Directors of action pay close attention, and give us more of this in the future!
The summer movie season of 2015 is well and truly underway and, judging by the quality we have seen so far, we could be in for a few months of some great entertainment. Directed by George Miller, the mastermind behind all 3 previous instalments in the Mad Max franchise (the last of which was released 30 years ago), and starring Tom Hardy, Mad Max Fury Road is the long awaited fourth film in the Mad Max saga.
In the post apocalyptic desert wasteland that earth has become, the film follows 2 rogues, Max himself played by Tom Hardy, and Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. Max is a man of action and of few words, and is on the run from a fanatical cult who had previously captured him. Furiosa is a brave heroine on the run from the same people, escorting a party of 5 women away from the brutality of Immortan Joe (the cult leader) to her homeland. Their path's become entwined and they're also joined by Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult, a follower of the man they're running from.
Mad Max Fury Road quite possibly contains some of the best action sequences ever put to film and is a true breath of fresh air for the action genre. Of late, we've been spoiled with action films which use quick cuts and shaky cam more often than they should do. George Miller is the true star of this film and some of the action sequences he crafts are masterful to say the least.
You have actors who get stuck in and commit to their roles and stunts, practical imagery, practically effects and beautiful wide shots which bring to life some of the most immersive action scenes I have ever witnessed. I think the best way to describe this film is beautiful chaos, a film which action junkees like myself will sit their in sheer pleasure and amazement at the commitment the filmmakers had towards creating these action set pieces.
Fury Road is essentially a 2 hour car chase. You're probably thinking "how on earth do they maintain it for that long?", and I'll tell you right now that they do. The intensity of this film never stops, the tension is always on a knife edge. What it understands so brilliantly is that the best way to whack up the intensity is to show the vulnerability of the film's protagonists, which they do constantly. They're always in danger, even when they aren't directly being attacked by Immortan Joe's "fleet". Even when the film stops to cool down, it always wants to get going again, and that's what I loved about it.
I always thought that on a technical stand point this film would be phenomenal, and as a summer blockbuster exactly what I needed. However, I was a little sceptical as to how they would give this movie depth, substance and emotion. To my satisfaction, it delivered.
Tom Hardy's portrayal of Max is typically brilliant of the man, but my only complaint with this film is that Max plays second fiddle, and sometimes third fiddle, to Charlize Theron's Furiosa and Nicholas Hoult's Nux. Furiosa is definitely the most interesting character on screen and typifies what a strong female lead should be in a film like this. Nicholas Hoult was also really impressive bringing a real sense of humanity and vulnerability to the forefront of Fury Road's emotional current. The villain Immortan Joe is fairly basic, but that's all he really needs to be. This is not his film, he merely serves as the nefarious foe which threatens the safety of our protagonists, the people which really matter.
It has good characters, and utilises its quieter moments well to flesh them out and develop them. It also does have some effective emotional moments which are impactful, but the film doesn't dwell on them too much which is what you would expect with a film which is essentially car chases and insanity. It doesn't get bogged down, but uses them to give substance to a film which could so easily have been a hollow mess.
Its chaotic but in all of the right ways, and knows when and where to focus up and when to go all out bat shit crazy. One final thing I will say about Fury Road is that it is the craziest most insane film I have ever seen. It doesn't hold back, it puts you straight into this world where civilisation is a distant memory and the survivors have all pretty much lost their minds. I think I questioned my sanity about half an hour in. When your film has a man who plays electric guitar in the middle of battle which can double up as a flamethrower, then you should probably expect that to happen. Know what you're in for, drool over the action sequences, and have an absolute blast.
Rating - A
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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