4.5/5

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2015)

If the world ran out of oil, gas, and water. If it transformed into a giant desert where humanity soon devolved into savage killers...who would truly care about furthering the human race? Who would try their best to find a place to live permanently...to rebuild society for the next generation? George Miller(director of the previous 3 Mad Max films) makes an argument that it's the women. It makes sense when you think about it, women get pregnant, men don't. They have a certain maternal instinct that could drive them to make the world better for their children, while the men go crazy(in the case of the film's villains) or drift aimlessly from place to place(Max himself.) This is why Imperator Furiosa(Charlize Theron) feels like the main character. She drives the film forward(figuratively and literally) while Max(Tom Hardy) simply drifts along. The fact that Max is an extra in his own movie isn't bad, and it's not entirely new. As a character, he's not that interesting. He gets to engage in a couple cool moments, but mostly he's just a haunted shell of a man, his mind fixated on the past. In the film, he is captured by the pale, bald-headed forces of Immortan Joe, whose evil empire has found a way to control water supply, bringing thousands of people to his mercy. Max finds an opportunity to escape, when the aforementioned Furiosa, a soldier working for the bad guy, tries to smuggle Joe's concubines out of his captivity, and to a mysterious "green place" across the desert where they can be safe. Also along for the ride is Nux(Nicholas Hoult) who gets to have a couple sweet and funny moments along the way. What follows is not just a 2-hour long car chase, but an exercise in visual storytelling. The Mad Max films have always taken inspiration from Chaplin and Buster Keaton according to George Miller. At times, Fury Road feels like a silent movie. Even with the thumping soundtrack, there's almost no talking, and when there is dialogue...it actually isn't exposition. A miracle in itself. The film treats it's chases not as thrill rides, but as art. The thrill comes later. Each chase is like a line of dominoes, getting longer and more complex by the minute, and by the time they all collapse, you're left thinking "how are they gonna top that?" What's more remarkable, is that they keep doing so. I'm not going to list action scenes, because that's boring and pointless. See it for yourself. In a culture obsessed with continuity and "expanded universes" it's refreshing to see a movie where it just doesn't matter. Miller has said that Mad Max is an anthology, but it really doesn't matter. People arguing whether this is a reboot or a sequel...where in the time line it fits in are missing the point. It doesn't matter. Have I said that enough? Fury Road hearkens back to simpler time when people watched movies and enjoyed them for what they were. Much has been said of Theron's Furiosa. She's feminist propaganda...she's a strong female role model...she's a character made to pander to women. No no no. She's just a character. A strong character driven by maternal instincts and bravery. She's one of the best characters of the year. Not female characters. Not male characters. Just characters. Hardy doesn't really get to do more than grunt and whisper, but he does that pretty well, and his presence already adds enough gravity to the film. It's also visually stunning, with 90% practical effects. I'm going to say that again. 90% PRACTICAL EFFECTS. Overall, Mad Max is a film that demands to be seen. It yanks it's audience with it on a thrill ride that doesn't stop, and leaves your mouth open and your heart beating hours after you leave.