Mad Max makes a spectacular return onto our screens with a big bang.

Rating: 7/10 (28 May 2015)

Following the underwhelming and disappointing Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Mad Max makes a spectacular comeback with a big bang 30 years later. This time Tom Hardy takes over the role from Mel Gibson as Mad Max. Director George Miller returns in the director's chair having directed the previous Mad Max movies. Mad Max Fury Road was a exciting action packed bonanza from beginning to end.
Set in an unspecified period in the future, the world has turned into a desert wasteland and all civilisation and humanity has collapsed. One of the survivors, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) continues to roam around post-apocalyptic Australia. Max is later captured by a group of scavengers called the War Boys, imprisoned and kept as a live blood bag to keep the scavengers alive. Immortan Joe, (Hugh Keays-Byrne, Toecutter from the original Mad Max) is the leader of the War Boys and also the ruler of the community of survivors struggling to keep alive. At the same time, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) has been sent out in a huge War Rig to collect gasoline from Gas Town but unbeknownst to Immortan Joe, Furiosa is smuggling out his five wives that he has impregnated. Immortan Joe unleashes an all out pursuit to take back his five wives and to take down Furiosa. Amongst the pursuers is Nux (Nicholas Hoult), Rictus Erectus (Nathan Jones), and The People Eater (John Howard). After Max manages to break free, he assists Furiosa and the five wives which include The Splendid Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Toast The Knowing (Zoe Kravitz), Capable (Riley Keough), Cheedo The Fragile (Courtney Eaton), and The Dag (Abbey Lee) in order to make it safely from Immortan Joe's clutches.
I found myself a bit cynical when Mel Gibson was not going to return as Mad Max. Unfortunately, far too much time has lapsed and Mel Gibson is too old for the role not to mention all the controversy that has plagued Mel Gibson's reputation. Tom Hardy did an excellent as Max Rockatansky. Charlize Theron was also suburb as the one armed female warrior Imperator Furiosa. I honestly could not recognise Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe, having always thought of him as the infamous Toecutter from the original Mad Max.
The entire movie can be described as a spectacular, non stop, fired up car chase from beginning to end. I enjoyed that a lot. Now that's what an action movie should be like! While Mad Max: Fury Road may not be a classic compared to Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2 (1981), it certainly erased all the underwhelming disappointment of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). A sequel to a violent franchise should not be a watered down children friendly movie. Mad Max Fury Road was certainly a spectacular comeback in the series. George Miller should be commended on resurrecting the Mad Max series.
Here's hoping there will be further sequels and Tom Hardy will return as Mad Max.
7/10.