In 1979, writer/director George Miller
had given us the post-apocalyptic action film, “Mad Max.”
The film tells of the titular character, who sets out on a vengeful
mission to hunt down a menacing biker gang, after they beaten and
murdered his wife, and how he's slowly drifting into insanity because
of his thirst for revenge. For a film made back in the earliest days
of action films, it still holds up to this day. The acting is fairly
good, the direction is classic, and the action scenes are still
really good. Not only that, but it stands as the film that brought
Mel Gibson into popularity, later working on films such as “Lethal
Weapon” and “Braveheart,” the latter of which would get him two
Oscars.
It's sequel, “The Road Warrior,”
manages to continue the story in a different light. Where as the
first “Mad Max” took place in a world where society was starting
to crumble, this film shows that society HAS crumbled. This time
around, Max is caught in the middle of a war over the settlers who
have gasoline and the marauders who want it, and has him regain his
sense of purpose within the world. “The Road Warrior” is regarded
by many as one of the best sequels ever made, and there's no doubt
about that, taking what was good about the first film, and making it
better.
The third movie, “Mad Max Beyond
Thunderdome” however, is a bit of a different story. While it
wasn't bad, it felt sort of tacked on, which is understandable, since
it was originally going to be a futuristic version of “Lord of the
Flies,” yet somehow got turned into a “Mad Max” film, featuring
Tina Turner...for some reason.
A fourth film has been in talks and
development and talks for decades, and some have debated on whether
or not it was just a rumor spread around. However, early on in the
decade, a fourth film was announced, with Tom Hardy from “The Dark
Knight Rises” being cast as the new Max, and with George Miller
returning as writer and director. The film had reached completion a
while back, but had been put on hold because the studios said they
wanted more, and thus had to do re-shoots and find a way to market
the film properly.
So after thirty years since the last
“Mad Max” film, how does the new one hold? Not only do I think
this film is a worthy addition to the series, I'd go as far as to say
that this quite possibly the best action film I have seen in this
decade. The action scenes are choreographed so damn well, the stunts
are awesome, the colors blend so well together, and there are two
things that really make it stand out: it's all practical and it
doesn't have any shaky cam...HALLELUYAH!! For once, we actually have
an action film that truly embraces on the word action in the best way
possible! Thank you, George Miller! Thank you for teaching us to have
fun again!
Now let's talk about the casting. Tom
Hardy as Max, I have to admit, does a really damn good job here.
Looking at side-by-side photos of his and Mel Gibson's Max, you can
see the similarities between the two, which seems fitting. But the
big difference is that Hardy portrays his Max as 'man of few words'
kind of guy, especially in the first act of the film where he has a
mask muzzle on. One of the key things that make Tom Hardy one of the
best actors of our generation is that he's able to convey emotion
simply with his eyes than most actors can with their entire bodies.
Now THAT'S a good actor! However, the real star of this film is
Charlize Theron as Furiosa. The film is mostly on her story arc, as a
warrior who tries to escape from the warlord she's been serving
under, also making off with the women he's been sexually abusing, so
their children don't end up like him. Furiosa is the real star of
this film, and it does feel like Max is caught up in the middle of
it. You might complain that it defeats the purpose of calling it a
“Mad Max” movie, but then again “The Road Warrior” did
something like that too, so there you have it.
Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter
in the first “Mad Max” film, is now the villain of “Fury Road,”
Immortan Joe. At first, you'd think it was just fan service to have
the villain from the first film as a new character, but Keays-Byrne
makes us feel that this is something we haven't seen from the “Mad
Max” series. He really does relish every moment he has in this
performance, and boy, does he make it entertaining to watch. Nicholas
Hoult as Nux, you know the guy in the previews who says “Oh what a
day! WHAT A LOVELY DAY,” I have to say, really caught me off guard.
Even when I knew that it was Nicholas Hoult in the movie, I never
would have guessed that was him. I mean, he just BECAME this
character, and much like Keays-Byrne, enjoys every minute of this
performance. But I was actually touched by his performance too, as
there are actually touching moments with him that do make him
sympathetic, especially during the climax.
Overall, “Mad Max: Fury Road” was
really damn fun! I loved the acting in the film, I thought the
direction was spectacular, and the action scenes were so refreshing
to the genre! If you have a chance to see any movie this summer, it
should be “Mad Max: Fury Road!” Screw “Age of Ultron,” it's
got NOTHING on this one! In the words of Tony Danza: “Go see the
fucking movie!”
Rating: 10/10
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