Friday, May 15, 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

     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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