Mad Max: Fury Road lives up to the hype

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2015)

I haven't seen the previous Mad Max films, but I do love the Borderlands franchise which is heavily influenced by the Mad Max universe. So when I saw the trailer for Fury Road, the trailer screamed "BORDERLANDS!" to me. I was totally on board for Borderlands: The Movie and went in very excited.
One thing I appreciated right off the bat was that we were thrown right into the story and action with little explanation. Tom Hardy as Mad Max is being chased and almost immediately captured while separately Furiosa is smuggling the Wives away. The warlord, Immortan Joe, chases after Furiosa with his War Boys, who drag along Mad Max. And that's the setup for the whole movie: one big chase scene for survival. The lack of exposition is very welcoming and the pacing is handled very well. Breaks in the action were perfectly timed so as to not leave one exhausted or bored.
Mad Max is a great character, a man of few words, who grunts often, as if it's a struggle to for him to form words. And when he does speak, it is very simply. Charlize Theron as Furiosa is definitely the character who gets to shine in her quest for redemption. She was a tough badass who could and did go toe to toe in a fight. It was SO refreshing that she and the Wives weren't helpless eye candy for Mad Max to save. The War Boys reminded me fondly of the Bandits from Borderlands and I enjoyed their craziness and fanaticism. What a lovely day indeed!
The action was very realistic, believable, and intense. Minimal use of CGI definitely helped this movie maintain tension; it was used sparingly and it never distracted me. I loved the intense orchestral music and the use of the guitar-playing character and drummers was excellent. George Miller, his crew, and the actors did an amazing job. If you are looking for the action movie of the year, Mad Max: Fury Road is it. This is a definite must-see in theaters and I am already pre-ordering the Blu-ray.