It not only raises the bar, it smashes it completely!

Rating: 9/10 (14 May 2015)

When director George Miller created Mad Max back in 1979, he couldn't have foreseen the impact the micro-budget film would've had on the action genre. Not only did it launch Mel Gibson into an A- list star, it's gritty, post-apocalyptic style set a precedent for action movies and had a major influence on many directors for the next two decades. Two sequels arrived in the years following and then nothing. The series ended. Rumours have persisted since 2000 of another sequel but it wasn't until 2011 when the same director, Miller decided it was time to raise the bar once again and got to work on Mad Max 4. The wait has been worth it.
Replacing Gibson with British actor Tom Hardy, Fury Road begins with a voice over "My name is Max, the world is fire and blood. It's harder to know who was more crazy, me or everyone else." We then launch straight into a chase scene over the desert plains of a post- apocalyptic desert where Max is captured by a group of cannibals. Elsewhere we are introduced to Furiosa (a pumped up Charlize Theron) who has been tasked by local gang leader Immotan Joe with driving an armoured rig full of now-scarce water across land in exchange for gasoline. Instead she rebels and heads for her homeland along with freeing Max and Immortan Joe's five wives, two of which are pregnant. And then all hell breaks loose!
What follows is simply a breathtaking display of action cinema. From here on, Fury Road is effectively one long chase as Immortan Joe's enormous army of lunatics pursue Furiosa across the endless desert. The film slows down briefly to introduce Furiosa's relatives, but the pursuit swiftly continues.
The action is simply relentless as supped up cars, motorbikes, trucks and tankers crash, flip and explode as they attempt to halt the rig with stuntmen literally flying everywhere. The stunts are simply astonishing, all the more so that Miller insisted that the majority of the action be filmed practically without the reliance on CGI – how no one was killed in the making of the movie is all the more astonishing. Director Miller, now 70, is at the top of his game and handles the action brilliantly. The locations are suitably apocalyptic (filmed on location in Namibia) and suit the movie perfectly.
The plot itself is simple and, although you don't get much in the way of characterisation, it really doesn't matter. There are enough glimpses of Max's past to fill in the gaps for anyone who hasn't seen the original movies. Hardy is a fitting replacement for Gibson and does a fine job as Max, however the real standout is Theron – shaved head and as far from the gorgeous blonde we know so well, she plays the role of Furiosa amazingly.
Not only does Mad Max: Fury Road raise the bar for action movies, it smashes the bar entirely. Sit back, switch your brain off and you'll have a blast!