2015 Belongs To The Mad!

Rating: Null/10 (18 May 2015)

What a ride! What a lovely, demented, full-throttled, high-octane, pure adrenaline, ass- kicking, batshit crazy ride! It has taken George Miller 3 decades to come up with another chapter in the franchise that didn't just catapult him into the league of the finest action filmmakers alive today but also went on to change the entire landscape of all things post- apocalyptic.
And with Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth instalment & a possible reboot of the Mad Max series, Miller has crafted something that's destined to go down as one of the most electrifying, exhilarating & explosively entertaining action films of the past few decades for the frenzied madness that explodes from every single frame of this vehicular carnage effortlessly makes up for those 30 years of absence.
Set in the post-apocalyptic wasteland where civilisation has broken down completely, Mad Max tells the story of Max; a drifter in the desert landscape who's taken captive by the War Boys; Army of the God-like tyrant Immortan Joe & is used as a 'blood bag'. His only chance of survival is Joe's Imperator Furiosa who has gone rogue with what Joe considers his most prized assets. And so begins the chase that only the craziest can survive.
Co-written & directed by George Miller who returns to the genre he validated with Mad Max Trilogy, Fury Road proves that despite after 30 years of gap, Miller remains the undisputed mastermind when it comes to vehicular mayhem. And by upgrading the post-apocalyptic elements for the new generation of filmgoers yet retaining the unprecedented charm of old- school action, Miller's kinetic direction succeeds in keeping the legacy of its franchise alive.
The screenplay doesn't involve much of verbal exposition for it's the non-stop action here that handles the storytelling part & defines the characters inhabiting this picture. The visual narration is carried out so well that it doesn't even require its audience to be well-versed in English to understand what's happening in the film. The story also has a surprising level of depth but it requires the viewers to do a bit of digging themselves if they want to find it.
The themes of oppression & feminism is strongly highlighted, human objectification attitude is heavily criticised, plus women in this story are no damsels-in-distress and these elements are incredibly refreshing to see since they're rarely found in action flicks. The subversion to sexism in Mad Max: Fury Road does mark the beginning of something new in action cinema & it's going to be really interesting to see where it journeys from this point onwards.
Coming to the technical aspects, Mad Max: Fury Road is a marvel of action filmmaking. Art Direction team wonderfully brings to life Miller's vision of the desolate future, Camera-work is absolutely breathtaking for the chosen angles, movements & slow-mo shots enhance its action, use of vivid colours defies the usually desaturated look of post-apocalyptic films, every frame is captured in extensive detail & all of it is as its best during moments of action.
Editing also keeps the momentum going in its favour by fiercely pacing the picture & knows when to kill the switch to prevent it from exhaustion. Adding more refinement to its premise is its expertly conducted sound design that further enhances every explosion, gunshot & crashes present in the film. And finally we have Junkie XL providing the background score that keeps the film on the verge of explosion at all times with its adrenaline-rushing, pulse- pounding & dynamic tracks.
Still, the best thing about Mad Max: Fury Road remains its groundbreaking action for the story puts on screen some of the most dangerous, inventive & jaw-dropping stunts ever committed on film celluloid. In a time when most blockbusters rely on excessive CGI which adds nothing to the emotional content, this is one cinema that makes every bit of its $150 million budget count by embracing the old-school practical effects over CGI & keeping the presence of the latter to its bare minimum.
As far as acting goes, the cast is led by Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron and the contribution from the supporting actors is pretty solid. Stepping into the shoes of the iconic character that once belonged to Mel Gibson, Hardy exhibits a magnetic screen presence but as far as his work is concerned, he either tries too hard or too little & whatever accent he was going for, it never works out. Meanwhile, Charlize Theron delivers a truly badass performance as Furiosa & in most ways, she's the real lead of this film.
On an overall scale, Mad Max: Fury Road is a deranged masterpiece that does total justice to both the Mad as well as the Max part of its title and is the most complete, fully realised & unadulterated action flick of the past few decades. The insanity, chaos & destruction it puts on the screen is in a league of its own for this picture is the most action-packed, viscerally thrilling & emotionally rewarding cinematic experience any action aficionado can ever hope for. And if there's one thing Mad Max: Fury Road guarantees, it's that 2015 belongs to the mad!