A lovely day... but it could be better.

Rating: 7/10 (6 March 2016)

This movie was and still is amazing to watch. Non-stop action that can only be described in one word; exhilarating and it's not hard for me to say that it's one of the best action films I have witnessed in a long, long time, if not THE best. But it just did not feel like Mad Max. It felt like an entirely different movie compared to the initial Mad Max titles.
For one, there was too little light shed on any of the characters and that includes Max (Tom Hardy). The only thing we learn about him, is that he used to be a cop (much alike the original) and that he couldn't save Glory (the young girl we see who comes to the conclusion that she wants Mad Max to instead be a horror movie, but does a pretty bad job at jump scares and being eerie) Furiosa (Charlize Theron), we know absolutely nothing about asides from the fact that she was taken at birth, bla bla bla another sob story. I, and probably many others found it hard to relate to any of these characters, because there was barely anything to know about them.
At some points the movie seems like it's about to develop a character, but then it just ceases to throw in another adrenaline-fuelling action sequence and it's back to square one; driving a truck in hopes to outrun a bunch of psychopaths. Wait. Oh no! Their vehicle broke down. Best repair it before they catch up!
In Mad Max 2, the characters seemed much more engaging. The supporting characters were just as interesting as Max was, and we could relate to some of them because they had just enough light shed on them so that we could do that. And on top of that, the movie was gritty, it was horrific. It felt like a true post-apocalypse movie, and it managed to tie in well with the action sequences, which mind you, were just as good and even better for their time.
But Fury Road just doesn't do that. It doesn't feel like Mad Max. It doesn't have that sense of gritty, post-apocalypse survival, despite the first few lines in the movie are of Max mentioning his only instinct was to survive. Nobody seems desperate in this movie, except for the citizens who live under the tyranny of Immortan Joe, and they were quickly forgotten about in order to be replaced by more action.
All in all, Mad Max: Fury Road is definitely worth a watch. The enthralling action sequences, soundtrack and most importantly the special effects are nothing short of amazing. But to those who have not yet seen it and are thinking you should, do not go in to it expecting a gritty, tense movie full of struggle and dirt. It's not.