Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Mad Max: Fury Road is the first Mad Max film since Beyond Thunderdome back in 1985, and has been in development hell since 2000, although I'm not sure if it was the same story as this film back then. George Miller [the director of this film, and the previous 3 Mad Max films] planned to shoot the film in 2001 with Mel Gibson as Max, but 9/11 happened, and it halted the project. George Miller said he wanted to recast Mel, because he wanted Max to be a younger age, and Mel was near 50s. In around 2008 or 2009, they planned to shoot the film with Heath Ledger as Max, but due to his unfortunate death, that didn't happen. Finally Tom Hardy was cast as Max Rockatansky in June 2010, and filming began in July 2012, and it ended in December 2012 with re shoots in November 2013.

Mad Max: Fury Road opens with Max [Tom Hardy] in the wasteland desert being haunted by a little girl who he failed to save, no word on whether it's his daughter [in the original he only has a son, but Miller could have changed his backstory around, so he had a daughter], or someone he failed to save possibly after Thunderdome [George Miller said in his mind this film is set after Thunderdome, but it could have also happened at any point in the Mad Max timeline, maybe even after Road Warrior, or maybe it's set after the 5th film possibly]. Max is also driving away from the War Boys, the army of tyrant cult leader Immorten Joe [Hugh Keays-Byrne, Toecutter from the original Mad Max], and he gets captured, put into chains and is being used a blood bag for the sick War Boy Nux [Nicholas Hoult]. We see Immorten Joe, and to describe him would be that he is a cross between Bane and Beetlejuice, as he has a breathing mask, and he also has white skin and mad hair. Anyway Immorten Joe is the leader of the Citidel, and he owns a supply of water, and also gets milk from his wives breast. Furiosa [Charlize Theron] driving her heavily armored War Rig full of gasoline, decides to flee from Immorten Joe, and takes his 5 wives, which are used for breeding children, and Furiosa is hoping to find her home. Immorten Joe and his army decide to chase after Furiosa, and get back his wives, and soon Max gets caught in between, as Max is strapped to the hood of Nux's car, but he then escapes Nux, and joins Furiosa and the wives.

Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action films I have ever seen. It is a wild, crazy ride. This film rarely slows down, as it is very fast paced chaotic balls to the walls action, and it's awesome. There is a scene in the film where a guy is playing a guitar that shoots flames out it. It's bonkers, but awesome at the same time. The film also doesn't have any unnecessary exposition, as people talk when they need to talk, and when they do it's actual conversation, not explaining stuff that you can pretty much figure out yourself, as it's not that hard to figure what the plot of the film is in my opinion. Also what separates this film from lets say a Transformers film, is that 90% of the action is all practical, as there is real stunt work and explosions happening in this film, and they only use CGI when it is necessary. For example, they drive through a thunderstorm, and there is thunder and lightning, and we know that's not real and is CG, but the actual chases and explosions are real, and also the desert they are in is actually a desert, and not green-screen. Also another big element of this film, is the characters. Furiosa and the wives are characters that you develop an emotion connection to, as you see that they want out of this shitty wasteland, and that they want actual safety and not be ordered around by a tyrant like Immorten Joe.

Tom Hardy makes a fine replacement for Mel Gibson as Max Rocatansky, but the story isn't about Max, so a lot of people could have played Max in this film, although I did really enjoy Hardy's performance as Max. The story is centered around Furiosa trying to find her home, and Max is there to help her. It has always been that way since Road Warrior. In the original Mad Max it is clearly about Max, as we see him interacting with his family, and also doing his job as a Main Force Patrol officer. In Road Warrior, Max is a drifter who gets caught in a war between oil settlers and bandits. In Thunderdome, Max gets caught in the middle of a struggle for power between Aunty Entity [Tina Turner], the ruler of Bartertown, and a dwarf named Master,who wants to dethrone Aunty Entity. This is another chapter in the life of Max as a drifter, as every Mad Max film is somewhat tonally different [especially Beyond Thunderdome, as that is hardly a Mad Max film until the final 20 minutes], and no characters other than Max return for the sequel. Every Mad Max film after the first could essentially be a reboot, as like I said there isn't really much story continuity besides Max, and even Max barely gets much character development after the first other than becoming a silent emotionless drifter.

However that being said, I did miss Mel in the role, but I completely understand why he wasn't in the film, as he's a bit too old for the character in this film, and he's still blacklisted in Hollywood based on his controversial views, which in my opinion is absolutely ridiculous, as the man is a pro when it comes to acting and directing, and rarely brings his personal life on set, as he commits to a film. I hope we eventually see Mel back as Max in one of the sequels, maybe even the final ever Mad Max film, as they could do a film where Max is near the end of his life, and wants to do one more mission before he dies. Something like that, as not bringing back Mel to the role he made famous would be wrong in my opinion, as he is Mad Max.

Speaking of Charlize Theron, she is excellent in this movie. She is the heart and soul of this film. Her Furiosa is a strong female character, one that has shades of Ellen Ripley [Alien franchise] and Sarah Conner [Terminator franchise]. She is badass, but also very human, as you see how much she cares for the wives, and how determined she is to find the home she was taken from as a child. The wives are also interesting in their own way, as all of them are strong and badass, and have that same desire to survive and get safety like Furiosa.

Another character who is very fascinating is Nux. Nux is a War Boy, and the War Boys are crazy white skinned soldiers that worship Immorten Joe, and they all want to be granted to go to Valhalla, which is heaven for them. There is a great scene with Nux driving a car in the thunderstorm, and him getting very excited and screaming "Oh what a lovely day! What a very lovely day!", and it's so mad and gets you pumped up [well it did for me anyway]. Nux starts off the movie very mad and worshiping Immorten Joe, but then he starts viewing things differently midway through the film, and it's very interesting. Nicholas Hoult gives his most energetic performance yet, as he's great in the film.

The movie is shot to perfection. This movie looks gorgeous. It is seriously one of the best filmed action films I have ever seen. It is beautiful chaos, and there are many shots in this film that look visually appealing. I have gushed over the action, but I'm going to do it again, as the action is seriously amazing. The action is very clear and open, unlike some action films that have shaky cam, and you can barely see what is going on. You can see what is going on in this film, and it's just a masterpiece in action set pieces in my opinion. It's an exercise in how much action can be in one film, and not being bored by it, as the action is done with such great energy to it. I was never bored by the action at all, as it was an adrenaline rush. The stunt team should get around of applause, as they did a terrific job with making the action so spectacular. George Miller should get the biggest applause, as he was the captain abroad the ship. He guided everyone to bring their A game, and they did.

Good luck trying to top this film Hollywood, as there won't be a better action film all year than Mad Max: Fury Road.

I absolutely recommend Mad Max: Fury Road if you enjoyed the first 3 Mad Max films, and if you are a fan of action films that are have great energy to it, and also have badass and interesting characters.