2015 | Dir. George Miller | 120 Minutes
"I thought you weren't insane anymore."
In the distant future, the world is a barren wasteland following a nuclear war. Former lawman Max Rockatansky is abducted by a cult-like army lead by a tyrant called Immortan Joe, used as a source of clean blood for Joe's young radiation afflicted "War Boys." Max finds himself caught in the middle of an extended chase across the wasteland, when Joe discovers that his one-armed lieutenant, Imperator Furiosa, secretly liberated his five "wives" that were held in captivity to breed healthy children, and pursues the women with his army of War Boys and eccentric allies.
Director George Miller triumphantly returns to his signature character 30 years after Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome with what is essentially a thrilling feature-length chase sequence with a several brief intermissions. Mad Max: Fury Road is a wild visual feast featuring minimal CGI, exceptionally inventive production design, one explosive stunt after another, and an epic thumping soundtrack by electronic artist Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL). The action is shot and edited with a level of clarity that is rare for a modern action film.
Taking over for Mel Gibson who had played Max from 1979 to 1985, Tom Hardy is the very embodiment of "strong and silent damaged hero." However, in actuality the film belongs to Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa. Furiosa literally drives the plot forward at nearly every turn, hands down the character with the most agency in the entire film, and Theron excels in the role. Nicholas Hoult is great fun to watch playing the War-Boy-turned-hero Nux. Though acting through heavy makeup and a restrictive mask, Hugh Keays-Byrne is appropriately menacing as Immortan Joe. Played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoë Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton, each of Joe's "wives" have their own respective character arcs that are brief but unique. The supporting cast also notably features character actor Angus Sampson as Joe's medical expert the Organic Mechanic, Josh Helman as the War Boy Slit, and Australian musician iOTA as the instantly-iconic bandaged, flamethrower guitar strumming Doof Warrior
Though light on drama and exposition by design, from start to finish, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action films ever made. Neither a true sequel nor a complete reboot of the Mad Max series, the film is very much its own unique animal.
FRAGMENTS
- Tom Hardy appears in two nominees for Best Picture in 2015, this film and The Revenant
- Hugh Keays-Byrne also played the antagonist Toecutter in the first Mad Max film released in 1979
- Nicholas Hoult and Josh Helman also appear together in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse as Hank McCoy and William Stryker
SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Video: Conan O'Brien Hits Comic-Con Mad Max-Style
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock and Venom in Spider-Man: No Way Home)
- Charlize Theron (Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
