There have been plenty of good/above average blockbusters in recent years that leave you thrilled, invigorated, entertained and properly conditioned to buy the eventual mega-deluxe Blu-ray special edition. But Mad Max: Fury Road is no ordinary blockbuster. You won’t just be entertained. You’ll wonder why anyone has ever bothered to make a movie that isn’t Mad Max: Fury Road in the first place. You may find it hard to believe that the entirety of cinematic art and technology wasn’t invented solely for this specific theatrical experience.
If these words seem hyperbolic, good. There is no better word to describe George Miller’s continuation of the franchise that defined the post-apocalyptic genre for decades to come. Every bit of the visceral excitement, over-the-top production design and humanistic undercurrents that kept the original films in the public psyche are back, aided by advances in cinematic technology that enhance the film’s nonstop, immersive onslaught.
Tom Hardy fills Mel Gibson’s shoes as “Mad” Max Rockatansky, a man plagued by guilt as he attempts to face the wasteland of the new world with his mind intact. Max finds himself a prisoner of the War Boys, a berserker-style death cult led by King Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), who maintains his power over the people of the region by controlling access to an underground water supply. A surprise mutiny by the formerly trusted Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) involving Joe’s “breeders,” and the struggle of former War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult) to break free from his brainwashing, sets the stage for a series of thrilling conflicts, not just for their continued survival, but for the hope of something better beyond the Wasteland.
And what a gorgeous struggle it is. In this age of CGI overload, it’s rare to wonder how a particular effect or stunt was accomplished. Yet, most, if not all of the insane vehicular monstrosities—tanks mixed with classic cars decorated with the bodies of the War Boys’ victims and maybe a few dozen flamethrowers—appear genuine, and the stunt work would still be remarkable whether or not it was enhanced. The villains embrace their bondage/metal campiness while the protagonists are never so saccharine that they lose our sympathies.
As with the previous films, the satirical and socially aware overtones are front and center, but never explicitly stated. You can certainly enjoy Mad Max: Fury Road for the action masterpiece it is without reading into it the slightest bit, yet Miller does appear to have a message buried deep beneath the bodies. It’s not too far-fetched to view the world of the Wasteland as a statement on the failure of the free market to remain accountable and democratic after all of society and government has broken down, as he who controls a particular resource is a veritable king. Immortan Joe controls the water, and in his pursuit of Max and Furiosa, unites with leaders who appear to have a monopoly on gasoline and ammunition. Money no longer exists, yet everything is valued only as a commodity, including human beings: women for reproduction and children as future War Boys. Even Max is commoditized for his blood type. New to the series is an extremely strong feminist current beyond the standard, boring badass empowerment tropes, which sees Furiosa and Immortan Joe’s wives leading the fight for true liberation and possibly revolution, joining forces with men who also suffer under the status quo against a common enemy.
All that, and a guy who plays metal riffs on a guitar that shoots flames as the War Boys charge into battle make Mad Max: Fury Road a triumph on all fronts. It’s a needed reminder to the studios that, even with tent pole films based on preexisting franchises, successfully pushing the envelope and challenging audiences will always reap greater rewards than appealing to their preexisting expectations.
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The Age of Adeline
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ex Machina
Furious 7
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