Mad Max: Fury Road
Go! A hot, fast, feminine reignition of the entire action genre.
Deviant dystopian desert driving.
Max Rockatansky first lost his sanity in 1979 when his wife and child were murdered by a gang of eccentric Australian motorcycle enthusiasts (Mad Max). He came back in 1981 even more crazed, which we knew because his face was dirtier, he had a rustier car and fought a post-apocalyptic war for gasoline in the desert (sound familiar?) using only a dog and the remainder of a shotgun (Mad Max 2). By 1985, he was such a loon, that Tina Turner had to exile him into the desert on the back of a horse with a big papier-mâché head on (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome). All three movies, directed by George Miller, grappled with themes of survival and shortages of resources; revenge and redemption; and the fact that men are generally horrible bastards. They were full of invention, energy, high-octane vehicles and film-making craft.
Having made a suitably mad transition into directing cutesy animal animations Babe and Happy Feet Miller returns with Mad Max: Fury Road. It is a reboot rather than a continuation, with Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) taking over from original Max, Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon) as the marble-lacking lead. He takes us to a richly-envisioned post-nuclear dystopia. It is a barren world where water is hoarded by a vile overlord, Immortan Joe, who is surrounded by a rabble of bald, pale and devoted “War Boys”. Many of the War Boys are his own spawn, born of a handful of beautiful women who Joe uses purely for breeding. It is when one of Joe’s female lieutenants, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron, Hancock), leads a conspiracy to free these women that an enormous, battling, vehicular chase ensues for two, petrol-fuelled cinematic hours; with Max, Furiosa and War Boy, Nux (Nicholas Hoult, Kill Your Friends) pursued by a selection of bonkers vehicles with even more bonkers weaponry.
As sci-fi action films go, Mad Max: Fury Road is firmly among the best of them. The themes of the originals still run deep, but with even more unrelenting energy and visceral style; driven by an electrifying metal soundtrack, eye-bursting action set-pieces and tremendous performances from the entire cast. Watching is like being willingly water-boarded with a searing hot blend of chilli sauce and Red Bull in the middle of a mosh pit at a Slipknot gig. It bombards the senses and elevates the heart-rate to levels of unfamiliar giddiness. Hardy and Hoult (the latter in his best role to date) both put in fierce performances, but deserving of most praise is the incredibly powerful Theron. Physically and emotionally, she dominates every scene, as her skin-headed, one-armed character assumes rightful control of the storyline. It is less Mad Max, more Ferocious Furiosa, and it is a far more striking film because of it.
As sci-fi action films go, Mad Max: Fury Road is firmly among the best of them. The themes of the originals still run deep, but with even more unrelenting energy and visceral style; driven by an electrifying metal soundtrack, eye-bursting action set-pieces and tremendous performances from the entire cast. Watching is like being willingly water-boarded with a searing hot blend of chilli sauce and Red Bull in the middle of a mosh pit at a Slipknot gig. It bombards the senses and elevates the heart-rate to levels of unfamiliar giddiness. Hardy and Hoult (the latter in his best role to date) both put in fierce performances, but deserving of most praise is the incredibly powerful Theron. Physically and emotionally, she dominates every scene, as her skin-headed, one-armed character assumes rightful control of the storyline. It is less Mad Max, more Ferocious Furiosa, and it is a far more striking film because of it.
Furiosa’s prominence reflects a welcome shift from the male dominance of previous instalments (and action films generally) into an intelligent and unusual female-led film. It takes up the mad idea that women are equally as powerful as men (gasp!), and are a natural solution to a society plagued by the greed and violent delusions of men (gasp, gasp!!). It is a sad fact that this should be such a remarkable concept in 2015; a concept that some horrible bastards still openly deride. Plain and simple, Mad Max: Fury Road gives us perhaps the most interesting female action character (and one of the most interesting of either gender) ever committed to film. With her, she carries an action sci-fi masterpiece.
So go. Between Furiosa, the creative storyline, the complexity of the action and richness of the visuals, Miller has created a huge, novel, thrashing beast that simply has to be seen.
So go. Between Furiosa, the creative storyline, the complexity of the action and richness of the visuals, Miller has created a huge, novel, thrashing beast that simply has to be seen.
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