A Great Film in a Cult Series

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2015)

First and foremost, I assure you that this film definitely deserved the "Best of 2015" award. Not only because it was a special effects and action epic, but also because of the story that it tells.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" is the fourth installment in the infamous and critically-acclaimed "Mad Max" series. At the time of this posting, I haven't been able to find justification for this assumption, but I believe that the film takes place between "Mad Max 2" (AKA "The Road Warrior") and "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome." Tom Hardy (Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises") stars as the title character, "Mad" Max Rockatansky. If there's anyone that I can imagine taking over for Mel Gibson for the film and character that made him famous, it would honestly be Hardy.
The film is an absolute epic of action film making, with high-speed chases, explosions, gun fights, and an apocalyptic electric dust storm. Despite some of the scenes being enhanced with CGI elements, the "making of" featurettes of the film showed that there were not that many CGI sequences in comparison to actual on-camera stunts and effects. That proves that the best films are honestly made not by computer generated effects, but with real in-camera effects. It actually made the film seem more dangerous just to watch, almost like you're participating in the chases and fights.
What was the best part of Hardy's acting performance is the fact that he did not have that many speaking parts. He almost had no lines in the first 45 minutes of the film. Rather, he was attempting to battle his internal madness (no pun intended). I think that this subtle portion of Hardy's performance is what ties it in with the first film, when Max tells his Main Force Patrol supervisor Fifi that he feels like the only thing separating the bad guys from the good guys is the badge on his chest and that he's starting to be in tune with the madness on the streets. This is a powerful non-verbal statement that's expertly portrayed by Hardy.
Honestly, though, the piece of the film that was most surprising was the integration of a mainstreamed Hollywood powerhouse actress like Charlize Theron. Even though she is no stranger to big budget independent-style films (i.e.: "Monster," "Aeon Flux," and "Prometheus," to name a few), her appearance shows that she still has what it takes to step outside of the Hollywood main-stream and make a great film that not only marches to the beat of its own drum, but doesn't need a main-stream storyline to be successful. Her character - the bald-headed Imperator Furiosa - had depth of her own right and was a great character for a great character actress like Theron.
In all, this film deserved all of the nominations and awards that it was presented. The film is a standard example of in-camera effects movie making and should be looked at as a great action film with a lot of depth in the characters. If you are a fan of the "Mad Max" films, please go see this film. If you've never heard of "Mad Max," my strongest suggestion is to get acquainted with at least "Mad Max" 1 and 2 before seeing it so you know what's going on. But, nonetheless, this film needs to be viewed by anyone who has a love with good ole, unadulterated action.