Mad Max: Fury Road Review.

By Henry Thackray

You may have noticed that the header picture is not the eponymous Mad Max. In Fury Road, Max is the audience's surrogate, their entrance point into the batshit crazy post-apocalyptic world. You see it through his eyes. And yet, despite this, the film is not about him. It's about Imperator Furiosa (One of Immortan Joe's trusted agents) . Charlize Theron's character is the emotional centre of the movie and it's ultimately her journey. Don't get your wires crossed, this is a feminist blockbuster, and it doesn't apologise for it.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth movie in the Mad Max series, set in the Australian desert, but, refreshingly there is no continuity between this and the other three. It pits two unlikely allies, Max and Furiosa, against the Tyrant Immortan Joe. Furiosa steals his most precious cargo: The wives. Immortan Joe, safe to say, is rather flummoxed by this, and sends his entire army of War Boys (Males with only half-lives, due to radiation) to get them back. And so begins a gut-busting, metal chewing, oil and blood fueled two hours of insanity that is wholly worth the ticket price.

Max (Strangely the calmest figure in the film) tags along with Furiosa on her voyage. This is fitting as the entire film is effectively a chase sequence. A crazy, gloriously insane, adrenalin filled chase sequence. And it's the film's strongest aspect. Except for the beginning and a narrative pivot towards the back third, the film never slows down. George Miller, whose last action live action film was Babe: Pig in the City, has created an action film that simply surpasses anything released this decade. Max's world is "Fire and Blood" and you feel it, straight from the go. The first scene is a masterclass in establishing tone and setting. Later on, a scene involving a Truck and motorbikes is almost poetic in its choreography and to be honest, sheer awesomeness. The frame rate is constantly adjusted, allowing the action to become even more terse and kinetic.
Miller's return to his iconic character has been meticulously planned. He and his two co-writers (Nico Lathouris and Brendan McCarthy) created  3,500 Storyboards before writing the script. Namibia filled in for the outback during a 6 month shoot in which every day was a stunt day. This is a man whose been given a big budget (100 Million plus) and does not waste a penny. Working in-camera effects is expensive, dangerous and hard work. It works though. I can't remember the last action film in which the action itself felt so authentic and real.

Tom Hardy replaces Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky. Hardy shines in the lone warrior role, grunting his lines, slightly Bane like. But this is where real action star charisma excels, and Hardy makes it work. It's a film that lacks dialogue (not in a bad way) but still allows for character development, it's just economical with it. You learn everything you need to know about Max in the first 10 minutes. 1: He's a lone wolf. 2: His Family/ Daughters death haunts him. Established with no dialogue. This is an action director working at the top of his game. Charlize Theron is Imperator Furiosa and plays the role with an intensity that also allows her to be human. She's drawn comparisons to Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, and it's not wrong. A special mention should go out to Nicholas Hoult (From Skins) who plays a War Boy with winning naivety. But to return to Furiosa. It's her journey because that's ultimately what the films about: an exit from the insanity of the patriarchy.

In terms of action, the film takes a step back, into the past of practical effects, and it's 100% in the right direction. In terms of female characters and sexual politics however, Mad Max goes on full steam ahead, more so then you would ever suspect from a summer Blockbuster. This is real meat of the film. It simply asks the question, 'What would happen to women if the protection they have gained from a civilised society is suddenly taken away?'. The wives are Immortan Joe's breeders. He uses them to create an heir for himself. So they escape with Furiosa. In their home they write on the wall 'WE ARE NOT THINGS'. It's meta in the way that the film treats the females as real characters, and the film is about women not simply being objects. Who would have thought what was originally an Aussie exploitation flick would be this progressive. Bechdel test? Passed. Females who are integral to the story and are not just love interests? Check and check. Awesome names? Well, Toast the knowing, so yep. Thematic relevance with feminist issues? Absolutely.

This is the genius of the film. It manages to be an absolutely frantic and sensational piece of action cinema, and still have this powerful and progressive subtext, without bashing you over the head with it. If you haven't seen this film, please go. We need a sequel.

5/5 Stars