Mad Max: Fury Road

By: John Delia

My job is to see movies and give my opinion so my readers will know the good, bad and ugly before plunking down the dough to see them. After seeing Mad Max: Fury Road, I’m ready to see it again. This time I’m headed for an IMAX theater so I can get all the sounds and visuals of this action packed film up close. Call me a movie nut, but when it comes to films that go over the edge for their audience, I’m there!

Upfront: There’s very little dialogue, a modest storyline (a woman wants her freedom and redemption, a man wants revenge, the two meet and set out to accomplish their goals), action packed depiction, outstanding cinematography/computer graphics and twists that you won’t see coming. All brought to you for around $100,000,000.

In my opinion, with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road the film Avengers: Age of Ultron just hit its first bump in the road at the box office in their quest to outdo the 2012 release. This high energy film should take the wind out of the sails of the reigning box office winner and lay claim to number one. With superb direction, acting and cinematography, the film puts the audience in the middle of a non-stop rollercoaster ride across an unforgiving desert. It’s the kind of excitement that lovers of this genre crave and this film has a surplus for everyone.

Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) has risen to a highly trusted position at the Citadel, a haven for those who have survived the apocalypse. She’s in charge of the pristine women for warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who wants to propagate his stronghold with children that will be without the illnesses that have scourged his people. He controls her and the water in the land, dispensing it in meager amounts to placate the workers and populace to keep them under his thumb.

But Furiosa has a plan that will shake the warlord’s empire and send it on a deadly chase to retrieve Immortan Joe’s prized possessions. Along with Max Rocatansky (Tom Hardy), a wandering ex-cop whose family was killed by the wasteland’s human predators, the two strike out driving a War Rig pulling a 1/2 ton of fuel and Immortan Joe’s harem. Furiosa’s sights are set on her homeland, a safe area rich in green grass and water.

Director and co-writer George Miller who wrote and guided the original trilogy of Mad Max takes his franchise to a new level. Pulling out all the stops, he forges a story filled with non-stop action, amazing visuals and a cast that hones characters more tenacious than any of Miller’s past creations. He spares no expense in filming his project delivering what action junkies crave most: monsters and mayhem.

Tom Hardy, previously seen in Warrior and The Dark Night Rises as Bane, steps into the shoes of Mad Max taking the character up a notch from the former trilogy champion Mel Gibson.  Max takes a beating on this wild ride as he fights off a murderous band of mercenaries that compose Immortan Joe’s army. In all the madness of his stunts and intricate choreography, Hardy’s able to form the chemistry needed between himself and Furiosa to warrant his determination to help her reach the quest.

The big surprise comes in a sleek package. Charlize Theron takes her character to a level far above most anything she’s done in the past. Here she creates a tough persona that’s unwavering in her desire to escape the clutches of an evil warlord who commanded her to oversee his harem for breading purposes. She’s a resilient fighter who doesn’t hesitate to kill her pursuers. She’s a take charge woman on a journey into a blistering dessert that holds little hope for freedom. The dedicated Theron even does a lot of her character’s aerobatics for the cameras.

Mad Max: Fury Road has been rated R by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images. The film contains a lot of guts and gore, brutality and extended fierce chase scenes. Available in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D across the nation.

FINAL ANALYSIS: For actions seekers, this film goes way beyond anything in the past decade. (A)