Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - Theatrical Review

Director: George Miller

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Bryne, Nicholas Hoult, Rosey Huntington-Whiteley

Country: Australia / United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 120 minutes

Before I start this review, let me say that I had planned on reviewing the two Mad Max sequels (Mad Max 2 [a.k.a The Road Warrior] and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome) before I wrote about Fury Road. However, I don't think I could live with myself if I waited any longer to share my opinions on George Miller's latest masterpiece. Therefore, just know that I love the Mad Max sequels with all of my heart, flaws and all. I'll do lengthy reviews for the sequels some day, but you can check out my review for Miller's 70s classic here. (Note: I wrongly proclaimed Mad Max a post-apocalyptic film in my review even though it is set before said apocalypse. However, it might as well be one since it foretells a future on the brink of destruction and demonstrates many of the elements of a post-apocalyptic film. It's more of a pre-apocalyptic film if anything.)

After a 30 year hiatus, George Miller's Mad Max is back! It fills me with glee to see a reboot to one of my very favorite action franchises of all time be written and directed by the man who wrote and directed all previous Mad Max films. After years of development, reshoots, and delays, Mad Max: Fury Road has finally made it to theaters. And all I can say is, wow. Mad Max: Fury Road is destined to become an action classic. It is an action film so brave, so confident, so fully realized, and so bat s*** insane, that other action films wish they could match the sheer level of filmmaking on display in its two hour run time.

#bloodbagforlife

In today's day and age of overcomplicated and overcrowded summer blockbusters, Mad Max: Fury Road barrels into theaters with a simplistic and straightforward plot. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is a widowed father and former police officer who now wanders the post-apocalyptic wasteland alone. He is immediately captured by the War Boys, a cult-like group of men who worship Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Bryne), their leader and water supplier. On the day that Max is captured and turned into a blood bag, Joe sends off Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to gather gasoline for their citadel and commune. However, Furiosa has secretly snuck Joe's "wives" and breeders out of the citadel in order to offer them a life of freedom. As Joe and his many worshippers take off after Furiosa to reclaim their breeders, Max is dragged along for the ride atop a car driven by Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a War Boy desperate to enter the gates of Valhalla. What follows is two hours of straight post-apocalyptic mayhem the likes that has never been seen before.

Fury Road is one of the most unique reboots to date. As I stated before, the film is written and directed by George Miller, the auteur and creator of the Max Rockatansky character. Therefore, it is interesting to see the man who started it all reboot his own franchise with a new actor in the lead role. Fury Road is not only a great reboot, but it also operates on a level of insanity never before seen in any Mad Max film before it. Miller fleshes out his vision of the post-apocalyptic future more than ever before thanks to an expansive budget and numerous years of development. If you thought that the world glimpsed within Beyond Thunderdome was expansive in comparison to the first two Mad Max films, than wait until you see this. Fury Road is jam packed with more vehicles, characters, varying factions, and weapons than you ever could have imagined within a Mad Max film. Fury Road is essentially a classic Mad Max film but on steroids. $150 million steroids, that is.

Miller fully immerses the viewer into the film's universe and makes little time for exposition. Instead of having a whole film to explain Max's origin as he did with Mad Max in 1979, Miller introduces us to Max at his so called "maddest" and uses flash backs and an opening narration by Max to explain how he became the way that he is. While I personally did not need any of this information, as Mad Max fans know this stuff by heart, I understand that this is a reboot and newcomers need this information in order to understand the character. While contemporary reboots like RoboCop (2014) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) waste entire films explaining the origins of their time honored characters, Fury Road takes a whopping minute to get Max's origin out of the way and than moves on. Studios should take a clue from Miller's treatment of Fury Road and skip origin films entirely unless the character is being introduced to an audience for the very first time. If the character is a time honored property, like Max Rockatansky, than audiences don't need to see their origin play out over an entire film again. Give it to us like Fury Road, and we'll love you for it forever studios.

Theron shines as Furiosa, the true protagonist of the film.

