George Miller's full-throttle magnum opus is one of the finest films of the action genre

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2016)

Mad Max: Fury Road" is 70-year-old Australian George Miller's magnum opus, and the crowning achievement of his "Mad Max" saga which previously comprised three earlier films made between 1979 and 1985 with Mel Gibson playing the lead. The first two, "Mad Max" and "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" were rather cheap independent films that built a cult; the third one, "Mad Max Beyond Thunder-dome" was a misguided expensive film that aimed but failed to do what "Fury Road" succeeds at. This one is a totally mad adrenaline-rush of an action film that will not only leave one breathless by its over-the-top stunt-filled explosive sequences, but, whether a fan of the older films or not, viewers should be blown right out of their seats in awe at the poetically-perfect execution of its filmmaking brilliance.
But what makes it even more special, and what truly earns it the masterpiece epithet, is the creation of the richest and most memorable female action character since Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa. Standing statuesque and sporting one metallic arm, she is a macho man's wet dream of an amazon warrior, but underneath her fierce exterior is a sensitive woman with a heart that beats with compassion. What's more, she is the film's true protagonist, and leaves the character of Mad Max (played this time by Tom Hardy) as a second fiddle. Half way through the drama it should be apparent to most viewers that this movie, purportedly a violent, super-action testosteronic spectacle displaying more snarling body-painted warriors and explosive pyrotechnics than a Hell's Angels' nightmare, is actually a hyperbolized portrait of an independent woman's rebellion from a male-dominated world. In that sense, Miller has created a Trojan horse that puts down the very values it pretends to espouse, and helping to confirm this is a little-known fact that Eve Ensler (writer of "The Vagina Monologues") was consulted in the film's portrayal of its female characters. What's more, every aspect of this film, from its film editing, production design, costumes, sound editing & mixing, is on a par with the greatest action films of all time. But, believe me, this is not just for violent action fans -- it's for every one who loves great filmmaking.