THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
There are movies so great they live on as immortal pieces of art. In 2015, the most unlikely example was Mad Max: Fury Road.
PLOT
The film follows former patrolman Max Rockatansky continue to survive the apocalyptic wasteland of Australia, but now shows him in an adventure with the highest stakes yet. He has been recently taken prisoner by the warlord Immortan Joe who has respiratory problems, but has claimed his own citadel. Max is now being used as a 'blood bag' where he will be forced to donate his blood to those who fall ill. He gets put to use when one of Joe's war boys named Nux joins the Immortan in pursuit of one of the fiercest lieutenants. Imperator Furiosa was assigned to ride the armored 'War Rig' and trade produce for petrol & ammunition with the People Eater (John Howard), mayor of Gas Town, and the Bullet Farmer (Richard Carter) who farms bullets. Instead, she has planned an escape with Joe's enslaved wives (The Dag (Abbey Lee), Toast the Knowing [Zoe Kravitz], Capable [Riley Keough], Cheedo the Fragile [Courtney Eaton], & the pregnant Splendid Angharad [Rosie Huntington-Whiteley]) and return to her childhood home the Green Place. By the time the Immortan realizes what she has done, he plans to get them all back with the assist of his son Rictus Erectus and both allied parties. During the chase, many war boys get killed in a violent sandstorm. Immortan's rally is able to evade the impact whereas Nux follows Furiosa into the abyss. After the stormy night, Max would try to steal the War Rig for himself but due to not knowing the truck's kill switch bypass, he chooses to join the women on their trip. When they continue their journey, Furiosa takes a pit stop in trading fuel for safe passage with the bandit group dubbed 'Rock Riders'. That doesn't go smooth when the opposing group sees Joe and company catch up. When Furiosa's group have to flee, the Rock Riders causes a blockade in which the Immortan is able to drive over. Originally left behind by Max, Nux rejoins his leader and tries to prove himself by sneaking up on Furiosa but fails when tripping and getting himself tangled. As Max & Furiosa continue shooting their way out of the canyon, Splendid would go out of her way in shielding them while hanging outside the vehicle. That moment of bravery would backfire on her end, as it would lead to her slipping off and being fatally ran over by Joe, which also killed her unborn child. Heartbroken of the loss, Joe would temporarily halt the pursuit. As Furiosa's group passes through a swampland at night, Capable would find Nux hiding and chooses to console him as he laments his failure in pleasing Joe. At the same time, Max would kill the Bullet Farmer and collect his weaponry. By the next day, they find an all female clan, the Vuvalini who raised Furiosa before she was taken from them. Joy would only vanish again when the remaining members reveal the Green Place became the swampland they just passed by and there are only 7 women left of the Vuvalini. Max would then choose to leave after helping the women get there wanted to go but after having a vision of a child he failed to save, he pitches them to reconsider returning to the Citadel which already has ample water and crops. Furiosa agrees to it and the group turns around. Predictably, it leads to another fight with Joe's forces and this time the odds are at their favor. Despite 5 of the Vuvalini getting killed in the process, Max would kill People Eater and fight Rictus as a distraction for Furiosa to kill Joe by ripping off his mask, while also getting severely injured in the process. Once the rest of Furiosa's group hop over to Joe's vehicle, Nux makes the sacrifice by wrecking the Rig to block the canyon which kills himself, as well as Rictus and the remaining war boys. Upon returning the Citadel, all the thousands of people rejoice Joe's defeat and lift the women to his ciffside fortress. The film ends with Furiosa sharing a glance with Max as a way of giving thanks, before the road warrior disappears into the crowd.
