A Masterfully Executed Achievement

Rating: 9/10 (30 September 2015)

I love Road Warrior and I would say it is still my favorite Mad Max movie, despite the climactic action sequence being a little boring to me, it has a wonderful tone to it.
So, I was incredibly excited to see George Miller returning for Fury Road. I showed the trailer to all of my friends, expecting a wild beast of a movie. When the reviews came out, I was cautiously optimistic, but didn't want to build it up too much in my head or else I'd be disappointed.
Then I saw it.
After the opening sequence that leads up to the title flashing on the screen, there was a massive release of tension from the theater's audience. I even heard someone say, "jeez!" Everyone was clearly sucked in, and this was only the beginning.
By the end of the movie I felt like I had seen something that I'd never seen before, and something that I don't expect to see again any time soon. George Miller took the ambitious idea of a 2 hour car chase and made it work. It was wonderful. A movie that is driven by action rather than dialogue.
So 5 more viewings later, I feel like I can say what makes this movie so great. Obviously, the art direction and cinematography are great, and the way the story makes you put the pieces together on your own makes the experience more rewarding and engaging, but what really makes it such a tight package is the fantastic editing. Watching this movie is like watching a Stan Brakhage movie, or a really great music video that you can put on over and over again. It's because it is such a joy to watch. The editing is so tight that it just FEELS good. And it was all edited by George Miller's wife Margaret Sixel, who had never edited an action movie before. I can't wait for the video essays breaking down and analyzing the construction and piecing together of shots.
The only complaints I have about this movie: We don't get a great understanding of Max's personality. Most of the time he seems like a wild dog but other times it feels like there is still wisdom rattling around in that head of his. Maybe that's the point though.
I'm not crazy about the score, and there are a couple moments where it actually feels a bit intrusive.
There are a few moments during loud action scenes where the dialogue doesn't properly sync with the mouths of the actors. "First they take my blood, now it's my car!" for example.
Even though there is such limited dialogue, some of it still feels unnecessary. The line, "that's our fuel!" delivered by a rock rider chasing the tanker almost feels like it was thrown in because a test audience was confused about why the riders were pursuing the vehicle.
The line, "it's the bullet farmer! They're coming from the bullet farm!" Yeah, no duh Furiosa.
These are minor nitpicks though, overall it's a great movie and I recommend it to anyone with an appreciation of action cinema, experimental cinema, silent films, or anyone with experience in film production. If you are someone who believes movies are only meant for telling stories, then you may need to expand your understanding of cinema before you'll really appreciate this.