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It’s been 30 years since Mel Gibson’s iconic hero Max Rockatansky battled his way across a post-apocalyptic wasteland in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome—the third film in George Miller’s Mad Max trilogy. Now Miller revisits his beloved franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road—a gritty road movie that has a new star but the same old look and feel.
The long-awaited reboot stars Tom Hardy as the wandering loner who’s fighting for survival in a deadly post-apocalyptic world. After escaping from the cult-like community of the Citadel, where he was held prisoner by the fanatical War Boys, Max ends up on the run with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who’s decided to desert her life in the Citadel and return to her native land, the Green Place. But she’s taken the Citadel’s terrifying leader’s young brides with her—and he has no intention of letting them go without a fight.
There are so many ways in which the Mad Max reboot could have gone horribly wrong—but Miller gets it just right. Instead of trying to update the franchise with deep, complex storylines, updated technology, and flashy effects, he simply sticks to the formula that worked three decades ago. Fury Road may be a little more polished than the original trilogy, but it’s just as gritty, just as bizarre, and just as intense as before. And, thanks to its barren, burned-out style, it’s unlike anything else that you’ll see in theaters.
With its non-stop action and its flair for the outlandish and grotesque, Fury Road will definitely be a hit with adrenaline junkies. After all, it’s basically a two-hour high-speed chase, punctuated by gunfire and explosions and the whine of heavy-metal guitars. But it’s also an eye-popping work of cinematic art. It’s dirt and rust and cobbled-together war machines. It’s costumes and makeup and some spectacular design. And though the story may be a bit muddled, it really doesn’t matter—because Fury Road isn’t really about the story; it’s about the experience. So things like plot and characters aren’t especially important.
Hardy’s Max may be the title character, but he’s the strong, silent type of hero. He certainly gets the job done, but he does so without saying much—and without the same level of craziness that Gibson’s Max seemed to exude. At times, in fact, when the film is at its noisiest and most extreme, you might even forget that he’s there.
Furiosa, then, is the film’s real star. She’s bold and outspoken, yet she’s also loyal and compassionate. She knows what she wants, and she’ll stop at nothing to find a better life for herself and her friends. And while too many of the female characters in recent films have been bumbling, giggly, or just plain stereotypes, Furiosa seems determined to redeem them all.
Fury Road is everything that Mad Max fans have waited decades to see. It’s dark and edgy and shocking—and its non-stop action and striking design are sure to leave audiences wide-eyed and breathless. If you’re tired of the same old summer blockbusters and you’re looking for something completely different, this is it.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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