THOUGHTS
Bringing back a franchise that was 30 years dormant sounded quite the gamble at the time. Director George Miller did not care of this at all because he knew there were still stories worth telling. He then proved the doubters wrong because with the collaboration of co-writers Brendan McCarthy & Nico Lathouris, it was more than just a lovely film, it was absolutely wicked. For the following 2 hour runtime, it is a nonstop adrenaline rush of a race that is satisfying from beginning to end. For an apocalyptic setting, it is the most life like thanks to all the technical elements that make this creation possible. Margaret Sixel’s editing and John Seale’s cinematography is so fierce together that it makes you feel like you’re in the front seat of the mayhem. The costumes and makeup are the most unique as they give a loud presence for each character. The production design by Colin Gibson created incredible landscapes for said setting, but the visual effects gave all the right amount of enhancements to ensure the story to remain alive as it went on and it peaked during the stunning sandstorm scene. Scene by scene, you’re living on the edge because you have no certainty on how it’s gonna conclude until you see it yourself. You just know it’s gonna be unpredictable when a band is accompanying the villain the whole time, playing an epic score by Junkie XL. All of these elements make this film the franchise’s absolute best because it’s the best executed tale of retaining humanity when feeling like it’s not enough to thrive. That is what helps us connect with the protagonists who try to maintain it as they fight to survive. It was guaranteed to be a challenge in finding a new lead as Max because Mel Gibson left big shoes to fill. Surprisingly, Tom Hardy made it look easy and is able to pick up where the character left off as well as make the role his own. Like before, the road warrior is a grizzled man who has seen the world crumble in his very eyes. And with the past loss he’s been through, he would rather avoid getting close but can’t help doing so because ignoring undoes his morals. He chooses to help the women get what they want not just to redeem himself for all he failed to save, but also because he sees how much they deserved to have better lives than what they were stuck with. He avoided telling Furiosa his name for the sake of avoiding attachment and if he did, he wouldn’t go through heartbreak again. He comes around upon saving her because he grew to respect her for fighting as hard as she could and didn’t want her efforts to go to waste. So when we chooses to leave after helping, we know he’s back in a state of content like he wanted and whenever we see him again, we know he’ll be prepared for another batch of evil to confront and innocent to protect as it is his nature. The road warrior may be the nostalgic reason audiences tune in, but it comes with a big surprise when saying he’s not the main character this time. Charlize Theron redefines her career with a protagonist that feels so different from what’s been done before. Furiosa has grown to be so compelling of a character due to being highly strong willed in her predicament and uses that to an advantage in being free of a life she never asked for. She was taken from a place of prosperity which was rare in such times and was determined to get it back as she got older. Noticing her left arm to be amputated and replaced with a mechanical one, it comes to show how much she’ll compromise to keep fighting for what she seeks. She even gives such inspiration in freeing the wives because she’s still aware they don’t deserve their predicament either. I don’t even blame her for fighting Max upon first encounter because he could’ve brought her back for personal gain. Thankfully, it never came to that because they both shared the same goal of freedom. You then feel bad with the Green Place being destroyed because she started feeling it was all for nothing until Max gave the best solution. It was smart for them to turn around because there’s no guarantee in finding something better than the Citadel. This benefitted her big time as she would eliminate her oppressor in the process and start her new life where she’s in control. The last glance she has with Max gets me every time because she knows it would’ve not been possible without him and couldn’t be anymore grateful. Noticing how compelling the protagonists are, there’s no doubt the villains would feel the same way. With the role of Max being recasted, it didn’t cross my mind anyone from the original trilogy were to return and play a new character. That is until I discovered Hugh Keays Byrne, who previously played Toecutter from the first film, topped himself with Immortan Joe here. I personally believe this is the franchise’s best antagonist because he’s the most possessive of a tyrant. He’s so manipulative to his community with all the control he has to the point you can mistake him as a god. And he doesn’t waste time trying to take what he thinks is his when leading the pursuit despite his illness. And when having a brute of a son like Rictus, who was incredibly played by former pro wrestler Nathan Jones, it’d be hard to not be intimidated. Thankfully, he was proven to not be invincible when Furiosa takes him down. Although he had many followers, its was crazy to see one stand out from the rest. Nicholas Hoult was able to make Nux interesting as well because he was an impulsive one who was devoted to one’s false religion. He grew up believing his life will have meaning if he dies on behalf of one who wouldn’t really appreciate him. The longer he was separated from Joe however, he was able to realize he never had to live said lifestyle. Capable even took a liking to him because she was able to see how misguided he was all along. In the end, he would have the opportunity redeem himself with all the help he gave to Max and company with his sacrifice in which he died historically like he wanted. This film will forever be one of the many I will hold dearly to my heart, but it doesn’t excuse the issues I picked up on during my rewatch. On paper it does sound like a smart plan for Furiosa to reroute herself to the Green Place during a trade run, but why doesn’t she wait until out of view? As a top lieutenant, she should know how far the telescope used by Joe’s second son Corpus Colossus (Quentin Kenihan) would be for him to notice. And based on how the Citadel is designed, how did she get the wives out of there undetected? It’s noticeable there were no guards near the vault, but was there a tunnel no one took other than her? I kinda wish that was clarified to be in more awe on how it was pulled off. I don’t even think it was a good idea from Nux to place Max at the front of the car where he can be an easy target? If he’s supposed to be valuable as a blood bag, he could’ve chained him to the backseat instead. On top of that, I doubt he gets a good view with him in the way. What was really stupid from the wives was when Capable allows Nux to drive without reintroducing him to the group. She’s lucky they didn’t get a clean shot. I got nothing against nudity, but why was the Vuvalini nude at her outpost? I know Max confirms it to be an act of bait, but I don’t think that’s enough to be beneficial for her or her group. Other than that, this movie will remain incredible to bear witness with each viewing. In conclusion, Mad Max: Fury Road will live on as one of the best movies ever made for the highest caliber combination of heart & action you never thought you’d be able to digest, earning the Best Picture nomination in the process. If action is your favorite genre, see this now.
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