Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Starring:Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Bean, Rosie Huntington-Whitley

Mad Max: Fury Road is the best film of 2015 I've seen so far. If you don't believe it could possibly be so incredibly good, check out the Rotten Tomatoes score, where it sits at a near perfect 99%. Mad Max: Fury Road tells the epic story of a world without water. Set in futuristic Australia, a group of brainwashed road warriors worship a False God-like king Immortan Joe (Keays-Bean). When one of them, Furiosa (Theron) steals his "Breeders" (basically sex slaves to give him an heir) and plans to help them escape to freedom, Immortan Joe starts an all-out pursuit of the convoy, where a prisoner named Max gets thrown into the mix. Mad Max (Hardy) is not the star of the movie. This movie is about a shockingly important message on humanity and power that draws from both mythology and the Bible. I cannot stress enough how great this movie is. Continue reading, and I can better articulate why this movie may be one of the best I have seen in recent memory.

While I believe it is incredibly well-acted, I think that the story is really what makes the actors shine. The script is so tightly woven, that it's a strenuous task to find any problems. Max's backstory is confusing, but it's meant to be that way. I believe it draws from previous Mad Max films which I have not seen. The true strength of the movie is its message on feminism, ans subsequently, the female characters. The Breeders are such fascinating characters, completely draped in white clothes, one of them 8 months pregnant. They are treated as objects by Immortan Joe (pictured above) so they try to escape. One of the most poignant scenes I saw was when Immortan Joe's truck was speeding up behind Furiosa and Max's and he was aiming his gun at Max in the window. Suddenly the backseat door flew open and Splendid (Huntington-Whitley) was leaning out in front of Max, her pregnant belly blocking the shot. He couldn't hit her, no matter how much he hated her. She was his object, and that baby was his. The way they interacted was great to watch as well. One was scared and she always wanted them to take her back, and they joined forces with Furiosa's old tribe to fight Immortan Joe. The tribe was very Amazon-like, obviously drawing from the myths of tribes of all-women warriors able to combat any man. The true star of the movie was not Mad Max, but Furiosa, with Charlize Theron turning in a spectacular performance worthy of any award. While it surprised me, there's a subtle somewhat feminist nature of the movie. Even more surprising is how much it elevates the story and the film itself if you pick up on it.

Now to talk about director George Miller. The directing is spot-on. The whole movie is like a wild ride that never relinquishes its grip on the viewer. I've tried to explain certain plot points to people and it just comes out sounding like a psychedelic nightmare. The movie is almost stolen by on of Immortan Joe's henchmen, a guitar wielding servant who rides with the gang, stage and speakers attached to his vehicle. While the action's going on he's literally just jamming out from, while his electric guitar breathes fire. I cannot explain how awesome this is. The score is also incredibly well-done, as are the gorgeous visual effects. The cinematography is so well-done that it doesn't even feel like you're watching a movie, it feels like you have been thrust into the world, and the script makes you believe every line, and every image, no matter how convoluted it seems.

Can I recommend this movie to everyone? Even though it's near 100%, that doesn't mean 100% of my audience will enjoy it. I think if you're into this sort of adventure, if you've seen the original movies, or if you just enjoy really amazing movies, this is for you. It's not very graphic in violence or sex, there is just a fair amount of explosions and some very disturbing imagery. When the movie ends, a single quote comes up after the fade to black. This quote really illustrates how poignant this movie is. You can see this as your standard popcorn flick, or you can see it for the message George Miller intended. I hope it's not forgotten during awards season so it can get the recognition it deserves. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the quote really made me realize that humanity could end up like this, as crazy as it seems. We fight wars over individuals, over oil, and over diamonds. When will the war be for clean water? And will we lose ourselves and our humanity in the scramble.

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