One of the finest action-films in decades, "Max Max: Fury Road" is a welcome return for the iconic character! Shockingly entertaining! Perhaps the best in the series...

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2015)

The art of cinema is a splendid medium... capable of conveying many themes and ideas. From romantic revelations, to sinister horror, to wonderfully rich metaphors for the world at large. Cinema is by far the most fascinating and rich canvases for artists over the past 100 years.
And it is used here to great marvel and spectacle to convey an exquisite art... the art of carnage, destruction and action.
From master director George Miller comes the return of one of cinema's iconic action heroes... or rather anti-heroes. "Mad" Max Rockatansky, first immortalized on-screen over 30 years ago by Mel Gibson. (Say what you want about Gibson- who has admittedly gone quite mad himself in recent years- but his three performances as Max are legendary.) Now, the mantle is passed to Tom Hardy, and the series has been given a fresh start in the form of this pseudo-reboot from the same creative mind as the original. (Although technically, this could also be considered a sequel, as outside of one detail, it frankly would fit in fine with the continuity of the original series)
In the post-apocalyptic future, former-lawman-turned-surviving- wanderer Max (Hardy) is captured by a tyrannical cult-leader called "Immortan Joe" (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and made into a blood-donor to help give strength to his ailing forces- the "War Boys", who Joe has conditioned to worship him like a god. However, Max is able to escape and joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a former ally of Joe who has betrayed him and is attempting to escape with Joe's numerous brides/breeders, so they can start a new and peaceful life. What follows is in deranged, insane and highly entertaining adrenaline fueled ride as Max and Furiosa attempt to escape the every growing and ever pursuing forces of Joe and the War Boys- a chase that will rock the world with its fury and ferocity.
Something that I see as a recurring theme is the fact that many are bemoaning the fact that despite being the titular character, Hardy's Max is often overshadowed by other character's... particularly the excellent Theron as Furiosa. And while I will admit this is true, I don't understand why others see this as such a flaw. While the original film was indeed Max-centric, thus far, no other entries have really had Max as the main focus in terms of story. Max is honestly more of a conduit to drive the film forward and introduce the audience to the actual situation at hand- "Road Warrior/Mad Max 2" and "Thunderdome" both followed this model and are well-regarded. And "Fury Road" follows suit.
Sadly, this film is also being chastised by some of the more deplorable members of modern society as well- so-called "Men's Right Activists" (a P.R. friendly way to spin bitter and evil hatred of women into a more palatable-sounding term), who exhibit dreadful and disturbing misogyny to condemn the film for having strong female characters. But I guarantee to anyone open- minded who would like to see the film that their claims are far from the truth, and the film benefits from its strong female presence. Don't listen to their demented, prejudiced and hateful minority voice.
The real star of the film is it's wonderfully quirky atmosphere and the top-notch direction of Miller, who proves that even after 30 years, he still has the ability to spin wonderfully compelling sequences of mayhem while also being able to tell a simple, coherent, hard-hitting story. This is one of the best-directed action films I've ever seen, and Miller's insistence to film the many action sequences with as many practical effects as possible gives it an edge over many other movies being released today. You haven't seen action so quick, furious, ferocious and- most importantly- REAL as this is in a long time.
The cast is also fantastic. Although Hardy is indeed overshadowed, he gives a good performance as Max, and you get a real sense of someone whose life is hollow from personal loss and the constant need to survive. Keays-Byrne is a wonderfully wicked as "Immortan Joe"- something that shouldn't be surprising, given the fact he also played the lead villain "Toecutter" more than 30 years ago in the original "Mad Max." But the real star is of course Theron's Furiosa, who is just a delight. Tough yet with an emotional core, Furiosa is absolutely outstanding, and I wouldn't mind seeing her return in future "Max" films or even in her own spin-off.
I really shudder to reveal too much more about this film as to not spoil anything, because the film moves so quickly and is so well- paced, it deserves to be seen without too much foreknowledge of spoilers or story-beats. Suffice to say, I'm in love with it.
Please see this remarkable film if you're a fan of action or suspense. "Mad Max: Fury Road" easily earns it's perfect 10 out of 10 from me.