A trailer is important to the marketing of a film. It establishes tone, characterization, mis-en-scene, maybe offers some salient plot details and character relationships. It is often the first point of departure for those who are as yet undecided about a film; it is the place where fans are drawn in or pushed away. A bad trailer might not make or break a film, but it can give viewers pause about whether or not they open their wallets for this particular feature. So when I see a poorly made trailer for a film that I’m otherwise excited for, as the case in the most recent one for Mad Max: Fury Road, I am a trifle heartsick.
Mad Max: Fury Road features Tom Hardy as the titular angry man attempting to navigate a dystopian wasteland full of nasty people better known as “Australians.” He will eventually fall in with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), but not before lots of things explode. At least, that’s what I’ve gleaned from the rather confused first trailer.
Here you will find no salient plot points, no characterization and not even a bare indication of just what’s going on. It looks like there are some rogues capturing old Max, but we’re not quite sure why. I know that I spotted Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, but I couldn’t quite tell you what they’re doing, or why. There are definitely a lot of explosions though, and some downtrodden escapees from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
Now, all of the confusion and apparent mayhem might just give us an excellent taste for Mad Max: Fury Road. After all, there’s something to be said for not revealing the plot or anything to do with it in the first trailer. The problem is that the action is so confusing, and so apparently pointless, that it’s difficult to even get excited for this. It just looks like an unholy mess.
I hope against hope that this is just a poorly edited trailer and is not indicative of what we can expect for Mad Max: Fury Road. I want very much to like this latest installment to the crazy-eyed franchise, and I always enjoy Tom Hardy in anything, so let’s cross our fingers on this one.
Mad Max: Fury Road comes to theatres May 15, 2015. You can check out the latest trailer below.
