Survival stories

Perfect Moments: ‘Mad Max: Out of Gas’

/ Imperfect Glass / 1 Comment

Once in a while, you come across a moment in a story that is so perfect that it stays in with you for years, or even a lifetime. These are moments that, in my opinion, are flawless; perfect gems of storytelling that cannot be improved in any way, and are a joy to treasure and revisit again and again.

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The video:

‘Mad Max: Out of Gas’

Why it’s perfect:

The post-apocalyptic world of the ‘Mad Max’ universe is a crazy, dangerous, and awesome place, filled with action, crazed lunatics, and some of the most awesome looking vehicles ever to grace the silver screen. It’s a world of desperation and incredible action series as humanity fights to survive and gather all the gazzoline gasoline they need to fuel their engines of war.

But what if all the gazzoline gasoline ran out?

‘Mad Max: Out of Gas’ takes a look at what Max’s world would look life if all the gazzsoline gasoline ran out, and everyone still tried to fight the epic wars and battles of before, but on children’s tricycles. It’s the funniest parody of a post-apocalyptic world I’ve ever seen, and even made my parents – who aren’t action movie fans – laugh while watching.

This world may not be as cool as when it had cars, but it’s certainly a a lot funnier.

Favorite moments: ‘You’re going to die. That’s what’s happening.’

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We all have our favorite moments in movies, books, and games, moments that stay with us long after the story is over. This column is my attempt to examine my favorite moments and see why they stick with me.

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The Movie

‘The Grey’

The Scene

Why it’s Great

It happens all the time: Someone gets injured. They’re bleeding out, they’re in shock, and their comrades, friends, and those they love are frantically telling them that they have to hang on, that help will be there soon, and that they’ll pull through.

How often do you see someone tell the injured person that they’re going to die?

When I first saw ‘The Grey’ back in 2011, this is the scene that stuck with me after I left the theater. Very rarely had I come across a story where a dying person was told, point-blank, that they’re going to die. But while Ottway’s honesty seems as cold as the frozen wastes of Alaska, the resulting scene is – surprisingly – quite touching. While he doesn’t mince words with Lewenden about what’s happening, Ottway does his best to make Lewenden’s last moments as comforting as possible.

Death has a way of revealing who someone really is when they’re faced with the unknown, and all their defenses are gone. There might be no better way to find out what a character is like than when they’re staring death in the face. in ‘The Grey’ we learn everything we need to know about Ottway in one scene: he’s a man who doesn’t hold back on telling the truth, no matter how hard or uncomfortable it is. Yet, he’s not a cruel, heartless person, and does his best to help others, no matter how grim things are, even if it’s only making someone’s death a little less fearful, a little terrifying as they slip away, turning what could have been a sad, heartless scene into one of the most touching moments of the film.