The last time I saw Warner Bros. put together a big soundstage full of costumes for a film, it was “Man Of Steel,” and my kids loved getting the chance to get close up to Superman's costume or the twisted bank vault door.
At Friday's “Mad Max: Fury Road” press day, they had a soundstage set up for all of the interviews and then also to display some of the costuming from the movie. While I'm embargoed until May 12th on the film itself, I'm allowed to say that there is a remarkable depth to the world that Miller has created this time around. The budget for “Fury Road” is more than all three of the other films combined, and then some, and it seems like a lot of that was used to help build a physical world in which Miller and his cast could get lost.
One of the things I love about “Mad Max: Fury Road” is that Miller cast Hugh Keays-Byrne as the main bad guy in the movie, Immorten Joe. Keays-Byrne was one of the main bad guys in the first film, playing a character named The Toecutter, and having him back all these years later in such a different role seems like part of the way Miller loves to do things. After all, Bruce Spence played two totally different characters in “The Road Warrior” and “Beyond Thunderdome.”
There's also something impressive about the way Miller handles the visual effect involving Imperator Furiosa's arm. It's never the center of attention, and it takes a while before you really get a good look at it. He doesn't treat it any differently than he would a real arm, and that is so key in terms of making an effect feel real. The more you put it front and center, the more people get to look at it and question it. Seeing the physical model of it was interesting.
I can't wait to have the conversation about this movie as soon as it opens, and you can check back here on May 12th for my review.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” is in theaters May 15, 2015.