Mad Max: Fury Road

For fans of horror filmmaking, it’s no surprise that practically achieved cinematic magic has resonated so deeply within our sensibilities. After all, if something must be seen to be believed, then by seeing it, we believe it in one way or another. But beyond that, the ambition behind a practically achieved stunt or SFX moment is all the more convincing when we know that there’s an element of danger to the procedure, which suddenly makes the stakes much more real and makes our performers all the more believable, even in the most heightened universe.

Of course, there’s no universe more heightened than that of the MAD MAX universe, and for it’s first (and hopefully not last) excursion within the 21st century, director George Miller has redefined ambitious practical spectacles, offering a heart-racing and breath-taking adventure tale with a demented and horrific edge. As much as the film is a relentless fever dream, it’s also a nightmarish vision of chaos and anarchy as well as a action-packed redemption tale with utter disregard for the laws of physics. In simpler terms, it’s an orchestra of badass practical stunts, injecting the character of Mad Max in his biggest and most unwieldy chase yet, which says something considering the chases in both MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR.

Yet in FURY ROAD, perhaps even more impressive than the extreme stunts is how individual the film feels from its predecessors, all the while still incorporating elements from those films to build upon their influence. George Miller’s approach, while familiar, feels fresh and exciting, incorporating the fun of ROAD WARRIOR, the humor of BEYOND THUNDERDOME and the emotion of MAD MAX within FURY ROAD while crafting something much more colorful, wild and surreal in vision. This even extends to Max Rockatansky himself; Tom Hardy’s quiet take on the character adopts a whole new voice, physicality and philosophy, and if it wasn’t for his rugged survivalist instincts, this could have been an original character altogether and work just as well. But FURY ROAD is the next stage in the evolution of MAD MAX, both as a series and as a character, and brings the wild world of the insane and desperate on a grander scale than ever before.

Miller also has the benefit of having an incredible team behind him, as FURY ROAD is also the most visually engaging and monstrous entry in the MAD MAX franchise to date. His most ingenious addition to the crew of FURY ROAD might be that of Oscar-Winning cinematographer John Seale, who horror fans know for his brilliant and brutal visual composition in films like THE HITCHER and DREAMCATCHER; Seale paints a MAD MAX universe more vividly than any entry before it, and makes the monstrous and mutated elements of the universe appear that much more terrifying. Junkie XL’s score sets a perfectly frenetic and dynamic sound behind equally chaotic action and images, which further allows the audience to immerse themselves in the on-screen universe. And the myriad members of the intense SFX, Stunt and production crew all deserve equal praise in their endeavors to bring Miller’s shocking vision to life.

Luckily, FURY ROAD also offers a great cast of performers in high gear (pardon the pun), who offer memorable and surprisingly deep characters throughout the cast. While Hardy is front and center as the haunted Max, Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult are equally incredible and eccentric in their own ways as his co-leads, each with their own bizarre, tragic and chaotic path to redemption. As for the rest of their crew, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee and Courtney Eaton all admirably play their characters with bold individuality, making them feel as integral to Max’s journey as opposed to mere damsels in distress. And for Miller’s rogue gallery of villains, FURY ROAD rivals ROAD WARRIOR and MAD MAX for the best baddies to go head-to-head with Rockatansky, whether it be the gloriously brazen Hugh Keays-Byrne, the eager and persistent Josh Helman, the intimidating Nathan Jones and even the relatively weird Angus Sampson.

In a world where modern blockbusters rely on CGI (which does appear throughout FURY ROAD in small doses) to craft their big budget action, George Miller’s experienced mindset reminds audiences that we still crave for the real thing. Whether its tankers and trucks exploding at a hundred miles per hour, actors jumping from vehicle to vehicle in raging sandstorms and narrow escapes from collapsing canyons, old dogs don’t need new tricks to drop an audiences jaws. But for all the spectacle and craziness on display, Miller still knows that the biggest crash sequence is only impressive if you care about who is- or is not- in that crash; in fact, Max’s most badass moment happens completely off-screen, yet in the aftermath, we’re reminded about exactly why we loved and cared for Max in the first place. Despite his better instincts, Max is one of the last humane humans in his world, and every exhilarating brush with death gives us another reason to hope he lives to fight another day.

e_e wrote: »

I can already sense some people with weirdly anti-feminist agendas getting bent out of shape without having seen the movie. :P