MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

 Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs and Paul Gibbs

GRADE: A+
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Abby Lee, Courtney Eaton, Megan Gale, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 
Zoë Kravitz and Hugh Keays-Burne
Screenplay by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy 
and Nick Lathouris
Directed by George Miller
Rated R (intense sequences of violence throughout, some nudity and disturbing image)

If you've been following internet buzz over the past two weeks, you know that Mad Max: Fury Road is getting a lot of it. And while George Miller's post apocalyptic action series has become a cult classic that's had a major impact on film, you may have been sharing our confusion at how a crazy, over the top summer blockbuster is getting 12 Years A Slave numbers. And while we're at it, what episode of Sliders are we living in where we are suddenly in a strange dimension where Joss Whedon is getting called out for sexism and men's rights groups (apparently that's actually a thing) are denouncing a Mad Max film as "feminist propaganda"? 

Thankfully, the answer to the first question is really quite simple: it's an amazing piece of filmmaking that manages to pack more bang for it's buck than any other action or science fiction film in recent memory, that manages to do the impossible by telling a compelling, even at times touching story while still being essentially a two and a half hour car chase. The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated, but comes down to the fact that idiots and reactionaries multiply faster than any animal on earth.

In the distant future, after a series of catastrophic worldwide calamities caused the downfall of humanity, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) attempts to cross a vast desert. With her are former female captives collectively known as the Five Wives. They are on the run from the tyrannical cult leader, King Immortan Joe and his bloodthirsty military force, the War Boys, who rule over a totalitarian desert kingdom called the Wasteland. Joe wants the Wives back because they are fertile enough to breed the next generation of the human race to be remade in Joe's twisted image.
Max (Tom Hardy), a former highway patrolman whose family was killed in the early days of the societal collapse, is taken captive by Joe and the War Boys, and upon his escape encounters Furiosa and the Wives. With the War Boys in hot pursuit, this unlikely band must fight for their survival.

While the story does at times take a back seat to the action, there very definitely is a great story here, and the exploration of female subjugation and sex slavery is surprisingly deep, in no small part because they just let it play out without preaching or pontificating. The Five Wives aren't just a metaphor for modern day sex trafficking, they represent centuries of male dominated culture where a woman's value is based upon physical attractiveness and fertility. There is actually an inescapable similarity between this a Tommy Lee Jones' The Homesman, which was dubbed a feminist western by many.

Yes, there is definitely a feminist element to this film. Is it insidious propaganda? First of all, the difference between propaganda and having something to say these days is purely dictated by whether or not we agree with the message that is being sent.  And if "women are people, not property or objects" is a message you really have a problem with, it's probably not good for scoiety if you leave your house anyway.


 Miller's masterful direction is sheer perfection in craftsmanship combined with an auteur's vision, and he deserves an Oscar nomination. This is the most immersive movie going experience since Gravity, and the first time since then that 3D pulled you inside the film and felt like more than just an excuse to add three bucks to your ticket price. The action is relentless and thrilling. Yes, it's over the top and violent, and it is most certainly not for all tastes. But it was nowhere near as sadistic and perverse as Quentin Tarantino's last four films.

Charlize Theron is in many ways the real lead here, and gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, as the character carries a heavy burden and a lot of pain, but possess a strength that goes far beyond her ability to fight. But in no way does this detract from Tom Hardy's Max. Max has always been a man of action and few words, and when the action really kicks into high gear, Hardy commands the screen as a larger than life hero in the finest tradition of Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford. But perhaps the most noteworthy performance comes from Nicholas Hoult as Nux, a mindless follower who find something more within himself. Hoult transitions from the shrill theatrics of a wild eyed Mad Max ghoul into a pained character who is all too human, which is not something just any actor could do.

Above all else, this triumphant film stands out for the simple fact that you're not going to see anything else like it this whole year (as much fun as we had with Age of Ultron, let's be honest , we saw essentially the same movie last year and will see it again next year, if not sooner, between Ant Man and various TV superheros.)