Extremely Inflated

Rating: 5/10 (7 August 2015)

Like the previous "Mad Max" movies this film takes place in a future desert world which has been devastated by a nuclear war. What remains of humanity is both primitive and barbaric and those who have survived exist with the most basic of necessities in war-like fortresses where few laws exist. That being the case, after being taken as a prisoner, it is to one of these harsh enclaves that "Max" (Tom Hardy) is subsequently forced to endure. And since life has very little value Max ends up as nothing more than a human blood bank for one of the militaristic "War Boys" by the name of "Nux" (Nicholas Hoult). It's at this same time that one of the military leaders named "Imperator Furiosa" (Charlize Theron) decides to escape from this citadel and she takes with her five wives of the religious leader, "Immortan Joe" (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Soon all of the clans in the entire area are summoned to assist in the recapture of Imperator Furiosa with both Nux and his captive Max in hot pursuit and leading the charge. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that those who enjoy films which feature action from start to finish will really appreciate this picture. However, it is this strength which also happens to be the films weakness as there is very little room for anything else. That said, I thought the talents of both Tom Hardy--and in particular Charlize Theron--were terribly wasted. Likewise, I also believe that the current IMDb score of 8.4 (whether by chance or design) is extremely inflated as well. To that end, I would hope that once the initial euphoria has subsided realism will set in and the score will more closely resemble the film's actual merits. Time will tell. In any case, while I certainly do not believe that this particular film is deserving of scores equal to classics like "Gone with the Wind", I also don't consider this to be a bad movie either. Accordingly, while my score may not be popular at this time I have rated this movie as I see it. Average.