Awesome, but what could have been...

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2015)

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is without a doubt one of the greatest achievements of cinema captured on film in recent years. The explosive exhilarating action sequences were masterfully directed by yes, a true mastermind and genius George Miller. George Miller, creator of the Mad Max trilogy with Mel Gibson, brings his franchise back from the dead with this monster of a movie.
The film takes place in a post apocalyptic wasteland filled with mad (crazy) people. In the very beginning of the film we are introduced to a tortured and damaged man named Max Rockatansky. Max is our protagonist and hero of the story. He is haunted by his past and his failure to save the ones he loved. He is the definition of a loner until he is captured and taken back to 'The Citadel.' He then gets involved with the chaos when he meets Charlize Theron's character Imperator Furiosa; a one armed woman looking for redemption. Together they team up to take the abused wives of the main villain, Immortan Joe, to find asylum out in the desert. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are perfect fits for the lead roles due to their wide ranged acting skills particularly those of Charlize Theron.
As every moviegoer should know a movie villain is very important to the film because not only does he or she help drive the plot but can also be responsible for the movie's awesomeness. We are in for a treat with Immortan Joe who you can tell by just looking at him that he is one evil and sinister dude. Immortan Joe presents himself as a god living amongst his people. He hogs all of the valuable resources in the wasteland and this gives him his power. His war boys are so loyal to him that they will do anything for him like the League of Shadows guys from "The Dark Knight Rises."
The practical effects of the movie create an old school kind-of-vibe throughout the movie but it pays off well because it is so realistic and looks way better than computer animated special effects. The practical effects look fantastic in this film and hopefully it inspires future filmmakers to use this technique rather than CGI. Don't get me wrong, CGI can be a valuable tool but it is overused in film today. The stunts were also spectacular to look at and honestly some of the best I have ever seen. Overall, the action of the movie in one word: Amazing!!! This movie will surely bring in Oscar nominations.
So aside from the cool characters, special effects, directing technique, and action: what a movie really needs to be a masterpiece is a great story. Though "Mad Max: Fury Road" did not slack in this category; it was just to a minimum. The story was basic and presented in a rare way without any real exposition, making it a little difficult to get a good grasp on the story. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing. It was just different. Miller's clever approach to this made the beginning to be somewhat complex as it forced the audience to figure out this world without any real introduction.
Also Miller wanted to tell the story with the visuals, so there is not much dialogue throughout the film. So pretty much the opposite of a Quentin Tarantino Movie. Again not necessarily a bad thing because the plot still flows well; although it does not allow for a lot of development of many cool characters. Miller once said in an interview, "They won't have to read the subtitles in Japan." This will surely make it easier on foreigners but has no factor in making the movie better. Also the movie did not have the most memorable dialogue, but was more memorable than the old Mad Max films. Some lines tried too hard to be movie catchphrases while others worked perfectly for the scene.
Though as awesome as "Mad Max: Fury Road" was I cannot give it a 10 because of its basic story. I wish the movie was a little longer with more development, dialogue and focus on the story, so it would make the movie even more epic with higher stakes, purpose, and emotional appeal. Compared to other action classics like "The Matrix" and "The Dark Knight" which had great stories along with groundbreaking action; "Mad Max: Fury Road" did not quite reach those heights but reached farther heights than most action movies of recent years.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" had potential to be one of the greatest action movies of all time but just barely missed. At the end I found myself saying "really that was it," and I wanted more. Still "Mad Max: Fury Road" is an awesome movie that most will enjoy and appreciate. Can't wait for the sequels. 9/10