Fury Road is a triumph of visual filmmaking, as it rarely relies upon dialog to tell its story. Characters speak or yell only when necessary or to convey characteristics about themselves. There is not a word or a frame wasted in this picture, Fury Road is that tight and filmic. Fury Road even visually feels like a classic Mad Max film thanks to Miller's trademark sped up footage. The film also contains many visual references to the classic Mad Max films (i.e. one of Joe's wives plays with a music box, Max's flashbacks reveal a character's bug eyed death, the War Rig crashes head first into a vehicle and causes its parts to explode over the front of it, and Max obtains his iconic sawed-off shotgun) that serve as fun callbacks for fans of the series like myself. I also love how Max's sawed off shotgun fizzles out when fired. It's a great callback to the scene in The Road Warrior when Max drives the tanker towards Papagallio's camp and fires his sawed off only for it to misfire on him.

If I had to express a gripe about the film, it would be that I am not a huge fan of Hardy's portrayal of the titular character. He sounds too similar to Bane from The Dark Knight Rises and grunts far more than Mel ever did. Hardy also doesn't convey the warmness of Mel's Max. That personal opinion aside, it is clear that Miller wanted to take the Max character in a different direction. Max is "madder" and more selfish than ever before, as seen evident in several scenes where he thinks about his well being before others. Fortunately, and as evident in all previous Mad Max films, Max's good natured side takes over and causes him to join Furiosa and the wives on their quest to safety. Max is also a darker and more tortured character than ever before. He repeatedly sees visions of his deceased daughter and regrets not saving her. These torturous visions control Max and shape him to be the person that he is more than anything else.

The other unique thing about Max this time around is that he isn't even the protagonist. Charlize Theron's Furiosa is the star of the film, as Fury Road is entirely her story. Max is simply along for the ride in a film about Furiosa's plight to save a group of women who want to be free from Immortan Joe's clutches. Furiosa is a fantastic character who chooses to break from her leader's wishes in order to save a group of girls from a life of imprisonment. Much of her past is left mysterious too, as we never come to learn what she was before she was an Imperator or how she lost her left arm.

An immortan villain for the modern age.

Much praise should also be heaped upon amazing supporting turns by Mad Max-alumni Hugh Keays Bryne as big baddie Immortan Joe and Nicholas Hoult's character Nux, a loveable and conflicted War Boy. It's fascinating to see Bryne, the villain of the very first Mad Max film, return as a new villain in the reboot. It's not odd unheard of within the franchise though, as Bruce Spence played two different characters in both The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome. Immortan Joe is truly one of the most despicable villains in recent memory. I can't remember the last time that I watched an action film and actively anticipated the moment when the lead villain died. You know a villain is great when you simply hate their guts. Nicholas Hoult is especially great as a conflicted War Boy who learns to think for himself and join Max and Furiosa. Nux heavily reminded me of the Pig Killer, the loveable and equally scummy supporting character from Beyond Thunderdome who eventually joins Max. I also think that the romance between Nux and one of Joe's wives makes for one of the cutest and most believable romances in a blockbuster lately.

Fury Road finds Miller exploring familiar ground within the Mad Max franchise. We are once again introduced to a group of crazed people who worship and follow a cult-like leader. Immortan Joe and his War Boys are very similar to Toecutter and his gang from Mad Max, Lord Humungus and his Gay Boys from The Road Warrior, and Aunty Entity and the citizens of Bartertown from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Miller is clearly interested in exploring how powerful leaders rule others through power and sometimes religion. The film also explores themes of redemption and feminism, something that the film has received much praise for from feminists. Whether you want to call it a feminist film or not, Fury Road shows great progressive stride in depicting females as equal ass kickers who save the male hero as much as he saves them.

Miller has truly out done himself with the action sequences this time around. Fury Road is a wonderful throw back to the old days when actual cars crashed into one another and filmmakers relied upon practical effects as much as possible. It'll be tough looking back on The Road Warrior now, as that film's action sequences may seem dated or tame in comparison to the insanity on display here. Every single one of Fury Road's action sequences are so good that they all equal The Road Warrior's infamous final tanker chase. It's clear that Miller based Fury Road off of The Road Warrior more than any other Mad Max film, as the film depicts the chase between Joe and Furiosa's War Rig. You could easily replace Joe and his War Boys with Lord Humungus and his Gay Boys and replace the War Rig with Max and the tanker and you'd have The Road Warrior more or less. However, what differentiates Fury Road from all previous Mad Max films is that its central conflict is constantly in motion. The entire film is based around one long chase between Furiosa and Joe. Therefore, the action rarely lets up and forces the viewer onto the edge of their seat for nearly the entire running time.

