Mad Max: Fury Road

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the finest piece of pure action spectacle that I've watched since THE RAID 2 and JOHN WICK. It feels like the MAD MAX film that George Miller always wanted to make, and in many ways it's a virtual remake of MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR, except with a grossly inflated budget and CGI effects used to enhance rather than dominate. Now, I love THE ROAD WARRIOR and always will, but MAD MAX: FURY ROAD truly is an action film for our times.

I know that some will hate it; the story here is action and action alone and there's little else to get in the way. It's one long chase film and the amazing thing is how they manage to sustain the momentum for a good two hours. Exemplary cinematography and quite wonderful direction is what makes this work. With bad direction it would have been a real chore to sit through, but instead we get tons of suspense, great fight scenes, and incredible spectacle. This is the kind of film you watch to see stuff that's never been done before.

Tom Hardy feels like an obvious fit for the role and brings some working class style charisma to the part. As many have commented, Max is often a supporting player in his own film, but Charlize Theron as the real lead is excellent too, so that's not important. Even Nicholas Hoult in support is fantastic. I loved the way that the bad guy is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who was the villain in the first MAD MAX all those years ago. Overall, though, this is a film not about the people, but the Namibian desert landscapes, the modded vehicles, the speed, the violence, the overall thrill of the chase. And it's pretty much my idea of a perfect film.

The rationale behind the success of 'Fury Road' predominantly lies with director George Miller whose commitment and love for the film series that he's been developing since its first outing in 1979 is evident throughout, and it's pretty obvious that he knows how to craft a damn fine action sequence. Without this passion, the film would have likely stooped as there's not much else in the way of a plot or character development, even though Theron tries her hardest to give us an enthralling new action heroine to be revered. Aside from the aforementioned writing setbacks, 'Fury Road' is a powerhouse in the technical categories. With stunning contradictory cinematography from John Seale giving us a post-apocalyptic world of lavish colour rather than your typical muted tones, a heart-pounding score from Junkie XL and exquisite production design work that rightfully earnt the film an Oscar (one of six) for its spectacular vehicle design.

I see a lot of negative reviews for this movie popping up. People complaining that there is a lack of story and character development, and too much action.... too much action? Really? Have these people never seen a Mad Max movie before? How is that a bad thing in a Mad Max movie? Fury Road feels like an 80's action movie, with a preposterously large budget, and it is GLORIOUS. This movie was an epic ride. So many awesome set pieces, incredible car designs, twisted and bizarre costumes and characters, and a lot of really strong warrior women as well.

I've also heard it said that this movie contains a lot of feminism. Strong female characters that kick butt, is not feminism people! There's no anti-men message here. Just a cast which is dominated by more women than men. And about time for a change! Charlize Theron is my new favorite actress after this (it used to be Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton). She really takes the spotlight, and that is about the only criticism I can think of with this movie. It's not so much about Mad Max, but about road warriors in general, and specifically Theron's character. I didn't think Tom Hardy was quite as good as Mad Max as Mel Gibson was, but he wasn't terrible. He just didn't lend enough presence to his character in this movie. Which may be a hard thing to do when the movie does not focus on Max.

Special mention should also be given to all the side characters. The villains are enjoyably menacing, especially Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe, John Howard as the People Eater, Richard Carter as the Bullet Farmer, and I also loved Melissa Jaffer as the leader of a gang of elderly motor ladies.

Go see this movie if you like Mad Max!

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is not the sort of film I enjoy and I after watching it, I am not a huge fan though I deeply respect the filmmakers. The reason I even saw it was the insane reaction the public had to this one...and the critical reviews were all surprisingly good. I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about...and try to understand why folks liked it so much. My take on it is that if you enjoy a film that is non-stop amazing action, then this one is for you. As far as the story goes, it's plot is super-thin--but the movie is handled so well and the stunts so amazingly insane that you don't mind. Worth seeing--but I sure wouldn't like to see a lot of films like this. Additionally, it was VERY refreshing to see a film where so many women are NOT mindless objects to be killed or protected--several are about as strong and heroic as Max himself--and no doubt this is why women seemed to like the film so much.

I was left speechless when this finished. It can be hard to describe indeed.... but I'll go for it... Sheer madness that isn't sullied by bad acting or laughable lines. A blockbuster that is gritty and doesn't have a sense of humour that could be equated to a fluffy kitten. No 'lets all hug' sentimental BS. This is seriously a movie I thought I'd never see: a CGI-filled blockbuster that I flat out loved. The stunts are so much fun, the FX so great, it is the first movie I have seen where I have thoroughly enjoyed all this type of stuff - probably because the cinematography for once doesn't suffer cos of it. It is all incredibly shot. The action is so brutal and appropriately high-octane. I thought to myself more than once, 'I think I am loving this more than Terminator 2' but other than that, there wasn't time to think. It kicked off fast and barely stopped, and the lulls were amplified by the insanity preceding them. Plus it is a dark film, which made it even better. I many people do an Aussie accent even close to well, was Hardy actually trying for that? Either way, he didn't talk much so it didn't really matter. This is more Theron's movie than Hardy's, he doesn't say much and does next to nothing for the first third or so. Theron's Furiosa is more of the hero is the story, if there were to be a hero in such a grisly and dark world. I don't even like this type of movie but the execution is everything. I'm gonna go see this again, soon. 4.5/5