Chapter 721: A Level Worthy of Film History

After the screening, Guan Yadi reluctantly left the Festival Palace. No matter how much he loved the film, staying to watch it again was out of the question; he had an early flight back to China the next morning.

Back at his hotel, instead of going to sleep, he opened his laptop and wrestled with the internet connection for a good while before finally logging into his blog. As a well-known figure among die-hard film buffs in China, his blog drew massive traffic. Having just watched a movie like that, he was itching to share the experience—and to show off a little.

Sitting in front of the screen, Guan Yadi let his fingers fly across the keys, typing out the thoughts swirling in his head.

"Just got back from the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and watched Duke Rosenberg's new film. Fury Road is an astonishing movie. It has that 'holy crap, you can actually do that?' kind of cool. Director Duke was clearly riding a high making this—wildly imaginative and limitless fun."

"The film is set in a brutal post-apocalyptic wasteland. Though purely fictional, it feels grounded. Its exploration of human nature and the true essence of the world might seem wildly exaggerated, but it never feels detached from reality. Instead, it stays remarkably down-to-earth—because the real world is just as full of plunder and conquest, just not as insane and violent as what's on screen."

"Cruel as the violence is, in this movie, it becomes the ultimate adrenaline rush. I'm not glorifying violence—I'm just saying that the way the film presents it isn't only masterfully staged, it's incredibly innovative, delivering one unforgettable high after another."

"Once you see those rapid-fire shots Duke designed, you'll catch yourself marveling: how the fuck did he shoot that? Better yet, the inventive touches built into the smaller details make the film even more fun—like strapping a human blood bag to the front of a speeding car for a mid-battle transfusion, or giving a fiercely clashing convoy its very own Rock Warrior, headbanging and shredding a guitar without a care for life or death. Even while your adrenaline is pumping, the whole thing is an absolute blast."

No sooner had he published the post than a comment popped up below. Guan Yadi glanced at the screen; it was from his close friend Wang Xiaobei, a fellow movie fanatic.

"Is it really that good? Even more of a rush than Fast and Furious 4 a few months back?"

Reading that, Guan Yadi fired back a one-line reply: "Compared to Fury Road, the car chases in Fast and Furious 4 are completely sissy!"

Wang Xiaobei replied, "Can you give me some specifics?"

"Uh..." Guan Yadi paused to think, then hammered out a reply. "My brain is short-circuiting right now because I've been blown completely senseless. I don't even know how to describe it..."

After thinking it over for a moment, he decided to put up a second blog post.

"Fury Road is hands down the most badass action car-chase movie in the history of Earth so far—utterly groundbreaking! It turns Fast and Furious 4 into a sissy in a single second! The whole film runs two hours and goes full throttle from start to finish, with only the occasional breather in between. There's barely any dialogue, and the final thirty-minute climax is one non-stop peak that somehow never leaves you numb. Duke Rosenberg just solved a historic problem for popcorn movies! Razor-sharp editing, an explosive score, and visuals so incredible I have no idea how he pulled them off. The action choreography and art direction are second to none. I'm officially out of words. Going to find a quiet corner to recover..."

Once the post was up, he snapped his laptop shut and was just about to head for the shower when his phone rang with a long-distance call from China.

"It's Wang Xiaobei. I have to see this movie."

The voice on the other end practically roared. "What kills me is that we won't get to see it on the mainland! I've made up my mind—the moment it opens worldwide, I'm flying to Hong Kong!"

At the same time, over on Instant Sharing—now the top social networking platform in the West—moviegoers who had caught the screening were pouring out their own delirious excitement.

"Just watched Fury Road—a heavy-metal, blood-pumping, ultra-violent sci-fi epic! It feels like centuries since I've seen a movie this exhilarating. My heart was practically pounding out of my chest during the action scenes. Duke Rosenberg doesn't just rely on gore and brutality; he uses perfect rhythm and pacing to craft the action sequences. I've seen cool before, but never anything this badass! F! F! F..."

Since North America and the rest of the world had to wait another half a month for the theatrical release, the Cannes Film Festival was the only place anyone could see it, and articles about the film were reposted like wildfire across Instant Sharing.

"The film is high-octane from start to finish. With extraordinary imagination, director Duke Rosenberg has painted a vividly saturated portrait of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Packed with vehicular stunts, chases, and brutal melees, the movie is also rich with themes of tyranny, cult worship, and freedom, while romance is ignored entirely. It is an era with no time for love affairs; the heroes of this film, men and women alike, throw everything on the line for their freedom."