Cirque de Max

One could write about Mad Max: Fury Road for a long damn time. I didn't even touch upon the film's incredible art direction, exhilarating score by Junkie XL, and the unforgettable supporting characters like The Bullet Farmer or the crazy guitar guy who spews fire out of his guitar. However, I think that Fury Road is an action film that will be revisited until the end of time. It is an action film so insane, so emotional, and so jaw dropping, that it begs repeat viewings. I immediately wanted to watch it again as soon the credits began to roll. To be honest, I don't think any action film has ever affected me in that way before.

I'm sure I should probably hold out for multiple viewings and further analysis, but Fury Road is easily one of the best action films to grace the screen in the last 15 years. Rarely do we see such vehicular mayhem on a scale as grand and epic as this. Most film buffs would agree that Mad Max was a game changer in 1979 for post-apocalyptic cinema and The Road Warrior was a game changer in 1981 for action cinema in general as well as how sequels stack up to their predecessors. If those were Miller's first two game changers, than I would argue that Fury Road is his third. This film will be viewed as a game changer in how it rebooted a 30 year old franchise and brought back practical action filmmaking to the modern blockbuster. George Miller essentially drove a War Rig straight through the summer competition and put blockbusters like Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron to shame. I can almost guarantee that Fury Road will top my list as the greatest action film of 2015.

Rating: 10/10 - An overwhelming tense, beautiful, and emotional action masterpiece that revives Mad Max for the modern age and proves that George Miller is truly one of the greatest visual filmmakers of our time.

Franchise:
Mad Max (dir. George Miller, 1979)
Mad Max 2 [The Road Warrior] (dir. George Miller, 1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (dir. George Miller and George Ogilvie, 1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller, 2015)

Mad Max (1979)

Director: George Miller

Cast: Mel Gibson, Steve Bisley, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Tim Burns, Geoff Parry

Country: Australia

Rating: R

Run Time: 93 minutes

Post-apocalyptic cinema is one of the greatest sub-genres out there. There's something about watching action movies set after the end of the world that makes for an exciting experience. While there are too many post-apocalyptic action films to count (Escape From New York, The Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend, The Omega Man, The Postman, Waterworld, Terminator Salvation, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead, and Doomsday, just to name a few...), I think that the first name that comes to people's minds when they think post-apocalyptic action is Mad Max.

The Mad Max series is a personal favorite of mine. I think all three films (soon to be more) in the series are truly excellent even though they are all completely different from one another. Writer and director George Miller helmed all three films and is to be commended for creating one of the greatest series and characters in all of action cinema. Just thinking about Mad Max gets my blood pumping and makes me want to get behind a car and floor it down an empty highway.

Glorious vehicular mayhem that only the cinema of the 70's could deliver.

Mad Max is a really unique action film. For starters, the film has an atypical plot. The film presents a post-apocalyptic world where society is still trying to hold onto the ideals of the old world. There isn't much of a typical plot until the final fifteen minutes of the film when Max sets out for revenge against The Toecutter and his biker gang. The first hour of the film jumps from character to character and feels almost experimental in a sense. Even though everything always dials back to Max Rockatansky, you really can't tell what is going to happen to next. The film is about as unpredictable as The Toecutter himself!

Mad Max separates itself from the pack of pre-existing post-apocalyptic action films like The Omega Man and The Planet of the Apes by having next to no budget. The film feels raw and gritty thanks to its deserted location shooting, realistic action, and minimalistic dialog. You can really tell that everyone poured their hearts, souls, and wallets into this film. I remember not really liking Mad Max the first time I saw it because I thought that it lacked the action of its masterful sequel, Mad Max 2 (a.k.a The Road Warrior). However, I was looking at the film the wrong way. There was no Mad Max 2 when it came out. There was the little action film that could and that was it. In retrospect, Mad Max is an essential action film and one of the most impressive low budget indie-actioners ever made. It's pure Ozploitation (exploitation of Australian culture) at its best.

