What really needs to be said about Mad Max: Fury Road that hasn't been said? It's the best action film of the decade, with stunning set pieces, killer cars, a great cast, beautiful cinematography, exciting editing, and a killer score that all merge together into a dynamite film experience that just becomes richer with repeat viewings.
Although the film is titled Mad Max the real star is Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, with Tom Hardy and Nicholas Hoult turning in fantastic performances as well. One of the most memorable characters is Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), a grotesque figure with a terrifying mask and disposition. Most memorable though is the Doof Warrior (iOTA), an electric guitar playing rockstar that acts as a weird modern-day war drum for the attacking fleets.
Director George Miller has always been one of the more interesting directors; his career path started with Mad Max in the 70s before transitioning into family-friendly fare with the Babe and Happy Feet movies, before moving back to the franchise that made him. He's right at home here, with souped-up monster machines and a richly textured world that doesn't require over-explaining. Every time I return to this film I am rewarded with new details I didn't notice before or appreciate a different element or character in the film. If you had told me one of the best films of the decade would be a Mad Max film I would find that prediction preposterous, but here we are, and I can't wait for Miller to bring us back to this world.
2nd Worst: The Cobbler (2014)
"It's a privilege to walk in another man's shoes, Max, but it's also a responsibility." - Abraham Simkin
Adam Sandler could arguably take up a whole list of worst of the decade films; the Grown-Ups films, Jack and Jill, Blended, or any of his Netflix films have all been disasters. Yet one shining turd stands out above the rest, his 2014 drama-comedy The Cobbler. The premise involves Sandler as a cobbler who one day discovers that any shoes he cobbles with his long-missing father's secret cobbling machine, will somehow imbue those shoes with the ability to change him into the original wearer. A half-decent idea for a Twilight Zone episode, but this movie allows Sandler to pretend to be a woman's boyfriend and nearly sleep with her (only stopping because to have sex one must remove shoes, and the jig would be up), and disguise as his missing father to serenade his own mother (a creepy scene its own right). Top this off with one of the worst twists of the decade, and an Adam Sandler who seems downright miserable, and you've got the recipe for a disastrous effort.
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