George Miller may have aged 30 years but he tackles his post apocalyptic love child again with the vigor of an acid tripping 25 year old. That's a good thing.
Tom Hardy takes over in the Australian wasteland as apocalyptic wanderer Max Rockatansky, who finds himself prisoner to the warlord Immortan Joe and his cult of “War Boys,” young suicidal thugs that believe killing and dying stupendously for their cause will earn them a place alongside their leader in Valhalla.
After one of Immortan Joe’s generals, Furiosa (Charlize Theron), goes rogue to liberate his harem of women from their slavery, Max gets dragged along for the chase and upon making his escape, has to work with Furiosa to get the women to freedom while earning his own.
Miller’s visualization of the world that he built in the 80s is as wonderfully imaginative as ever, despite being an image that has long since greatly impacted pop culture as we know it. The evolution of visual effects and the iconography of the “Mad Max” franchise has fortunately granted him the budget and resources to execute his vision better than ever before while exploring new territories.
The Wasteland and its culture are the star of the show, as the extremities of which its characters achieve are punctuated by several layers of humanity both humorous and somber, carried by a perpetual energy that results in one of the most surreal films that I have ever seen in my life.
These draws under Miller’s visionary direction provide “Fury Road” with all of its deal making features, setting the tone of the entire film within the first 25 minutes or so. Once Max and Furiosa meet however, the objective of the plot comes to fruition and from this point forward, “Fury Road” shifts gears in such a way that sets it uniquely apart from its predecessors in the series.
It is at this point that your enjoyment of the film becomes entirely dependent on your perception of what the “Mad Max” series is supposed to be.
Despite the extreme and flat out cartoonish tone of the film, falling in line with the rest of the franchise, “Fury Road” goes out of its way to dispel the romance and camp associated with its subcategory of science fiction. As a result, the characters come off as properly impressive but grounded human action heroes rather than corny caricatures walking away from explosions in slow motion. This does wonders for the ability to invest within the characters.
Max has always been a more down to earth and relatable hero than the standard action movie protagonist. His anonymity, lack of “preceding reputation” and loner personality adds to his mystique as a background force unintentionally shaping the future of humanity, while creating a uniquely serialized nature to its storytelling that remains perpetually hopeful but realistic to the grim nature of a world beyond the collapse of society.
While his portrayal here is certainly no exception, Tom Hardy unfortunately doesn't quite bring what’s needed to give the character the presence that makes him so special. His talent as a character actor sadly just doesn't translate to the natural charisma that made the character so iconic when he was portrayed by Mel Gibson.
I’ll give Hardy credit; he gives some of the best reaction shots to the onscreen mayhem that could possibly be made but even lacking the dialogue to give a truly top notch performance, his passably intense but underwhelming acting is only highlighted by the stronger performances all around.
Aside from Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who somehow, even under a talented director’s guidance, gives a performance even more wooden than her acting in “Transformers 3,” the women of Joe’s harem all display strong characterizations despite their limited dialogue within a film that essentially boils down to being an hour and 45 minute long car chase in one direction. They may be naïve but they also refuse to be loads to their protectors and are all the more admirable for it, not content to wait for their freedom to be handed to them and actively fighting for it in their own way.
Conversely, Nicholas Hoult, as a stray War Boy forced to betray his fellow warriors highlights the humanity of the raving lunatics chasing the protagonists, reminding the audience of the dark effect that the apocalypse can have on humanity.
It’s Charlize Theron as Furiosa however, that steals the show. Her strong presence and reserved demeanor in the face of her environment are highly reminiscent of Gibson’s performance as the film’s titular character in “The Road Warrior.” It’s hard to not believe Miller created her with spin-off potential in mind but while I’d still like to see a modern film from this franchise that properly highlights Max’s character traits, I’d be more than happy to see her adventures continue in ongoing stories that will flesh out her own character along with the rich setting itself.
The visual flair of the wasteland culture, the action resulting from their conflicts and the context behind all of that fighting form a masterpiece of production, editing, and direction. However, removing the flair as a factor, the film is more or less a single long plot thin action set piece that could have just as easily not featured its titular character, which isn't helped by his underwhelming presence within the film.
I personally didn't find this to be an issue considering the surprising amount of emotion present in the characters that were present and the rich and lavish detail put into the production design and its action choreography. Ultimately, “Fury Road” is unique for its franchise and even for summer blockbusters in general. What sets it apart may ultimately not be for all audiences or even other “Mad Max” fans.
Its success however does make for an almost artful masterpiece of science fiction spectacle that is not to be missed and, at least in my opinion, an excellent note on which to relaunch a dormant franchise, displaying the best of what it has to offer and hopefully taking note of what can be easily adjusted for future outings.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” is far from perfect but for now, it’s good to have Max back.
8 Lovely Days out of 10
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