The film opens by stating that its events take place "a few years from now..." Mad Max really hammers in the post-apocalyptic vibe right away by opening on a street with a sign that reads "Anarchie Road." It doesn't get more literal than that.

The post-apocalyptic world is rife with rape and murder. Therefore, the men of the MFP (Main Force Patrol) peruse the land in search of crime. The force's top officers are Jim Goose (Steve Bisley) and Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). Jim is a loveable hot shot who scores with the ladies while Max is an unstoppable officer with a beautiful wife and child. The film opens as Max chases down a mad man named Nightrider. The Nightrider gets careless though and plows into another vehicle killing himself. However, the Nightrider belonged to a group of bikers led by the insane Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Toecutter and his gang blame the "bronze", Max and Goose that is, for the death of the Nightrider. Therefore, the gang slowly but surely stalk and terrorize Max and his friends until Max is pushed a little too far.

A young Mel Gibson shines in his debut action picture.

I believe that Mad Max is the most important post-apocalyptic action film ever made. Even though many post-apocalyptic films had been made before, Mad Max seemed to set the precedent for how most post-apocalyptic action films would be made for the rest of time. A "Mad Max" type of post-apocalyptic film includes crazy villains who like to rape and pillage innocent victims, highly stylized vehicles adorned with rust and spikes, lots of practical vehicular stunt work, bloody gun play, somber heroes, tragic plots, wide open desert spaces, broken down cities, and a unique style of fashion and clothing. The original Mad Max has influenced and inspired every blatant rip-off and post-apocalyptic film to come after it. The Book of Eli, Escape From New York, Waterworld, and so many more films owe their heart and soul to George Miller's Australian actioner.

It is unfortunate that Mad Max's sequel, Mad Max 2, casted a massive shadow over its low budget original. Many of my friends and fellow movie buffs write off the original Mad Max in favor of the bigger and better Mad Max 2. Many of them haven't even seen Mad Max or have only seen bits and pieces! While I completely agree that Mad Max 2 is a far better film and one of the greatest action masterpieces of all time, the original Mad Max is a special little film. You would be doing a massive disservice to yourself as an action fan if you skip or try to ignore this little film. It set the precedent for post-apocalyptic action cinema, established Mad Max as one of the most iconic action characters, and launched Mel Gibson's career.

Mel Gibson is a fantastic action star. He has starred in countless action classics (Mad Max 2, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, The Patriot, etc) over the years and has yet to disappoint me. While one could argue that Mad Max 2 truly launched Mel Gibson to stardom, it was Mad Max that introduced him to the world. It was also Mel's very first action film and it kicks tons of ass! Mad Max was for Gibson what Above the Law was for Steven Seagal, Die Hard was for Bruce Willis, Conan the Barbarian was for Arnold Schwarzenegger, A Better Tomorrow was for Chow Yun Fat, and Pitch Black was for Vin Diesel. It took a relatively unknown actor or action newcomer and blew them up to action stardom overnight.

"I am the Nightrider!"

Mad Max is one of the few post-apocalyptic films that presents a morally upright society that operates fine. Characters live in their own homes, restaurants still have business, people go on vacation, junkyards still operate, and night clubs even boom. There is even a police force and a court system too. It's rare to see a post-apocalyptic society do so well. Supplies and food don't seem all that scarce either. We do see Toecutter and his gang steal some oil from a truck on a highway near the end of the film (which acts as a little bit of foreshadowing for the plot and theme of Mad Max 2). Otherwise, crime, a lack of cities, and the deserted landscapes are the only signs of a changed world. It could be argued that Mad Max is more of a pre-apocalyptic film than it is a post-apocalyptic film. But come on, we've been saying that for years. Why break the trend now?

