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What exactly entertained you about movies like Mad Max or Dunkirk? I don't get it.

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I

Imp the Dimp

Member
I watched Dunkirk a few days ago and those were some of the longest 110 min of my entire 2017. Literally just stuff blowing up for almost two hours straight. I'm no one to not be astonished by a pure action scene every once in a while but these two movies feature virtually no dialogue or tension, instead just ships or cars blowing up for 2 hours. Definitely some of the least exciting theater visits in the past years for me, although I found Mad Max superior, yet nowhere near as good as the entirety of the internet thinks it is. Last time I criticized the movie I remember having my intelligence questioned so that was not a great experience. So I'm here to learn and I'd like to hear how exactly you gotta be wired to enjoy little dialogue and lot of what I perceive as repetitive action. What is the appeal? How do you manage to not grow tired of explosions?

I used to be a big fan of 80s and 90s action, altough I watched those back in their day so I'm not sure how they hold up. I still enjoy action movies like Terminator 2 or The Dark Knight though, so I do not think my watching habits have changed all that much. Not enough to explain the boredom I was overwhelmed with during these two movies anyway. They are fundamentally different from the action movies I'm used to, that much I am sure of.
 
K

kai3345

Banned
They may feature almost no dialogue but both have plenty of tension. I was on the edge of my seat for all of Dunkirk
 
P

Pachimari

Member
Nothing really entertained me per se. Dunkirk is a bad movie but still an experience you would like to go through just once in the cinema. It is boring, slowly paced and really not interesting as you don't care about any of the people in it, the plot or what is really going on.

Mad Max wasn't a great movie either but at least it got things going for it. It doesn't tell you everything and thus you have to put it all together yourself, filling in the pieces of the puzzle which is a great thing in itself. But the whole drive through the desert with the guitar and music playing was bad and quite boring too yes. It was a very beautiful movie and I liked just looking at it but it wasn't that interesting.
 
D

DonShula

Member
Fury Road was an just expertly made movie. Plot, script, casting, even acting aside (and I have no problems with those things); the nuts and bolts are so finely machined that it's a joy to watch. Cinematography, shot selection, color pallete, choreography, score... all of it works in concert. All of it is intentional. An amazing vision with amazing execution.

I respect it even more than I actually liked it, and I did like it a lot.
 
S

sooperkool

Member
Some people like anime, I don't. Different people like different things. Why do you need us to validate your dislike of these movies?
 
L

lightus

Member
Going off only what you've written in the op, I don't know you personally so these are assumptions:

Try to think about the motivation of the characters and the events you see on screen. You don't have to be explicitly told what the characters are thinking about in order to have a plot.

Sounds like you're watching the movies too passively. Try to actively figure out what's going on and the relevance of that while you watch.
 
I

Imp the Dimp

Member
lightus said:
Try to think about the motivation of the characters and the events you see on screen. You don't have to be explicitly told what the characters are thinking about in order to have a plot.

Sounds like you're watching the movies too passively. Try to actively figure out what's going on at the relevance of that while you watch.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, thanks

sooperkool said:
Some people like anime, I don't. Different people like different things. Why do you need us to validate your dislike of these movies?
Click to expand...

Did you even read my post? I like action.
 
G

Gunslinger

Member
Mad Max is better than Dunkirk I think. They both have Tom Hardy in it too. Mad Max is not boring though I thought it was entertaining throughout. Dunkirk dragged at some parts but the dogfight scenes were amazing.
 
B

Betty

Banned
Fury Road is an audio-visual masterpiece, the action is some of the best committed to film, the direction is flawless, everyone gives a great performance and the music... is eternal.

Dunkirk is precisely what Nolan set out to do, I loved it.
 
R

Raxus

Member
The fact complaining about both means you really should watch more film theory channels to appreciate those films more. Editing, camera angles, sound design, etc. All are on point.
 
J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
i don't understand how you could watch Dunkirk and not feel tension

watched last night & my heart is still going tick tick tick tick tick
 
P

Prime crotch

Banned
Action is storytelling and Fury Road in particular excels on that. I'd even would have liked to see the cut where Max doesn't talk until like one hour in.
 
O

Ordinaryundone

Member
Pachimari said:
Nothing really entertained me per se. Dunkirk is a bad movie but still an experience you would like to go through just once in the cinema. It is boring, slowly paced and really not interesting as you don't care about any of the people in it, the plot or what is really going on.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to single you out or make fun of you, it's just that I hear this sentiment a lot and I just can't understand it. Did you really feel nothing for the people stranded on that beach knowing at any minute they could die, and all the trouble they were going through? The extreme emotional and physical stress? It got a little crazy for the one soldier character, whose role in the movie is basically to sink every boat he gets on, but all in all that movie had me on the edge of my seat for nearly the whole thing.
 
SlimySnake

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Imp the Dimp said:
I watched Dunkirk a few days ago and those were some of the longest 110 min of my entire 2017. Literally just stuff blowing up for almost two hours straight. I'm no one to not be astonished by a pure action scene every once in a while but these two movies feature virtually no dialogue or tension, instead just ships or cars blowing up for 2 hours. Definitely some of the least exciting theater visits in the past years for me, although I found Mad Max superior, yet nowhere near as good as the entirety of the internet thinks it is. Last time I criticized the movie I remember having my intelligence questioned so that was not a great experience. So I'm here to learn and I'd like to hear how exactly you gotta be wired to enjoy little dialogue and lot of what I perceive repetitive action. What is the appeal? How do you manage to not grow tired of explosions?

