Uncontrollable Madness Unleashed In Mad Max: Fury Road
Directorial mastermind George Miller brings a crazed, deranged and all-consuming action vision to the big screen with Mad Max: Fury Road, a nitrous-infused fever dream that grips audiences from its first frame and doesn’t let up or let go.
After the fall of civilisation, the human race is scattered and divided. Former highway patrolman Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) finds himself the prisoner of self-appointed Wasteland dictator Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), and gets caught up in the escape plan of the tough-as-nails Furiousa (Charlize Theron). Matched as unlikely allies, Max and Furiosa must contend with Joe’s horde of ‘War Boys’, as well as the ravages of the wasteland, while relying on one another if they are to survive their mad dash through the desert and make their break for freedom.
An Insane Vision
From the moment Mad Max: Fury Road begins you are transported to a desert nightmare where water is sparse, and humanity even sparser. Values and notions of duty and honour have long been forgotten, and all that matters is the will to survive. It’s here that George Miller takes audience on a wild ride through his outback wasteland in what makes for a truly original cinematic vision. While standard action movies contain a give and take attitude, Fury Road doesn’t stop to pause for an instant. There’s no time to fill up at the pump. Instead fuel is chucked into a powerful V8 motor as the war rig burns forward in a blaze of desert dust and fire. It’s a non stop, no-holds-barred rollercoaster ride where story and action combine together in this very well thought-out and intricately crafted piece of cinema that makes for the ultimate action road movie that gets bigger and bolder with every passing moment.
The Road Warrior
Taking over the post-apocalyptic nomad made famous by Mel Gibson, British superstar Tom Hardy is a feral beast as ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky, a haunted and broken man who has nothing to live for, but is gripped by the will to survive. While Hardy maintains the staples of Max, such as his characterisation as a man of few words, and his status as a somewhat feral loner, he completely makes the character his own. Watching him on screen you see the classic heroes journey brought to live with an out-of-control fiery passion, as Max burns through the desert behind the wheel of a war rig, laying waist to those who would dare to pursue him. With Max, Hardy takes his position as Hollywood’s resident action hero with a character that is long overdue for cinematic resurrection.
Playing opposite Hardy is Charlize Theron as the empowered female badass Furiosa, who is Max’s equal in every way and holds close to the hope and optimism that Max is surely lacking. Like Hardy, Theron disappears into the role of Furiosa, consuming the screen with her performance and gravitas as the butt kicking heroine.
Petrolheads will find their cinematic ‘spirit gearhead’ in Nicholas Hoult’s out of control ‘War Boy’ Nux, who is high on nitros fumes, and charts quite a character trajectory. Finally, longtime Miller collaborator Hugh Keays-Byrne (the original Toecutter!) is the acid wash overlord of the wasteland as Immortan Joe! While Max, Furiosa, and Nux are the film’s three core characters, Miller is a gifted director, and every character gets their time to shine. His penchant for creativity is evident with his twisted cast who bear names such as Prince Ricktus Erectus, The Splendid Angharad, The People Eater and The Bullet Farmer.
Vehicular Mayhem
For those with an affinity for high-octane mechanised mayhem, Mad Max: Fury Road is a dream. From its opening, the petrol is let loose, and fiery, nitrous car chases dominate the screen. Every pursuit and action sequence has its own character that shapes and defines the film, pushing it further while the film’s Wasteland tornado set piece must be experienced on an IMAX screen. With some of the most outlandish vehicle action set pieces ever devised, as well as a fleet of souped up, and thoroughly crazy vehicles that literally scream ‘creative madness’ Mad Max: Fury Road is the petrolhead’s dream come to life, and will convert many more to the power of the V8.
Mad Max: Fury Road follows through on its promise that the future does indeed belong to the mad. It is an action spectacle from beginning to end which signals the return of the Road Warrior in all his crazed action grandeur, and is absolutely un-missable experience!
