Film Preview: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Poster

Poster #1

Additional posters can be found below.

Trailer Link

Release Date:

May 15, 2015

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There’s Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.”

Poster: C+ / B (4) / C / C / B- / B+

Review: (#1-#5) The first design is just a capture of the opening scene from the trailer, which is a tad boring. The next four are more raucous depictions of the unusual world in which the film is set. The bountiful details give the viewer something to study and will play well with fans of the franchise.

(#6 & #7) The designs aren’t ranging very far from the previous and without any markedly more interesting design work, they just aren’t going to appeal broadly.

(#8) This is the last of the character/event posters that have been a generally positive, but unexciting aspect of the film’s marketing. This one’s a little more interesting than the last few, but neither this or the others would do well for a final product. (#9) Here we have the perfect final poster design. This is the kind of poster that hangs proudly in any theater and audiences look over it, love it and may even set it aside as one they would like to hang on their walls.

Trailer: A- / A / B+

Review: (#1) A high-octane action smorgasbord presents a bleak and unrelenting world with plenty of style, but without giving an idea of the potential substance of the underlying plot.

(#2) The poster designs may not be winning any awards, but this thrilling trailer should make anyone, even people who aren’t fans of the franchise, excited to see what George Miller concocts. There are so many visually impressive set pieces in the trailer that you might have to watch it a few times to pick up on them all.

(#3) This trailer is a bit less dramatic than the previous outings. Sure, it has all the fun action sequences on display, but it seems to depress the tension the prior designs had built up.

Oscar Prospects:

The original films weren’t really Oscar draws and a blockbuster sequel won’t likely change that dynamic, but some nominations in the creative and tech fields are remote possibilities.