The Gist:
Max Rockatansky (Hardy) is back and captured by the evil warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne- you might remember him as Toecutter in the original) After Furiosa (Theron) goes rogue with Joe’s five wives, a chase of manic and epic proportions ensues. Max and Furiosa must team up if they want to make it across The Wasteland alive.
The Review:
Right from the get go, let me just say this film is nothing short of all out awesome. We’re given a brief intro/reminder of Max and his world as he stands on top of a cliff, clumped long hair and beard to go, still haunted by visions of his young daughter. Then we have our first loud but brief car chase where Max is captured, given a haircut and a shave before being used as a human blood-bank for Nux (Hoult) one of Immortan Joe’s War Boys who paint themselves white and guzzle silver spray paint like there’s no tomorrow.
Theron is the main driving (sorry) force here as the one armed Imperator Furiosa, as she is supposed to take Joe’s War Rig to the oil land but decides to take a detour taking Joe’s five wives/sex slaves along with her: Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton. Make no mistake, the ladies are not reduced to damsels in distress since they are all quite capable, but when you have a whole frigging army made up of stripped out dune buggies topped with Mercedes and Volkswagen Beatle shells, armed with flamethrowers and exploding javelins, a truck mounted with amps and a heavy metal guitarist that shoots flames because…why not. Well some added help to get across the Wasteland might be needed, so in comes Max, who for the first quarter of the film is stuck with a metal facemask slapped across his gob, a little nod to Bane maybe?
The movie is quite low on dialogue leaving most of it for practically everyone else except Max himself. This is after all, the fourth in the series and we know Max quite well by now. Plus, Hardy is an actor that has made something of emoting through his eyes and facial cues. That’s not to say he doesn’t speak at all, he does just not as much as the rest. The script written by Miller along with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris must have been easy as hell to write but when you get the right actors, not much is needed to be said. When the movie takes a few breaks from the crazy chase sequences, we’re given some insight to Furiosa and the wives. Each one has a specific personality and gets a moment, one of the sweetest being with Nux and Capable (Keough)
Ok, Ok you know I’m biding my time here, let’s get to what we’re all here to see, the action and boy does this film deliver. One of the main reasons is that 90 percent of the action scenes were done with practical effects. Cars collide and explode into fiery metal fragments, stunt performers leap from cars to truck at high speeds and vice versa, others are strung up on bendy poles like some wild circus performance. When you know it was done for real, it feels all the more magical, plus you feel the actual weight when things collide whether with each other or the ground. The CGI, when used is done seamlessly. Director George Miller having spent the last decade or so directing animated kid friendly movies has come to understand what CGI can accomplish, it shouldn’t replace but enhance. But as I said, when he does use CGI for instance a eye popping dust storm, it’s nothing short of astonishing.
After every action scene, there would be a couple of “Jesus” and nervous giggles thrown about by the audience. That’s also because here, shaky jerky crap cam is nonexistent. Every shot by cinematographer John Seal (brought out of retirement by Miller) can be freeze-framed and admired, every cut by Miller’s wife Margaret Sixel is fluid, they want you to see that what is happening is real, not hidden by “fancy” quick cut editing.
Adding to the carnage is a loud, actually a very loud bombastic soundtrack amplified and mixed with the vehicle’s revving engines. At times, that guy who plays the fire guitar accompanied by his backing drummers is actually supplying the soundtrack while the action is happening. It’s a nice added touch. Costume design, production design, hell everything to do with this movie is cranked up to 11.
The Verdict:
A few days ago, I exited the cinema after watching Age of Ultron. I enjoyed it immensely(of course) but was disappointed that I had not felt that rush, that tingling sensation that I used to when I watched action films as a kid, a feeling I haven’t felt in a while. Well, Mad Max: Fury Road finally brought back that sensation, and in my book that’s a win.
Certificate: 15
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington
Running Time: 120 minutes
Release Date: 14th May 2015
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