Tom Hardy
Charlize Theron
Nicholas Hoult
Hugh Keays-Byrne
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Riley Keough
Zoë Kravitz
Abbey Lee
Courtney Eaton

George Miller
Brendan McCarthy
Nico Lathouris

120 mins.
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
May 15, 2015

Rated R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images (MPAA)

We Don’t Need Another Hero. … That’s where the “Mad Max” film franchise left us 30 years ago. Now, this franchise is back with a reboot that will knock your socks off, if you let it …

George Miller, the writer-director-producer who’s responsible for this franchise and who has worked on “Lorenzo’s Oil,” “Babe,” and “Happy Feet,” infuses “Mad Max: Fury Road” with the spirit of the original trilogy (“Mad Max,” “Mad Max 2: Road Warrior,” and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”) and the technology of contemporary times. It’s a dizzying mix that alternates between the frenetic (“high octane”) and the poetic. Miller’s fourth installment in the series is the result of the director’s focused, sustained, and specific post-apocalyptic vision. After all, the Australian director helped to write the book on post-apocalyptic filmmaking and usher in the Australian New Wave. But all of the crazy on display in this film never gets out of control. Unlike, say, Baz Luhrmann, Miller has a steady hand with the most unsteady of filmmaking material. He has proven himself to be a master of his art. Just let his work in this film wash over you.

While Miller’s (and his team’s) technical expertise cannot be questioned, there’s more to this film than that: It has emotional layers, as well. Essentially, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is just what its title suggests: an extended car chase. But after lengthy scenes chock full of clever uses of props, weapons, trees, sand, and even people, there are quieter moments with depth and beauty. Everything won’t make sense in logical terms, but the feeling is always right. And, in filmmaking, the feeling is most important. This film relies on sight and sound to immerse its audience in a world of savage beauty, and it succeeds.

This reboot continues the Max story, but Mel Gibson, who was put on the map by this series, no longer plays the titular character. Those duties have been passed to Tom Hardy, a wise choice. Another wise choice is the casting of a gritty, grounded, yet poised Charlize Theron (who can seemingly do no wrong regardless of the film she stars in) as Imperator Furiosa, one of the war commanders in the service of Immortan Joe (who looks like a relative of Karg from “Masters of the Universe”), the villain who controls the water in this desert wasteland. In some ways, this film is more aligned with Furiosa than with Max – an interesting twist. As Max fights to escape being both hunted by the living and haunted by the dead, Furiosa fights to help Immortan Joe’s five wives escape his evil clutches. By the end of the film, the two of them realize that they need each other to overcome their obstacles. Redemption is the result.

That reluctant partnership (a thankfully non-sexual one) is built upon layers of pro-feminism. Male right activists, whoever they are, have called for a boycott of this film before even seeing it. They claim that it seems to provide everything that a man could want from an action movie simply to mask its ploy to trick men into buying into another attempt to emasculate them. Please. This film is about humanity and the desperation of survival after the loss of culture and resources. Letting women lead is not emasculating; it’s empowering: In this film, women and men lead together out of necessity – a profound statement.

Women aren’t merely highlighted onscreen, though. Eve Ensler, creator of “The Vagina Monologues”, was a consultant. And, most importantly, Margaret Sixel, Miller’s wife, was the editor. Her work is nothing short of amazing; it allows the events to go from the most intense, in-your-face action to moments of surprising tenderness without skipping a beat.

Despite its hidden complexities, this is an action film, first and foremost. And its action would be enough, on its own, to warrant seeing it. The 3D is used perfectly here. Of course, it adds depth to the visuals (check), but it also adds a richness to those visuals (double-check). Just take a look at the sandstorm sequence, full of massive tornadoes of sand. In a normal action film, that kind of sequence would be the reason to see it. But, here, that’s just a reason to see this. There’s oh so much more.

As I watched this film, other films came to mind: Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse: Death Proof,” David Lynch’s “Dune,” and even Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones” franchise. But, even with sparse dialogue, this film has more weight. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s humor here, too: a twisted sort that’s endemic to the franchise. And this film is light on its feet. But there’s more to it than it seems. No matter how you slice it, this film deserves to be seen … in 3D … on the biggest screen available.

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: madmaxmovie.com)

From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise, comes “Mad Max: Fury Road,” a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky.

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) stars in the title role in “Mad Max: Fury Road”—the fourth in the franchise’s history. Oscar winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “Prometheus”) stars as the Imperator, Furiosa. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Nux; Hugh Keays-Byrne (“Mad Max,” “Sleeping Beauty”) as Immortan Joe; Nathan Jones (“Conan the Barbarian”) as Rictus Erectus; Josh Helman (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Slit; collectively known as The Wives, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) is Splendid, Riley Keough (“Magic Mike”) is Capable, Zoë Kravitz (“Divergent”) plays Toast, Abbey Lee is The Dag, and Courtney Eaton is Fragile. Also featured in the movie are John Howard, Richard Carter, singer/songwriter/performer iOTA, Angus Sampson, Jennifer Hagan, Megan Gale, Melissa Jaffer, Melita Jurisic, Gillian Jones and Joy Smithers.

Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller (director, producer and co-writer of “Happy Feet”, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature; Oscar nominee as co-writer of Lorenzo’s Oil, which he also directed and produced, and Babe, which he also produced) is directing the film from a screenplay he wrote with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris. Miller is also producing the film, along with longtime producing partner, Oscar nominee Doug Mitchell (“Babe”, “Happy Feet”), and P.J. Voeten. Iain Smith, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-winning director of photography John Seale (“The English Patient”), production designer Colin Gibson (“Babe”), editor Margaret Sixel (“Happy Feet”), Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (“A Room with a View”), action unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris (“Australia”), and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt (“Knowing”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Mitchell production, a George Miller film, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The film is scheduled for worldwide release beginning May 15, 2015, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.