Fans can still flock to wet their whistle with the fourth installment in the Mad Max series. In 1979, Mad Max was released followed by Mad Max 2 (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). The fourth post-apocalyptic film in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road, is directed by George Miller. The Australian director, screenwriter and film producer also directed Max Max Beyond Dome and the two Happy Feet films loved by audiences. George Miller, Brenda McCarthy, and Nico Lathouris executed the script of Mad Max Fury Road.
Although Mel Gibson starred in the first three, Tom Hardy is the main protagonist Max Rockantsky in this Australian post-apocalyptic franchise created by George and Bryon Kennedy. Charlize Theron is the dramatic Furiosa reminding this technological advanced age that strong female action heroes are justified, increasing a longed feminine theme to action films. Nux portrayed by Nicholas Hoult is another actor making this movie with the slippery twists and turns. The main Antogonist known as the Imortal Joe by Hugh Keay-Byrne accumulates everyone on their toes inside the plot and outside the screen. Other actors include Rosie Hunting-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoe Kravitz, Abbey Lee and Courtney Eaton.
Film Review of Mad Max: Fury Road
Don’t worry if you miss out on the first three in the series, this film can stand alone when it comes to plot. The past three is not necessarily needed to discover, watch, enjoy and partake of this adrenaline induced science fiction suspense thriller. Missing the first three may result in watching it several times to catch some correlations between the who, the what and the why. By the fifth time of watching it, the viewer picks up the tiniest detail, making absolutely everything about the world believable as if you could walk outside your door and see the same story. However, some of the names of characters and dialogue could be classified as kindergartner names for pets, but they are overlooked and mesmerizing to the audience involved in the what ifs of a fallen uneducated planet. The sole focus of every character is survival of the fittest, strongest, healthiest, and those who hold the power over life and death.
Suffering from PTSD, Max is alone in this desert wasteland filled with dwindling resources, water and food from wars and corruption. He is no match for the emperor like leader Immortan Joe and his Citadel full of people who fear and love him. Immortan Joe’s idol worshiping War Boys cause ruckus and chaos because of their high opinions of respect toward their sperm donor. One of Joe’s Lieutenants, Furiosa challenges Joe’s outstretched grasp of a powerful chokehold on his grief starving and thirst stricken desolate kingdom. Furiosa diverts from Joe causing a war among already warring tribes known as Gas Town and Bullet Farm. The whole story revolves around war and the disillusioned glory from it. Life and death are rampant making the audience aware that everyone is a villain and a hero in this story.
One might as well be standing up and jamming to this heavy metal concert introduced to us by Junkie XL, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, and Marco Beltrami. The music during the day and night is complimented with fantastic fire displays, chasing scenes and drama. When the prominent music is vacant, the heart pounds with the realistic sounds of battle, heated emotions, and hope. The absence of music is usually because things are intense and uncertain.
At times, there is a cartoony feel to some of the chase scenes with the sequence editing, but it preserves the blood pumping with the adult content of the blood, guts, and gore. Even the easily squeamish can tolerate the blood because the acrobatics, stunts, and fighting leave you clinging to your seat with whitened fists. All will root for some of the antagonists along with the protagonists. The feet of valor, justice, and victory can be felt along with the reason for redemption and hope.
Crude instruments, hydraulics, tools, clothes, furniture, health care, and mechanical ingenuity covers the time of caveman to technology age scrappers in this cruel, harsh and unforgiving time in the line of humanity. Extremely few animals are throughout the film, but they are not hardly noticed with all the focus on the thrills, chills, and twists. Props also include bungee cords, lots of spikes and vintage vehicles. I confess, I absolutely adored the motorcycle racing. Everything about the speed, the jumps, and the wind ruffling the feathers in the sand filled the void in my action loving film addiction. The explosions are realistic and fantastic. The wind flowing across the sand and spewing up from behind the vehicles gives the meaning of despair to some, but beauty to others. My favorite scene included the wind picking up speed across the sand showing the emotions of the character at the time of desolation.
Several scenes spectacularly dissolve into the next sequence of events as if the audience is living the horrors with their own eyes. The camera zoom in on the perfect moments, framing the closeups, mediums, and pertinent information. The long shots develop the scenes with impending dangers and faith filled reasons to hope for a future. Not only did I love every camera shot, I find it fascinating when the sound crew implement sounds that I’ve heard when I have and almost passed out.
The scenes portraying night are needed because of the consistency of the timeline. The nights include enough light and shadows for the audience to not miss any detail from the plot, backstories, and subplots. The darkness is colored with the haze of the realistic draught ridden fantasy world.
Costuming and makeup are consistent with all the characters, making it difficult to pick anything apart. Compliments go to the artists for the grease, dirt, and wounds. Pregnant ladies, heavyset humans, nurse maids, dismembered limbs, tumors, and warts are all profoundly realistic.
It is difficult to comprehend when CGI is used if any. Although I am curious how fixing engines work while they are in constant motion. The other question I have about the mechanics is how on earth the engines are built the way they are designed.
All in all, Mad Max Fury Road is just as it is titled and much more. You will not be disappointed in this action-packed story for men and women, uniting all together as a willing audience. From start to finish, you will pray you do not miss any detail because everything is happening so fast, glorious, exciting, and mysterious.
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