won’t be for everyone, but it’s the icing on the cake that George Miller came back to helm yet another Mad Max film. When so many films out there are mindless remakes or endless superhero movies, its a refreshing change of pace to see something like this. The film is among the best reviewed of the year and with good reason – it delivers everything that we would expect it to. No doubt Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult and Charlize Theron are all capable performers, and that shows in what we see on screen. What could be construed as paper thin characters by some are very interesting and dynamic ones here. This is probably one of the easiest movies to decipher in terms of a plot line, but it works on several levels.
MAD MAX FURY ROAD 4K REVIEW MOVIE
Never let it be said that a movie needs to be complicated (needlessly so) to be good. Will Max and Furiosa be able to escape the army that pursues them or are they destined to a most unsavory death? Of course, it’s not always as easy as it might seem as they’ve got to deal with Nux (Nicholas Hoult), someone trying to earn the favor of Immortan Joe, but who also might see the error of his ways. The plot isn’t exactly difficult to understand as we meet Max (Tom Hardy), a loner wandering through the wasteland who is haunted by his turbulent past. He becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who, along with some precious cargo, are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe ( Hugh Keays-Byrne). Max and Furiosa form an uneasy alliance to unite against their common enemy and trying to save their respective necks along the way. That sound you hear is the motor revving up and the road ahead is the two hour surge of adrenaline you’ll get along the way. Nevertheless, we’re once again going back to post apocalyptic Australia and the endless search for water.
Jumping forward three decades, we’ve got a new slew of actors though in the mix is a Best Actress winner and a man who needs no introduction to action films. The original put a young actor by the name of Mel Gibson on the map and though Gibson has had his troubles in recent years, it’s hard to deny that he made his mark on Hollywood. Yes, my life has several double standards like that. But when I learned that the original director, George Miller, would once again helm the production then I was instantly ok with it.
Having been a casual fan of the original Mad Max trilogy, I won’t say that the franchise was in need of a reboot or a new installment or whatever this movie is supposed to represent. I guess my personal philosophy is that if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it. In the right cases and in the right hands, I’m ok with them.
Long time readers of this site will probably recognize how I feel about re-makes.