Everything it should have been and then some

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2015)

All other films that think they can call themselves "action blockbusters" please step aside to make way for the only true blockbuster this summer, and for many more summers to come I'm sure, Mad Max: Fury Road. Oh. My. God. This movie right here. This explosive, obscene, grotesque, beautiful movie right here was everything I ever wanted it to be and more. George Miller, after thirty years, has returned to his legendary Mad Max series, and he's returned with the some serious firepower at his disposal. Firepower in the form of 150 million dollars and the limitless wonders of modern technology. Miller fires off this ammunition at full force to create the impossibly vast and intimately gritty world of Max Rockatansky in the grandiose way I think he envisioned it from the start. Upon seeing the first trailer for this film I said it looked like the Mad Max film Miller always wanted to make but didn't have the tech or the money to accomplish. Seeing the movie in its glorious two hour entirety affirms that statement.
Mad Max: Fury Road stands alone from its three predecessors with the titular character and his post apocalyptic scenery being the only thread that combines them. Fury Road presents a wholly original story taking place in the wasteland where we meet a water hungry colony ruthlessly ruled by Immortan Joe, the film's badass big bad. Despite having plenty of water, Immortan Joe hordes it to keep control of his colony while he impregnates his forced marriage wives, called Breeders, with the hopes of them bearing future warlord sons. The story gets going when Imperator Furiosa, played by an ass kicking Charlize Theron, betrays Immortan Joe (sick names right?) and steals the Breeders to get them to a land referred to as the "Green Place." Max, previously captured by Joe's War Boys, ends up getting mixed up in Furiosa's campaign and finds himself aiding them on their long treacherous trek through the desert wasteland, all the while being pursued by Joe and his allied gangs from Gas Town and The Bullet Farm. Did I mention I love all the names of everything in this damn movie?
My memory of the original Mad Max films is somewhat limited, especially when it comes to more specific elements of the world, so I might be wrong in saying that Fury Road has some of the most ingenious and in depth world building I've seen Miller accomplish. Even if I'm wrong about that, the post apocalyptic society Miller has constructed in Fury Road makes for an incredibly poignant and gloriously over the top statement on what humanity might devolve into after the apocalypse. He does a fantastic job of bringing Max into the modern era as well. Where gas was the most precious of all resources in the original trilogy, it now takes a second seat to water, the resource most craved by society. Being in California, this element hits frighteningly close to home.
Everything Miller does in Fury Road affirms and expands on everything that was so great about this series before it's budget had nine digits. As was the case with the previous Mad Max films, Fury Road isn't a story primarily about Max himself. The story really focuses on Furiosa and her own hero's journey across the desert as she quite literally drives the plot forward. She fuels a plot that ultimately has an awesome feminist angle by the end, breaking down gender barriers and making the women of the film the most exceedingly capable and overly wicked characters. I've already mentioned how awesome Theron is, and her accompanying group of supermodels...er... Breeders quickly transition from damsels in distress to a resourceful band of hot chicks who also kick a lot of ass.
So, I want to just come out and say this. This movie is a visual MASTERPIECE. I'm not exaggerating either. Yes, I saw this movie less than 24 hours ago and my testosterone levels are probably still spiking, but I will stand by that statement as long as I live. Mad Max: Fury Road is gorgeous. It delivers some of the most wildly imaginative action set pieces every conceived and some of the most creatively constructed chase sequences I've ever had the pleasure of watching play out on screen. I said a lot of things about The Avengers: Age of Ultron action scenes that I would repeat here about being clearly displayed and easy to follow, but where Fury Road surpasses this is by showing just how beautifully shot these scenes can be and what happens when you accomplish the capturing of the impossibly huge scope of the Australian outback setting. This desert wasteland is MASSIVE and the film constantly reminds us of that in wide shots that would make Kurosawa require a change of underwear. Yeah I said it.
Also, this is one of those incredibly rare moments in my film reviews where I would actually highly recommend the 3-D. It is one of the many many things expertly utilized in Fury Road. Miller expertly uses it as a tool to immerse you in his world, rather than a gimmick for a few mediocre sight gags. Fury Road is a film that traps you in its insane world for two solid hours of entertainment, and you come out on the other end in a haze full of sand, blood, and nerd tears. It's a transcendental experience, guys. You need to experience it. Seriously, you are doing yourself a major disservice if you don't go see this film, so drop everything your doing and get to the theater to see Mad Max: Fury Road.