“I live, I die. I LIVE AGAIN!”
These are the words shouted in glory before jumping headfirst into a vehicle with explosives attached to your chest. Why is Mad Max Fury Road so insane? Because the world is insane. There is no more humanity here.. only carnage. Sex slaves, producers of milk (which is done in a horrific way, but only works in this world ) water and gasoline are precious commodities in the barren lands of Mad Max.
There are no shortage of strong characters in this film. The damsels in distress? Not so distressed whatsoever. George Miller really took the time to pen out a meaningful script that wasn’t awash with CGI bullshit. Instead we get a story of vengeance, odd and strange love in the form of only what I can think of as Stockholm Syndrome, and one of the most notable Baddies we have gotten since Zorg from the Fifth Element. A true baddy needs his flaws and his sick and twisted hold on his people and nobody does that better than Immortan Joe.
The story is largely focused on Imperator Furiosa played incredibly by Charlize Theron. From the beginning, you can tell she is praised by her people, and then her motives become unclear as to what in the fuck her actual mission is… once the plan comes to fruition with the adding of a seriously pissed off man having the worst day ever… MAX. Tom Hardy does it again.. This time not hogging up the screen time and just being the lynchpin that holds this entire feature together like some sort of bloody mortar.
Visually and stylistically this is the best we have ever seen from George Miller. The man is in his 70’s and he just gave us an instant classic that even if there were sequels to that end up sucking. This film stands alone and on its own if it needed to. The color palette is absolutely stunning, sweeping from beautiful warm reds to harsh cold blues and greys.
We can’t end this review without emphasis on the stunts. HOLYFUCKINGSHIT was our reaction MOST of the film. The fact that nobody died during the making of this film is just a pure miracle. The cars were badass 70’s and 80’s hybrids with multiple factions along the ride who are all trying to gnaw at each other’s throats. The work built here reminds me of that of a Star Wars or a Blade Runner, in that it’s fully built for you, and all you need to do is keep your arms in and your heads straight and strap on for LITERALLY the ride of your life.
Strong characters, strong and tangible plot points and incredible photography give this film it’s most rewarding qualities.
Also, we got stuck seeing a 3D version of this film, and everyone know knows that I hate 3D and think it’s the worst gimmick since 3D Doritos, but it looks stunning, and is one of the first 3D films that really looked to be intended that way…IN YOUR FACE!!