Before delving into this review, I'd like to say something. I haven't watched any of the previous Mad Max films, so I don't know what the previous actors were like, nor do I know the fundamental rules of the universe Max lives in. However, I've heard from others that all I really need to know is that there's an apocalypse, Max couldn't save his family, and now he's bonkers like the rest of the inhabitants of the desert like land. That is that knowledge with which I entered the theater, and I have to say, this was one fantastic movie. Mad Max is one of the great movies that don't get that much recognition when the initially come out. I was one of the people who didn't really care about the movie too, in fact, if not for my tradition to see every new action movie with my best friends, I probably would have never given it a chance, which would have been a damn shame.
First things first, whenever you watch a movie that doesn't portray that earth you live on, it's integral that the writers manage to vividly translate the world they have created. Usually though, and this is not a bad thing, most writers try to pull both off at the same time. What I mean is that these writers showcase a different world, but the fundamentals of said universe still encompass a familiar atmosphere. For example, Guardians of the Galaxy takes place in deep space, and James Gunn does a good job of exploring this unfamiliar world, but at the end of the day, the characters and laws still feel familiar, since most of the guys you encounter act like normal human beings, even if they don't understand out terminology and such. George Miller on the other hand, gives a huge middle finger to the concept and paints a picture deserving of the name "Mad Max: Fury Road."
This is no joke, this post apocalyptic situation is completely and utterly insane, but the execution is so great that Miller never really crams down the multiple and bizarre concepts he tries to incorporate down our throats. Not sure how to put it, but the viewers basically learn new information by going with the flow. There's never a moment where the characters sit down and have long talks of how things have gone to crap, because..who has time for that in a society where people drive around weirdly built race cars and kill each other with spears? Speaking of which, the world of Mad Max is a gruesome one, and I appreciate the fact that Miller has the stones to really show some seriously disturbing scene. I usually pride myself on being unfazed during such disgusting moments, but there were a few sections where I had to clench my fist and drop by jaw at how amoral some of these characters were. It's not that it was disgusting, it was just so against something a normal human being would do that it really hits you fast and hard.
Another method of pulling the viewer within this crazy universe is the camerawork. One of the first things I noticed right away was that the movie was filmed in a way to create an atmosphere of instability and insanity. The sudden and unexpected movements of characters, the stability of the camera and the audience view, and the lighting really makes you forget that you are watching a place which use to be our own planet Earth. Still, amidst all the insanity, there are still semblances of realism within the flick. In a world as dangerous as this, it's hard not to expect a lot of people dying, yet in movies, they usually play around this fact and quite often use some sort of plot device to ensure that characters live. But be prepared to be surprised, because in this movie, a lot of people die.
Moreover, the characters were all fantastic. Some people complain that Max may have been overshadowed by Furiosa, and while she is definitely badass, I disagree with this assessment, since both are two fundamentally different characters. Is Furiosa more layered than Max? Sure, which is further enhanced by Charlize Theron's great acting, but what you really need to know about Max he is an insane badass who survives in a crazier world. I liked the fact that Max was sort like the main protagonist/Companion, because it sets up a new status for how his movies should work. Max is the constant element in this world, he has nothing to lose but his life and he moves from point A to point Z, but on his travels he encounters and helps a lot of different people. That makes him the guardian angle archetype, which is very fitting for the world Max lives in. He's just as crazy as the place he lives in, and thus he is the one who understands how things work, which makes him the perfect guide towards salvation. Plus, Tom Hardy does a great job of capturing the mannerisms of the a mentally unstable man with a good heart. I sincerely hope he reprises this role many times.
Immortan Joe was also a very cool villain as well. He was disgusting, sadistic, obviously crazy, and most important he isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty. The first scenes kind of paint the picture that he's the kind of bad guy that stays behind the action, but not only was that not the case, but as horrible as he was, Joe was badass, and a worthy adversary for the main heroes. The real stand out, for me however, was Nicholas Hoult's Nux. Honestly, in the trailers I thought he'd be one of the unlucky maniacs who gets killed off in the crossfires, but Nux brought so much energy and life to an already action packed movie, that it's hard not to give him credit. Plus, he's pretty much the most developed and layered character among the bunch if you ask me, given his personality, circumstances and allegiances.
Now that we've covered all that basics of the movie, lets talk about the crown jewel. The action is absolutely fantastic. Like I said, the movie embraces it's insanity and does wonders with it. Mad Max is one of the few current blockbusters that doesn't utilize a lot of CGI, yet still manages to create some wonderfully visually appealing scenes. I can usually imagine lengthy and creative fights between two brawlers and fighters, but when you factor in stuff like high speed chases and cars, I falter badly. So you can imagine how happy I was when I saw how perfectly the movie was choreographed. Like I said, the movie is filmed as if the whole world is crazy, so there are a lot of brawls, sudden movements, quick thinking, explosions and so on and on. The cars are all designed with bizarre gimmicks too, all of which play into the action scenes. I mean, where else will you see a car with a metal guitar player attached to it? That kind of stuff needs some serious creativity.
All in all, Mad Max is a perfect movie in it's own genre. Are there some flaws I may have missed? Sure, and I'm sure many critics will probably pick up on them, but as someone who usually immediately notices and picks up on how things could have been done better, there was nothing I'd change in this movie, and I specifically saw it twice with a significant time gap between the viewings to be completely objective. The point is, I got exactly what I wanted, which is exactly why I think Mad Max deserves a max(pun definitely intended) score. It's not for everyone, I'll give you that, in fact I can definitely tell that some people may have some serious misgivings about this flick, but to me, I loved every minute of it, and i'd probably watch it again many more times once it comes out on DVD.
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