There is so much I must say about this film and why it is so brilliant. This review in particular has everything that I can say, or at least, the patience to say. Writing these is much harder than it seems, and there is so much about Mad Max: Fury Road that I want to say. I hope that I have used the right words to express my love for this film in just a few hundred words, for if I had to keep writing, it would transform into a jumbled mess.
Anyway, enjoy the review!
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Action/Sci-fi, 2015
2 hours
Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris
Directed by George Miller
Rated R for "intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images"
Starring
Tom Hardy
Charlize Theron
Nicholas Hoult
Hugh Keays-Byrne
Josh Helman
Nathan Jones
Zoë Kravitz
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Riley Keough
Abbey Lee
Courtney Eaton
"Oh, what a day! WHAT A LOVELY DAY!"
And this is why Mad Max: Fury Road is so fucking unbelievable. It is without a doubt the greatest reboot in cinema history. The original, 30 year old trilogy has a sizable cult following. The visual effects now are incredibly dated, but the costumes and production design are so distinct that it's hard to ignore. George Miller, the writer and director of the entire original trilogy, has come back to made the best and cohesive film in the series thus far. It not only works as a great action film, but it has a weighty narrative with stellar characters that stand out from the wasteland.
It is not clear where Fury Road fits in the chronology of the series, but it doesn't matter in the slightest. The film opens with Max, now played by Tom Hardy (and formerly played by Mel Gibson) delivering a gravelly voiceover with his backstory. His family is dead. He used to be a cop. He drives around the wasteland trying to survive. Simple and effective backstory. Max is the archetypical loner, and in a way, a man with no name, and it's made clear from the very beginning. Through a series of absurd and high-octane events, Max finds himself in the company of Imperator Furosia (Charlize Theron), a badass driver with a robotic arm. Furiosa is on the run from the War Boys, a clan of white, dusty skinned baldies led by the indomitable Immortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne). Furiosa has something that Joe wants - his Five Wives, five beautiful young and fertile woman who are used to give birth to Joe's sons. Max agrees to help them reach the Green Place, a save haven. They are accompanied by Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a member of the War Boys, on their quest across the desolate wasteland.
Although the film is called Mad Max, Max himself is hardly the central character. Yes, he is present throughout the film, but his performance is mostly silent. It's Theron's character, Imperator Furosia, that steals the show at every turn. Don't think that she's a damsel in distress. Furiosa is a warrior who stands up for her beliefs and refuses to let go, even in the most dire of circumstances. Seeing a character like her on screen is proof that Hollywood can make a successful action film with a female leading role. Max is more like a catalyst for the story, a lead in to Furosia's plight. He's an extra soldier in her one-woman army. It would have been nice to see more from Max, though, as his past demons continue to haunt him. There is nothing wrong with him taking a back seat to a female lead, but it would simply have been nice to see more of him.
What is so shocking about Fury Road is the character and plot payoffs. The characters are tremendous in diversity. Each of the Five Wives has a distinct personality, and they eventually play integral roles in the final act. The leading characters, like Furosia and Nux have strong yet simple story arcs that pay off brilliantly in the finale. While it may be somewhat predictable, George Miller infuses these moments with genuine emotion and grit. The simplicity of the plot is what makes the film work. Any movie can have visual effects on a grand scale, but most of these blockbusters are bogged down with extraneous plot points that feel forced. Not Fury Road. It's simple and clean. Two main protagonists. One common villain. A singular goal. Simple and clean.
But what about the visual effects? How do they enhance the simplistic story? I want to see action, goddamit!
Fear not, moviegoers. The visual style of the original trilogy is kept, yet it is turned up to eleven. More like twelve. The cinematography, editing, color composition, soundtrack, and production design are all flawless. Totally and absolutely flawless. It's like George Miller took the original trilogy, which was already remarkably absurd, and took it beyond remarkably absurd, and for a series like Mad Max, it's absurd beyond words. Immortan Joe wears a face mask with a painted twisted grin that he uses to breathe. His war party includes the The aesthetic meshes with the action, which is essentially a series of story driven, high speed battles filled with whizzing bullets and fiery spears that destroy everything in sight. The War Boys use outrageous means to destroy their enemies. They cling to tall poles attached to the backend of speeding cars, swinging to and fro until they can get on top of the enemy's vehicle. And that's just the start of it. The single most outrageous thing in the movie is a truck in the war party loaded up several stories high with music speakers while four drummers pound war drums in the rear while in front is a jacked up looking dude playing a double-neck electric guitar that literally shoots fire from the headstock. It's seen in the trailer, but actually watching it unfold in the film is something to behold.
A sizeable portion of the special effects are all practical. The film was shot in an actual desert using actual vehicles that are seen in the film. The War Boys swinging on the poles was actually a thing. Don't believe me? Check out the B-roll from the film (which potentially contains spoilers).
A movie this absurd should not be taken seriously. When walking into something like a Marvel movie, there is a status quo that must and will be upheld. Not Mad Max. There is no status quo for a movie like this, something being taken from cult obscurity and thrust into the summer blockbuster limelight with $150 million behind to back it up. Mad Max: Fury Road is a popcorn flick at heart with a simple story, strong characters and bombastic action. Casual moviegoers will be floored once they accept the bizarre world of the Wasteland. Longtime Mad Max fans will feel like the true scope of what the old films COULD have been back in the day has been achieved. There is no question that Fury Road is the definitive film in the franchise.
It is a masterful piece of action, and hopefully it will be recognized as such by the masses. It deserves your full attention and the price of a ticket. I myself cannot believe that this is the best reviewed movie of the year so far - a reboot of a 30 year old cult action film trilogy set in a dystopian wasteland. But in the end, it is simply a well made film. And those are a rarity nowadays.
9.7/10
Author's Note: I saw a preview screening of this film, which was presented in 3D. I didn't know it would be as such until I was handed a pair of glasses at the ticket counter, but alas, I was too excited to see it. Much like most 3D films, it is not necessary. The effect was added in post production, so the visuals look a bit iffy at times. See it in 2D and save yourself a few bucks.
