It has been 30 years since writer/director George Miller’s last installment in the “Mad Max” series was released. His original trilogy revolutionized filming in the action genre, made the then-unknown Mel Gibson a superstar and inspired numerous post-apocalyptic stories that came after it. Since then, Miller has gone on to write and direct both the “Babe” and “Happy Feet” series (a unique filmography to say the least). And now, he’s made quite the comeback with “Fury Road,” replacing Gibson with Tom Hardy as the titular hero.
Not really a sequel but not exactly a reboot either, “Fury Road” is kind of like a Bond film featuring a new actor: familiar character and setting, but the previous films don’t affect the plot of the new one. In this installment, Max (Hardy, “The Dark Knight Rises”) is captured by the War Boys, who are led by a man called Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, “Mad Max” [portraying an unrelated villain]), and is imprisoned in their fortress known as the Citadel. Meanwhile, Immortan Joe’s right-hand woman Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron, “Prometheus”), drives off with Immortan Joe’s five wives/breeders in a truck called the War Rig to take them to her childhood home, the Green Place. From that point on, the film becomes one huge chase as Max and Furiosa eventually cross paths and team up to fight against Immortan Joe.
The film is really one entire chase as Max and Furiosa are continuously pursued trying to get from one place to another. There are quieter moments throughout the story where we get to know the characters better, but the sense of danger is always lingering. What’s also really interesting is how little Hardy’s Max talks in the film, spending a lot of his screen time grunting, muttering a word or two, or not saying anything at all. This opens the door for Theron’s Furiosa to really shine as the surprise star of this film, who proves to be a tough and protecting heroine. She’s very much Max’s equal in fighting and saving the day, and the film is more about her and her personal journey with Max serving as the vehicle to carry the story forward.
If you’ve seen the original “Mad Max” trilogy, you’ve most likely noticed just how ’80s punk the series looked, even in a post-apocalyptic setting. “Fury Road” keeps that style and oddly enough it still works, giving “Fury Road” a unique look that other films don’t have today. Not only does the film keep the same visual style, but even they way it was made kept in touch with the original films by using as much on-set effects as possible without having to rely much on CGI, making this one of the most dangerous films recently made.
While it is very well-written and exciting, the story is a little bit simple being that most of the film is about getting from Point A to Point B. It’s been decades since we’ve last seen the Wasteland and it would’ve been nice to have explored it more and see what other various lowlives and settlements are around. Further exploration of Hardy’s Max would have also been appreciated. While it is a unique portrayal of the character where his actions truly speak louder than words, if potential sequels follow (which is looking likely), then Max needs to actually have some conversations and show more personality, like Gibson’s Max was able to do.
