Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
How is it each time I revisit Mad Max: Fury Road I'm just as excited as I was the first time I saw it? Because this flow of non-stop, adrenaline-pumping action also features well-developed characters and a strong story. It’s a trip to a strange world of fast cars, bone-shattering crashes, memorable characters, stunning visuals, knockout chases, and... a double electric guitar that shoots flames.
When “Mad” Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) encounters a group of women running away from their captors, he is reluctant to help. Plagued with memories of the people he failed in the past, Max eventually agrees to help Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) escape from the ever-increasing army of gearhead lunatics on their tail.
The Mad Max films have this certain, inexplicable appeal. It explains why the first three films have been ripped off so many times. Everything is always feral, covered in shit, or on fire. The survivors are all cutthroats (except maybe the protagonist) and cannibalism is rampant. What else is there to say? Fury Road finds a new angle while delivering what you want to see. This movie isn’t about traditional survival. It isn’t about finding food, trying to stay warm, finding a cure, dodging cannibals, or evading the greasy bikers who pillage and rape all day. The apocalypse is functional. There are plenty of cars, there’s water, food, fuel, even ammunition. The world stands a chance of recovering but everyone in charge is a power-hungry lunatic.
Looking at stills/trailers, the film looks insane. It is, but there's a method to its madness. That rocker whose guitar is a flamethrower? His anthem drives an army forward like drums on a warship. The weapons, vehicles, and costumes tell us of the ways the higher-ups maintain control of their subordinates, of the emerging cult-religion people believe in, the way business is done, the different tribes who live in the apocalyptic desert, etc. There's so much going on visually there's no way to grasp it all in a single viewing even if you're not distracted by the action scenes or the plot.
Director George Miller has been listening to us as we've grumbled through the knockoffs year after year. What do people want from a movie called Mad Max: Fury Road? Outrageous vehicular duels, colorful characters tearing each other to pieces as metal screams below them, high-speed chases shot and edited by experts, memorable heroes, despicable villains, and images that will last forever. That's all this movie is. The costumers and designers, the mechanics and stunt people built all of these unique vehicles, brought all of these tribes to life so they could annihilate on-camera. When you boil it down, the film is one giant chase. It's always got the pedal all the way down but also fleshes out the individuals participating in this marathon of madness. Max, Furiosa, even the side characters reveal more about themselves and change over time as the chase gets increasingly intense.
All the little touches make this picture something special. The soundtrack - so perfectly integrated into the action. The colors, editing, sound design, vehicles, armor, and weapons drip with earnest passion. It’s got strong female characters, great villains, and some of the best action you'll ever see without ever having to resort to the ridiculous or unbelievable. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it's true. (2-D Theatrical version on the big screen, May 18, 2015)
