Visually Spectacular, otherwise disappointing

Rating: 3/10 (26 January 2016)

I really liked Max Mad: The Road Warrior. So I was looking forward to watching Fury Road, especially with all the critical praise it has received. After watching it I am left extremely disappointed and can conclude that IMDb rating system has some serious faults.
Visually, this film looked spectacular. But underneath its beautiful surface there lies no depth whatsoever. I found it extremely boring and was looking at my watch regularly. The plot was so simple that a complete idiot could have written it. It still had plenty of plot holes so perhaps a complete idiot did write it! Afterwards I read about how this film was in "development hell" for years (maybe it never left). Let's be serious, if it took you years to write that script, then you should feel deeply ashamed. Then again, neither Hollywood nor the paying public will penalise you for not having any original thoughts or creative ideas, especially when it comes to big budget action sequels.
Most of the illogical events concern Nicholas Hoult's character. He's a "warboy" who's totally devoted to sacrificing himself for the bad guy's causeuntil he fails, has a cry, then a conversation with one of the wives, and then decides to join their cause instead. When he's stowed away at the back of their tanker, the wife sees him, and instead of throwing him off their tanker (again), she falls in love with him after a brief conversation, despite the fact he had previously been trying to kill her and her friends. Maybe she has amnesia and has a thing for pasty bald guys with silver teeth? Or maybe I'm thinking about this film too much. "Too much" being "thinking about it at all". Because if you're happy to turn your brain off and zone out for 2 hours, then it would be more enjoyable.
The primary reason for everything shown in the film is because it looks good. Many other reviewers have pointed out that in a world with scarce resources, it's impractical to transport a flame throwing guitarist and his huge amplifiers around on a truck. Like most things in this film, it's never explained why in the wastelands it's important to have a mobile stadium-level rock concert but it looks good though. It's never explained why Charlize Theron paints the top half of her head? The next time I drive to work I'll smear some grease across my forehead. I might get in a bit sooner, there maybe something in it. And it's never explained how she lost her arm, or what purpose it brought to the movie. Disabled lead character? Tick another box in the diversity checklist!
So if you have an insatiable demand for watching cars flipping over and exploding, then this is the film for you. And if you don't mind a completely uncharismatic lead who mainly grunts, nor a bunch of things happening that make no sense, then you'll have no problems here!