The Most Intense, Electric, Absurdly Rewarding Ride I've Taken in Years

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2015)

A triumphant return to the reckless mayhem and guilt-free indulgence of the early '80s action/adventure bubble. Max puts foot to floor right from the opening bell and never lets up, somehow topping itself over and over again, even when it seems like there's nowhere left to go. It's joyous anarchy, a world that thrives on all of society's dirty secrets; completely post-apocalyptic crazy but also a little more familiar than we'd like to admit. Of course, it's a visual powerhouse - a glowing example of art direction, stunt driving, cinematography and character design that's damn near unrivaled in modern cinema - but it's also an audio behemoth. Like Inception's deep bellow or Terminator's ominous rumble, Fury Road can convey a looming sense of dread through its frequent, effective use of bass. You feel that rumble? The ride's starting back up again. Junkie XL's accompanying soundtrack is a perfect tonal match, the right blend of fuzzy, maxed-out guitar licks and incessant, pounding tribal drums. Perhaps most impressively, the film doesn't feel obligated to dig up every last bit of backstory on its way to the finish line. If anything, it revels in leaving that to the viewer, whose imagination is bound to fill in the blanks for such a broad, wildly eccentric cast of characters far better anyway. It's a raucous success, a lethal dose of sensory overload that hits like a two-hour surge of adrenaline. I loved it, constantly shaking my head at the experience and laughing at myself like a little kid at his first R-rated movie. Loved every minute.