Mad Max: Fury Road (Rated T)
Cast: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult
Genre: Action Drama
Dwight's rating: 
3.5 stars
Okay action movies, you've earned a reprieve! Your genre's messiah is here: All hail "Mad Max: Fury Road"!
It seems like every other week I've been lamenting the long, lame state of the action drama, particularly the barrage of mostly pathetic comic book-based movies we've been cruelly subjected to over the past couple decades. With their over-reliance on special effects, inappropriate use of action (mainly just blowing up everything in sight, for no real reason) and especially repetitive, nonsensical, or worse yet, non-existent plot lines, watching an action movie today is often like reliving your loudest, most chaotic, more ridiculous nightmare, over and over and over again.
But finally, here at the start of the 2015 summer blockbuster season, we have a nearly perfect example of action done right. "Mad Max: Fury Road" wastes little time, with no unnecessary fight scenes or silly conversations. Instead, what it does have is an actual storyline and decent performances. This is the fourth in a film franchise dating back to the original "Mad Max" starring Mel Gibson in the title role back in 1979. It's also the first in the franchise in 30 years. Original writer and director George Miller is back, and it's still set in Australia.
In the film, it's been 45 years since the collapse of civilization, and resources such as water, food and oil are scarce. Survivors cling to life at the Citadel, a fortress controlled by the tyrannical Immortan Joe. When Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) leads a band of rebels on a daring escape through the Wasteland, she forges an alliance with haunted loner Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy). Together, they embark on a high-speed race through the desert, pursued relentlessly by the gangs of the apocalypse.
Yes, while watching, at times you may feel like you're a helpless motorist pushed to the side of the road as deafening police outriders rush darkly-tinted limousines through the city. You can't see who's in the convoy, you don't know where it's going, and you don't know when the noise and frenzy will stop. But you can't stop staring at it, and your curiosity is peaked with every single vehicle that whizzes by.
This is an intriguing treat for the senses. It is visually stunning, whether it's the expansive desert scenes, or the amazing makeup on the many disfigured figures in this post-Apocalyptic world. But all the action is the real star here. Miller's directing style is an enticing mix of spectacular stunts and stylized effects, similar to what we may have seen in "Sin City" or "300". However, unlike both those films, and especially their sequels, these effects are used sparingly and judiciously. And while your mind also knows that a lot of what you're seeing on the screen can not be humanly possible, it all looks so real, so seemless and so organic. It's indescribable what a sight it is to behold!
The music and the sound effects are also amazing, working in concert with that compelling storyline. Patience is required, and, for the most part, well rewarded. As we go along, more and more is explained, sparing us the long and endless expositions, so common to movies of this sort.
Acting-wise, Theron is great as tough-as-nails Furiosa. And Nicholas Hoult is an exciting scene-stealer as War Boy Nux. The rest of the supporting players do what they're supposed to do, and neither draw too much attention to themselves, nor overpower the story or expose any weaknesses.
Hardy, as Mad Max, is a different story. As the frighteningly unsettling Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises", he was hard to miss in that loud disaster of a flick. While it would be too harsh to call him "underwhelming" here, his Max is a low-key man of few words, and the somewhat subtle performance allows the other stars like Theron to shine. Hardy's Max is not exactly the spitfire Mel Gibson played in the original.
Nonetheless, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is the most fun, non-science-fiction action drama in years. It is, in most ways, better produced and directed than the original, breathing new life into this moribund franchise and into the action genre.
On that latter point, it may be a little early to make such declarations, especially as Summer Blockbuster Season can feel long, loud and dull, with many action movies on the roster. But let's hope and pray, and keep those fingers crossed that "Mad Max: Fury Road" has set a bar to which all others will aspire.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of "Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.
Photo: comingsoon.net
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