Mad Max: Fury Road
Talk about a good movie! This one is possibly the best this year. If you like action and just visually stunning effects and camera work, Mad Max: Fury Road is for you. It is a non-stop, high octane thrill ride that will keep you at the edge of your seat for its entire running time. The story isn’t the greatest ever told, but it is oozing with subtext. Max (Tom Hardy) is a haunted man of few words in a world where he only wants to survive and be left alone. Unfortunately for him, the world doesn’t want to leave him alone. He gets kidnapped and caught up in an escape attempt orchestrated by Furiosa (Charlize Theron).
Furiosa is the real protagonist of the movie. She starts up the entire tale by rebelling against Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and stealing his wives. Then she moves forward with a plan and motivates Max to join in. She fights, she plans, she takes responsibility and she’s even the one to take out Immortan Joe in the end. What makes it even better is that they don’t force beauty for beauty’s sake and they don’t force a romance between her and Max. Her form follows her function and she and the titular hero are simply comrades.
Then comes the world building which, when combined with the amazing practical effects, was superb. They don’t force the details down your throat, they just show you and make you wonder at the possible details of this post-apocalyptic universe. There’s one small instance of shoddy CGI (the sandstorm), but it’s very forgivable when all things are considered. For the rest of the movie, you can’t even tell when CGI is even being used.
Every character is sufficiently motivated and we even see considerable arcing for side character Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Everyone is acting in top form and not only is the film directed by the original director George Miller, but Immortan Joe is actually played by the same actor that played Toecutter, the villain from the first film. Everything is well put together and the movie is outstandingly entertaining. This one gets my recommendation in every way. I don’t even want to say anymore about it. Just see it immediately!
Do you agree with this review? Let us know in the comments below.
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