I especially noticed the prevalence of heroism this go around of the film. Max's boss continually states that he wants to give people back their heroes. His boss believes that things can go back to how they used too if heroes would step in and do the right thing. Max just wants to retire and live a happy life with his family. However, he is pulled back into the role of the gun toting hero by the end of the film whether he likes it or not. It is in Max's blood to be a hero and I love this about him. This theme continues into both Mad Max 2 (Max arcing from a passive wanderer to a hero by driving a truck to help innocent people) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (Max saving Master's life even though he did not need too + Tina Turner's opening theme song, "We Don't Need Another Hero").

I have stated it enough, but Gibson is very kind and likeable as Max Rockatansky. Unlike the sequels, the circumstances of Max's life are far different in this film. Therefore, we meet a kind and caring Max. He does his job because he wants to protect others and support his lovely family. His wife and child are also absolutely adorable. You really feel like Max and his wife Jessie are truly in love. We don't get to meet the cold and passive Max until the next film. He had to be Kind Max before he could become Mad Max.

However, it isn't a Mad Max film without some insane and memorable villains. Toecutter and his gang are absolutely relentless madmen. There is no clue as to what Toecutter will do next, he is that unpredictable. I noticed that Toecutter hisses like a snake off screen sometimes just to silence and halt his gang. He's a mad man with a crazy hair do that I would not want to mess with. I also really enjoy his two main minions: Johnny the Boy and Bubba. Johnny is a new wannabe member of the gang and acts as unpredictable as Toecutter. Bubba on the other hand is the only calm and toned down member of the gang. He has a pale face and a cold and chilling demeanor. He and Max have a small face off at the end of the flick that makes for a truly bad ass moment of triumph on Max's part.

"Remember him when you look at the night sky."

Even though Mad Max had a small budget, its small action scenes and realistic stunts are incredibly impressive and hold up quite well. There are only two big action scenes in the film; the car chase that opens the film and Max's vehicular revenge that closes the film. The opening chase is arguably the best action scene of the flick. Some MFP chase down a mad man named The Nightrider as he plows his vehicle down a highway. However, two buffoon officers keep crashing their car as they pursue The Nightrider. I cannot stress enough how awesome these car crashes are! There are two glory shots in this chase that make the whole film worth viewing. The first is when the officers plow their car into a blue van that sends said van spinning off the highway in glorious slow motion. The second is when the same officers floor their car through a trailer and cause the trailer to literally explode into smithereens. It's so beautiful!

Miller's excellent eye for editing and choreography is most evident in the tense opening chase. There is a huge pile up / crash leading up to the amazing trailer explosion that benefits from truly excellent editing. Miller could not have set the scene up any better. As the officers plow down the road, a young baby wanders out into the street. The Nightrider swerves around the kid and causes the officers behind him to tip their car and slide off the street. The tension is literally unbearable during this scene! And it all literally explodes when the officers plow through a poor innocent trailer. The end of the film also has some great stunt work and even more vehicle chases. However, I'd rather leave those scenes to be enjoyed unspoiled. After all, they are the emotional climax of the film.

Max's iconic vehicle shot.

I can't get enough of Mad Max! There just aren't that many action series out there that are as consistently great as Miller's epic trilogy. I am so glad to have rediscovered this action classic. One of the great things about this film is that even highly esteemed critics love it. How often does a bad ass action film get met with critical acclaim by people who aren't action fans? Mad Max is an excellent post-apocalyptic film that hits all of the right notes: great acting, affective atmosphere, relevant themes, and breath taking action. Miller's debut action picture is truly the Breathless of action cinema, a film that broke all of the rules and did it all on a shoe string budget. I should warn newcomers though that Mad Max may be a tad extreme for them. The film's slow second act, odd pace, and unpredictable characters may chase off the uninitiated. If you give Max a chance though, you'll discover a unique low budget indie film that would set the groundwork for one of the greatest sequels of all time.

Rating: 8/10 - A must watch post-apocalyptic action film! Vehicular mayhem has never been the same.

Franchise:
Mad Max (dir. George Miller, 1979)
Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior (dir. George Miller, 1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (dir. George Miller and George Ogilivie, 1985)
Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller, 2015)