There are a couple legendary franchises that
are having all new movies coming out this year, and I'm very conflicted how I
feel about them. "Jurassic World" next month looks like it could be
promising but I'm still unsure about it, and I'd bet "Terminator
Genisys" the following month will be pretty bad. But there was one
franchise whose new movie I was looking forward to, Mad Max. While its not the
best franchise ever, it is certainly memorable. The first film "Mad
Max" was a unique revenge thriller, and helped launch Mel Gibson's career.
The third movie "Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome" was weird, but still
a lot of fun. But the pinnacle of the series would have to be the second movie
in the franchise, "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior." The second movie can
be listed alongside some of the greatest action movies of all time; it is a
masterpiece of the genre. While the first and third movies are good, the entire
legacy of the franchise rests on the shoulders of "The Road Warrior;"
until now anyway.
Some years in the
future, a lack of gasoline and fresh water pushed society to the absolute
brink; and when they were gone, full out nuclear war ended society all
together. Many years after that we meet Max, a former cop haunted by his past
and the loss of his family, who is only trying to survive. One day Max is
captured by the War Boys, members of a cult run by a man named Immortal Joe. He is
taken back to their base of operations, an Oasis called the Citadel. Max is
labeled a universal donor of blood, and held captive. Immortal Joe is an old,
sickly man who runs the Citadel with an iron fist. He's set up an operation to
have fresh water pumped up from underground, so with the help of his War Boys
defending his power, everybody nearby worships him. One day Joe sends his most
trusted warrior, a woman named Furiosa, on a supply run. She is set to go to a
nearby oil refinery called Gas Town; along with a not to far ammo processing
plant called Bullet Farm, the two and the Citadel have a deal set up to trade supplies
they need. Shortly after Furiosa leaves, she veers off course into the dessert.
Joe realizes that Furiosa has stolen his most valuable property, his young
wives who he has kept captive for years to produce offspring. Joe gathers his
entire fleet and goes after Furiosa; Max is dragged along by a sickly War Boy
named Nux who needs a blood transfusion. They chase her into a sand storm where
all but Furiosa, the wives, Nux and Max survive. Max meets up with the runaways
and reluctantly agrees to help them escape, afraid of what will happen when Joe
catches up with then. From then on out they are a team, and they run for their
lives.
Let's not pussyfoot
around the subject and cut to the chase; this movie is truly something special,
there is no other way to put it other than that. This is the most insane,
over-the-top and thoroughly enjoyable movie I have ever seen; I absolutely
loved every minute of it, now let me tell you why. It's been thirty years since
director George Miller directed a "Mad Max" movie, and he hasn't
missed a beat. He does an amazing job with this movie; he brings a unique style
to the movie that I haven't ever seen before. One thing that was rather
worrisome about the movie was who was going to play the character of Max. Tom
Hardy was cast and he had some pretty big shoes to fill. Mel Gibson might be
most well known for his portrayal of the character, but Hardy does a fantastic
job in the role. Max is the only character from the original movies that is in
"Fury Road," but this new cast of characters might be the best the
series has ever seen. It is filled with interesting characters and each one has
an actor giving a great performance playing them. I especially have to give
props to Charlize Theron for her portrayal of Furiosa; she might actually be
the stand out of the entire movie. I also want to take a moment to appreciate
the actor who plays Immortal Joe, Hugh Keays-Byrne, who actually played the
lead antagonist in the first Mad Max movie. While the characters were certainly
memorable, they present the biggest problem with the movie. Other than one or
two characters, no one really has any development. How they start the movie is
how they finish; and considering the ordeal they have to go through that should
not happen. One thing that surprised me most about this movie would be the
writing and the dialog, they are actually very good. Not a lot is said in this
movie, but whenever there is something to be said it is usually important. It
really helps bring this interesting story to life. Another surprise would have
to be the humor; like the dialog there isn't a lot of it, but it is on point
when it comes out to play. The movie also has a few scenes that actually get
kind of emotional, and you truly feel for the characters. While the story is
one worth telling, "Fury Road" is first and foremost an action
movie, and that is where it shines. This movie will go down as one of the
greatest the genre has ever seen. The action sequences are huge, over-the-top,
and truly amazing. The stunt choreography for the action is truly something to
behold in some scenes. Helped by top notch special effects, a fitting
soundtrack and great production design, you feel it in your gut every time a
car explodes. "Fury Road" feels like an homage to the over-the-top
action movies of the 80s, I feel this is how all action movies in the 80s would
have been like if they had a budget of $150 million. This movie is non-stop
entertainment, and is just a whole lot of fun. Unfortunately for some, this
might actually turn a lot of people off. This movie is totally insane and
weird, I feel that whoever drew the story boards were on a lot of drugs. I have
talked to some people who didn't like the movie because of that; while I feel
the majority of movie goers will have a lot of fun with it, there will be many
who just can't get into it. But you know what? I don't care about those people.
From Max's opening monologue to the incredibly satisfying ending, I loved this
movie. I want to see it in the theater again already. This is a movie for film
lovers and for fans of the series, and if you fall into either of those
categories this is the movie for year. I'd recommend watching just for the
experience. "Mad Max: Fury Road" had a lot to live up to, but it
didn't just do its predecessors proud, it might have actually surpassed
them,
Pros: Phenomenal directing from George Miller, great performances from the actors, Tom Hardy does a fantastic job as Max, good writing and dialog, interesting
story, filled with memorable
characters, non-stop entertainment, amazing
action sequences and stunt choreography, top notch production design, unique in style, great special
effects, very emotional at times, humor is on point, soundtrack fits perfectly, throwback to 80s action movies, a
whole lot of fun.
Cons: Not a lot of character development, may be
too over the top for some.
5/5 Stars
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