Countless moviegoers in North America saw those posts, but that was only the beginning. Starting the very next day, every media outlet with reporters at the Cannes Film Festival launched an indiscriminate bombing of coverage on Fury Road—and most of them joined the frenzy completely on their own, simply because the film was that extraordinary!

"Director Duke Rosenberg has crafted a cast of vividly distinct characters, but what makes the film even more remarkable is that their traits are never spelled out through exposition or dialogue. Beyond its strong story and memorable characters, the movie is a flat-out mad adventure. The colossal desert tornado sequence is handled brilliantly: the storm tears across the screen at a blistering 100 miles per hour, yet the spectacle is never overshadowed by the kinetic camerawork or rapid-fire editing. Everything else in the frame is staged to perfection, delivering a visceral realism sorely lacking in contemporary cinema."

In her hotel room, Natalie Portman had barely gotten out of bed before telling her assistant to gather the major media reviews for Fury Road. By the time she sat down for breakfast, her assistant had already compiled them and laid them out in front of her.

At first glance, Natalie Portman's brows knitted together. Bitter regret washed over her for not fighting harder to land a role in the film.

Her mother, Shelley, walked over carrying a cup of oatmeal, set it down in front of Natalie, and took the seat across from her.

"Sweetheart, you've barely been eating lately, and breakfast is important..." Shelley reached over and took the stack of reviews away. "Eat your breakfast first."

"But I want to read them," Natalie said, looking at her mother. "Right now, okay?"

Shelley let out a sigh. She knew exactly how stubborn her daughter could be, and she set the compiled reviews back down in front of Natalie.

Sipping her oatmeal as she read through the reviews of Fury Road pouring in from North America to Europe, Natalie Portman knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had missed out on a truly great film.

Empire magazine—Mind-bendingly bizarre imagination, jaw-dropping action sequences, madcap humor, and rock-solid performances even in the eye of the storm—all of these will make Fury Road a classic!

Variety—The film is pure high voltage. Simply put, it has no shortage of manic energy, and its wild, unbridled sense of freedom is utterly exhilarating, yet at the same time, it displays astonishing restraint.

Hollywood Reporter—Making a two-hour movie that is one long highway chase with next to no dialogue takes real guts and vision, yet Duke pulled it off, packing in countless fresh elements that keep the action thrilling from start to finish.

Vanity Fair—Fury Road is an electrifying, pulse-pounding, and wonderfully bizarre adventure. The full feature tastes even better than those fantastic trailers promised. We doubt any blockbuster this summer will top it—go see it now and experience this glorious madness of a masterpiece.

The Guardian—The title could not be more fitting. With its gloriously extravagant imagination and deafening, manic roar, it blows past every expectation. Duke Rosenberg has rescued audiences from mindless action movies and turned them loose to tear across a post-apocalyptic desert!

Le Figaro—Nothing could prepare you for the fact that Duke Rosenberg's Fury Road is such a hard-edged masterwork of action cinema. Its beauty, its depth, and its staggering expressive power will completely redefine the commercial blockbuster.

Bild—The film's vision is sheer madness, putting audiences through a hellish ride while delivering unmatched euphoria. Several of its action sequences have reached a level worthy of going down in film history.

Clearly, Fury Road had conquered the European and American press. Across the early reviews published that morning, its action set pieces and jaw-dropping imagination won near-unanimous praise.

Looking at the media scores below, Natalie Portman could hardly believe her eyes. It was one thing for the outlets in North America to hand out perfect scores of 100—Duke Rosenberg was America's golden boy, after all—but the press across Europe was also dishing out scores of 95 and 100. It was downright surreal!

Among the 14 media reviews and ratings her assistant had gathered, 8 had awarded a perfect 100, and the lowest score of the lot was still a 90!

Was the movie really that brilliant, or had the whole world gone mad?

Natalie set the cup of oatmeal down. She had completely lost her appetite.

Major media outlets were not like those arrogant, tedious film critics; their coverage carried immense weight with public opinion and everyday moviegoers. With the press unanimously raving about Fury Road, drawing audiences into theaters would be effortless. And if the audience reception proved strong enough, the media would hype it even harder in return, cementing the film's stature...

Natalie Portman could afford not to care about box office numbers, but stature was what she dreamed of day and night.

Rising slowly from the table, she walked toward the dressing room as the idea that had crossed her mind at yesterday's opening ceremony crystallized in her head.

She was not about to let a film that had passed her over walk away with the Palme d'Or so easily!