Mad Max: Fury Road - Review Thread

Mad Max: Fury Road
30 years have passed since 1985's "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and viewers last took a trip to writer/director George Miller's post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland.  Though Mel Gibson is no longer playing the iconic cult-hero, Miller has returned to his signature franchise with a flair and energy unlike any film I've seen, and the 70-year-old directs with the fervor and intensity of a 20-year-old that boldly represents the vision that he has likely wanted to portray on screen since he first envisioned the ex-cop and his wandering journey through anarchy. 

From the opening frame, the film grabs hold of you and doesn't let go until the credits roll.  Tom Hardy steps in to play Max, and he's terrific at capturing the character.  Max isn't a John McClane; he doesn't make a bunch of wisecracks or bold statements, he always just seems to be someone who's minding their own business but stumbles into someone else's trouble.  Hardy doesn't have a lot of lines in the film, but his quirky mannerisms and selfish attitude are both hilarious and true to the character.  Miller does everything to characterize Max in comical ways from speeding up the frames to using a series of rapid insert shots that are genuinely hysterical at times, and Miller goes all in this time around in playing with Max's literal demons and personal madness that was barely touched on in the previous entries.  It never comes off as cartoonish or juvenile though, and Max's character correlates perfectly with the frenetic pacing of the film itself. 

After a highly entertaining opening sequence in which Max is captured, we are introduced to a society similar to what we've seen in the previous films.  A depressed "city" with an overlord that sits on precious resources like water and vegetation and uses his war mongering to keep the people in check.  Nothing we haven't seen before, but Miller's vision and scope is so incredible that it's hard not to be swept up in the world he's created.  The production value is top-notch from the high cliffs of the Citadel embedded with gears, cranks, and pulleys to the brilliantly unique vehicles that screech across the wasteland.  The cinematography is incredible as well, and captures all of the intricacies of the set design as well as the break-neck paced action perfectly.  From enormous dust clouds to towering canyons, everything in the film just looks fantastic and maintains a fine balance of CGI and realism to bring an authenticity to Miller's world that other recent blockbusters simply haven't had.  Though there aren't a huge range of diverse settings given the wasteland environment, each of them are bold and brilliant to look at, even while Max and Co. are barreling through them all.

The action in the film is nothing short of spectacular, and really never lets up.  It's some of the most well choreographed and executed action sequences ever shot, and though the film's action pieces largely consist of a barrage of vehicles attacking Max and his convoy, it finds a way to continue to feel fresh and never repetitive.  Cars flip into the air, bullets rain on the war rig from all directions, and the enemies never seem to tire.  It's a constant wave of assault, but Miller compliments it all with hilarious exchanges between Max and Furiosa (Theron) and the girls, and the dialogue flows just as furiously as the action does.  We don't gain too much insight into any of the characters, but don't mistake the lack of explained backstories for a lack of character development.  True, Max and namely Furiosa represent somewhat basic archetypes of redemption and revenge, but Miller doesn't stoop them down to the level of chewing scenery and cursing the bad guys for their rotten luck.  Sure, it doesn't contain a lot of depth in its characters or a groundbreaking narrative, but any of those tired scenes of stopping to exchange backstories and provide insight into where Max is coming from and where he's trying to go would've just killed the intense momentum that the film spectacularly carries for the film's duration.  Theron is great as Furiosa, a female lead that even Laura Mulvey couldn't cry chauvinism towards, and she nearly steals the show from Hardy with her shoot-first attitude and relentless determination.  She's thrilling to watch and it's hard to imagine any female lead outside of Sarah Connor that's kicked this much unabashed ass in a film. 

In short, this film is an absolute adrenaline-pumping blast that's littered with superb cinematography, production design, and performances that more than overshadow it's lack of a more unique narrative.  It's clear that this is the film that Miller wanted to make way back in 1979, and he's delivered one of the most incredibly executed action films ever while still maintaining a genuine awe of spectacle and scope.  I doubt any other film this year will come close to the sheer mayhem and frenetic pace that "Mad Max: Fury Road" achieves, and the clever writing and quirky characters breaks up all of the action nicely.  Sign me up for more Mad Max, I'd love to see Miller return to this as soon as possible. 

8/10