Well-made action setpieces, but lacks in everything else

Rating: 6/10 (2 October 2015)

It took forever, but I finally saw it. Mad Max: Fury Road was probably the most hyped up movie since Gravity. Everyone was talking about it. Some people even saw it more than once. But when I heard about the movie being pretty much 98% car chase and 2% story & characters, I knew it wasn't really going to be my kind of movie.
First, let's get to the positives. The production values are incredible. When I watched the movie, I really felt that all the vehicles, costume designs, make-up and even the (mostly) practical special effects just had a lot of heart put into it. There was an incredible attention to detail. And that's what I admire about the movie. These people wanted to make a REAL movie, not just have actors in front of a green-screen and fix the rest with a computer.
The cinematography was also excellent, a real visual treat to watch. Another thing the movie does right, putting some actual effort into the photographic outlook.
There were also some decent comical elements, like the guitar player mascot, some goofy and odd-looking villains and some sporadic hilariously out-of-place lines.
So what did the movie do wrong? Well, the biggest problem is that the characters are just not that developed. There are some brief glimpses of possible character development, like Max having flashes from leaving people behind and also Furiosa in general. I was thirsty for knowing more about her, but it never went beyond her badass-surface. Pretty much all of the girls Furiosa had with her (Which she kept locked up, what the hell??) had zero characteristics at all. The closest we get to character development there is a woman being worried about her baby. Okay, note down:
Character trait: Worried about baby
Got it. Let's move on. What is most disappointing with this movie is, unfortunately, Mad Max himself. He just didn't have a personality. Furiosa wasn't developed much, but at least she resembled somewhat of a character and I could root for her. But Max is just... a regular guy. Not the Bruce Willis-type of regular guy, but simply regular. Tom Hardy is a pretty good actor, but he got way too little to work with. He oddly enough had pretty much the fewest lines in the whole movie, not to mention that when he had a line, it wasn't very memorable. You don't give your main character quotable lines??? Whazzamatterwithyou? A letdown and waste of Tom Hardy's talent.
The story itself was also... Oh who am I kidding? The only story I got here was that people need water and a villain is hell-bent on having someone's baby. Speaking of it, what did he need the baby for? And where do the weird girls come from? What purpose do they serve? And who did Max leave behind? Was it his daughter? Someone else's daughter? Jesus, this movie leaves more questions than it answers.
Does it work as passable Friday entertainment? To some extent. But it's definitely not a brilliant movie. I dunno, maybe I was just the wrong crowd. I just want flesh AND bones to my movies, not just bones.