I used to be a big fan of 80s and 90s action, altough I watched those back in their day so I'm not sure how they hold up. I still enjoy action movies like Terminator 2 or The Dark Knight though, so I do not think my watching habits have changed all that much. Not enough to explain the boredom I was overwhelmed with during these two movies anyway. They are fundamentally different from the action movies I'm used to, that much I am sure of.
Click to expand...
I am not a big fan of Dunkirk, but Mad Max was incredible to watch because of the beautifully choreographed action setpices. Sure, it's just one long action sequence but it is probably the best action movie since Terminator 2. Now Terminator 2 had humor, heart and some sci fi elements that Mad Max lacks but Mad Max doesn't have to be as good as Terminator 2 to be enjoyable.

Again, the cinematography, the wonderfully shot action sequences, the focus on practical effects is unparalleled nowadays. there is lots to like but i dont blame you for checking out after a while.

Now Dunkirk is a weird one. I for one didnt think it was a good movie. It's kinda like Gravity and Revenant in the sense that there is zero focus on character development and it's basically a director's demo reel for the Oscars. Nolan's movies have been characterized as a thinking man's blockbuster but he completely ditches all the thinking here and just focuses on action setpieces. there is very little heart here. The brits loved it so maybe you have to be british to really 'get' it, but I expect more from Nolan in the story department. So again, I dont understand all the praise either. Especially from the reviewers who being very meh on Insterstellar went nuts over this. Just like they did for Gravity and Revenant. It's like they want simple stories with little to no character development. Which is funny because that's the first criticism they have when dismissing an action blockbuster.
 
L

lightus

Member
Imp the Dimp said:
That's a good point, thanks
Click to expand...

No problem. I remember reading many reviews of Fury Road complaining that the movie had no plot or character development. That's untrue, the movie has both, it is just more subtly displayed.

Raxus said:
The fact complaining about both means you really should watch more film theory channels to appreciate those films more. Editing, camera angles, sound design, etc. All are on point.
Click to expand...

This is also relevant. It's similar to looking at a piece of art. If you don't know what to look for, it can be difficult to understand fully.
 
S

Sojgat

Member
With Mad Max it's the spectacle of the expertly staged action and an incredibly well-realized visual world. I think people who are more purely focused on story in their entertainment media, and not so much the craft that goes into producing it, are the ones who don't get as much out of the movie. That's not meant as insult, people just digest the media they consume in different ways, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I am not entertained by Christopher Nolan movies.
 
J

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
Movies like Mad Max aren't usually my cup of tea, but I was floored by it. Just a beautiful motion picture, IMO.
 
F

Fury451

Banned
If you liked 80s or 90s action, but think that Fury Road is just two boring hours of stuff blowing up then I'm not sure what to tell you about your taste, it seems to be incongruent.

Dunkirk wasn't even an action movie really, but I didn't like that so someone else can defend that one.
 
I

Imp the Dimp

Member
Maybe I'll give Mad Max another try, on Blu-ray this time. You guys are rather convincing. Perhaps I approached the movie with the wrong mindset back then. I also knew the original trilogy and Mad Max 2 is one of my favourite action movies to date.
 
R

RMI

Banned
repetitive action in Mad Max? I don't even like action movies and I was fully engaged through the entire thing. It is a brilliant movie. As for the dialogue: less is more. The movie treats the audience like adults who can put together what is going on without endless explanations and exposition about who the characters are and what they're doing in the world.
 
G

Gentleman Jack

Member
Re: Fury Road it might help to understand why people appreciate it on a structural level and how the fact that it is a really well-made movie helps carry forth a narrative that pays off on several emotional levels and isn't slapped together with long bits of expository narration or other stupid shortcuts taken by lesser filmmakers trying to paper over nonsensical plot points. Some essential reading/viewing:

Lindsay Ellis: Planting and Payoff - Featuring Mad Max: Fury Road

Film Crit Hulk: THE REVENANT, MAD MAX, And The Nexus Of Cinematic Language

Vashi Nedomansky: The Editing of MAD MAX: Fury Road

I haven't seen Dunkirk yet but I know enough about Nolan's style to at least expect a cohesive narrative voice and cool setpieces, even if there are shortcomings with the actual character writing.
 
B

bionic77

Member
:lol

Another review thread where the OP is basically advertising that he is a dunce.

Dunkirk for me was notable for the tension and the sound. It and Mad Max felt like events to me when I saw them.
 
L

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
I kinda see OPs point about Mad Max at least (I haven't seen Dunkirk yet). It's an awesomely explosive movie with some insane action scenes and set pieces, but in the end, did I care much about anything happening in it ... well somewhat, but nowhere near as much as I cared about characters in Predator, to compare with something old, or Get Out, to compare with something new. Mad Max had some kind of music video vibe to it, where you don't get to truly feel for the characters' struggle, for whatever reason. If Dunkirk is similar to that, I totally get what OP is saying.
 
J

jtb

Banned
The less dialogue, the better. Films are a visual medium. Nolan and, especially, Miller use all the storytelling tools in their toolbox to create vivid worlds and characters.
 
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