This week will see the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, one of my top 5 most anticipated movies of the year (find out how high it ranks here), and needless to say, I'm totally pumped for it. It looks insane in the best possible way. Visually and artistically, I think Fury Road may end up being the most breathtaking movie of the year. Call me crazy if you will, but for me, this movie looks like a dream come true. It's as if my greatest desert apocalypse movie fantasy has come to fruition, and yet it looks better than I could have ever possibly imagined. You see, this may sound strange to you, but I have developed something of an obsession with the wasteland. I don't know what it is about it exactly, but something about the desert apocalypse is just entirely fascinating to me. In all honesty, something about it just feels like home.
Maybe it's because I was raised by a family of dirt bike riders. Growing up, the Mojave Desert was our typical weekend getaway. Family and friends would load up their trucks and trailers to meet out in the desert and ride together. Sometimes that involved camping overnight and gathering around a raging campfire where we stayed up late sharing stories and roasting marshmallows. We would sleep in tents under the brilliantly lit stars, only to awake the next morning to do it all over again. It was a crazy, and thrilling experience filled with lots of fun and lasting memories. It was undoubtedly an integral part of my childhood.
My father was the ringleader of it all. He still is. He's been riding dirt bikes for over forty years. He's in his sixties and still revving the throttle every weekend. Age has shown no signs of slowing him down. He even still actively recruits new friends to join him on his riding adventures, since most people can't keep up with his level of dedication and endurance. Dirt bike riding is truly his greatest passion. He raised both of my older brothers into incredible riders, and taught and supported countless others. Even my sister was riding a dirt bike for years. We all grew up surrounded by this cool and captivating world of adrenaline and excitement. Yet despite all of that, I personally never really got into it. I only gave dirt bike riding a haphazard attempt before calling it quits.
My father was the ringleader of it all. He still is. He's been riding dirt bikes for over forty years. He's in his sixties and still revving the throttle every weekend. Age has shown no signs of slowing him down. He even still actively recruits new friends to join him on his riding adventures, since most people can't keep up with his level of dedication and endurance. Dirt bike riding is truly his greatest passion. He raised both of my older brothers into incredible riders, and taught and supported countless others. Even my sister was riding a dirt bike for years. We all grew up surrounded by this cool and captivating world of adrenaline and excitement. Yet despite all of that, I personally never really got into it. I only gave dirt bike riding a haphazard attempt before calling it quits.
Maybe I was too young. Maybe too easily discouraged or frightened. I just don't think I was ready, and as I got older, my interest in it waned. I always figured I'd give it another shot as I reached adulthood, but I never did. Instead I developed something of an adverse attitude towards it all, at least in terms of doing it myself. You see, dirt bike riding has something of an infectious quality to it. Once people start doing it, they just can't get enough of it. It becomes like an addiction. More than the fear of broken bones, it's this obsession that I think really deterred me from it as an adult. I never wanted to be caught under that spell.
Perhaps one day I'll hop back on the saddle and try again. It's not entirely out of the question. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure my dad won't hold his breath for it, but I know he'd be the first one to show me the ropes if ever I decide to join him. While we might never share a passion for dirt bike riding, at the very least we still do share a passion for the movies, and that's pretty cool. We're both more than eager to see Mad Max: Fury Road tomorrow when it hits theaters.
Perhaps one day I'll hop back on the saddle and try again. It's not entirely out of the question. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure my dad won't hold his breath for it, but I know he'd be the first one to show me the ropes if ever I decide to join him. While we might never share a passion for dirt bike riding, at the very least we still do share a passion for the movies, and that's pretty cool. We're both more than eager to see Mad Max: Fury Road tomorrow when it hits theaters.
Well this blog ended up taking quite a detour. I had intended to talk about my obsession with the wasteland in the Fallout video game series, my self-perceived sanctity of the Mad Max trilogy, and the parallels between the two. Instead I think I'll save all of that for a Part 2. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to properly acquaint myself with the original Mad Max movie.
Just got this Collector's Edition of Mad Max in the mail this week! What a lovely day to watch it!
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