I just left the theater after seeing Mad Max: Fury Road and thought it would be fun to write a little review on what I think is an absolute master piece. Well depending on how you look at the film considering the past installments all the way to this current one.
WARNING
(spoilers below)
Opening scene unravels wide open on a scaling shot across a desert landscape riddled with broken down cars, scathing lizards and a sun so bright and real against the sand your skin actually feels the heat. Everything surrounding the scene was silent and dead panning hard right until Max appears standing next to the legendary "interceptor" XB Falcon Coupe, the moment is silent except the desert wind pushing the sand as he looks across the desolate land. Then with the snap of his neck you see the blank face of tattered hinged insanity as the far off sound of rusted motorcycles and loud apocalyptic vehicles coming billowing his way. That my friend is when the 120 minute movie took me from a beautiful gritty opening to non stop fuel injected nostalgic happiness when it comes to everything I want in a good action movie. Everything about this screams back to the classic taste of the 80s and early to mid 90s action movies of old. That taste of pure unadulterated simple plot that focuses more on the need to keep you on the edge of your seat with raw stunts and gritty believable atmospheres. Than some deep elaborate plot that keeps you wondering about what the hell is happening which in turn means the quality of "fight scenes" "car chases" and raw stunts are left to the way side. Remember that scene in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade where Indie was on top of the Nazi tank in the middle of the desert fighting multiple adversaries? The sweat, the music, the hero's ability to take a beating while somehow managing to not only survive but kick the hell out of the bad guys while jumping from horse to tank to cliff side? That scene and so many others like it was the winning seal of approval when it came to the action movies of the past. Today it's hard to feel the heart and soul of what the director is envisioning when it comes to films. They all feel so forced and machine like, as if plots and scripts are merely placed in machines that easily manufacture the product only to shoot them out like candies on a conveyor.
Mad Max is special in that it delivers that old thought out feeling of good old fashion "Die Hard action. But what makes it exceptional is that the director who understands this kind of movie was able to take this taste and mix it with the present modern resources we have today. It's not enough to call this a good old action movie. It's quite simply an experience. From the way the director makes you taste that sand in your mouth to the sounds of crashing, smashing and scraping of metal on metal glorious fury.
The funny thing about this movie that differs from the originals is that it doesn't actually fully revolve around Max (Tom Hardy). The movie centers much around Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and her noble endeavors to save captive slave wives from a tyrannical maniac who uses them to keep his blood line going. I'm usually not a big fan of reering off track from original ideas and premises but this worked surprisingly well. George Miller was able to uphold all needed and necessary standards concerning the Mad Max we all love and adore. While adding the not needed but much appreciated salt and pepper to the already delicious meal in the form of Charlize Theron.
Overall the movie was excellent in every way shape and form. Thoroughly entertaining through and through. My advice to anyone that decides to see this movie is that you drop all preconceived notions on what you think you are going to see. Don't expect a deep plot or the Academies standard of "good acting" when it comes to films these days. This is an adult fun filled edge of your seat action movie that keeps you out of your world and in the unashamed world of 'Fury road"
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