A Mad Max movie without Mel Gibson? Something that was kinda hard for me to imagine. I like to think that Gibson made that character, iconic. He's the badarse that I want to be during the post-apocalypse. But thankfully, Max's creator, George Miller, found someone that would make the Road Warrior proud. Mad Max: Fury Road isn't a reboot or remake. It's a sequel to the previous Mad Max films. Except that we have a new Max in Tom Hardy. Just think of this as the James Bond films. Where many actors have taken the role of 007.
It's been many years since the last Mad Max film (Enter Thunderdome, bleh). So it was a good thing that the movie started with a introduction of who's Max Rockatansky (don't remember if his surname was mentioned before). We know that he was a ex-cop, who's family was killed by a gang. And now he wonders around the Wasteland, "searching for a righteous cause". He gets chased and captured by a clan called The War Boys. A bunch of thin, pale, and bald blokes, lead by Immortan Joe. A tyrant, who self-appointed himself the leader, because he controls all the water in his land. Immortan Joe sends a convoy to the Gasoline City, and bring back gas. We are then introduced to Imperator Furiosa, who will lead the convoy. On their way to the Gasoline City, Furiosa takes a detour, and we find out that she has plans of her own. Immortan Joe starts getting concern, and would find out that Furiosa has taken Joe's four wives. So Immortan Joe gets the War Boys ready to get back what was his. We then meet Nux, a half-life who's keeping himself alive with Max's blood. When Nux sees his fellow comrades getting ready for action, he tries to get involved. Sadly with the condition he is in, he's in no condition to be driving out in the open road. So he decides to hook Max in front of the car, so Nux can continue feeding off Max's blood. So now we got Immortan Joe and his War Boys (along with a guitarist, providing car chase music), going after Furiosa, They catch up to Furiosa's rig, and we are treated with some crazy action. Trying to lose Joe and the War Boys, Furiosa drives into a sand storm, which would look like suicide. Nux tried to go kamikaze to stop Furiosa, but Max was able to stop him from succeeding. As the storm clears, Max is set free, but Nux is still chained to him. But at least he's knocked out. Max catches up to Furiosa and the four wives. He steals and tries to take off with Furiosa's rig, but the killswitch prevented Max from going far. Furiosa and the wives catch up, in which Furiosa convinces Max to help them get to their destination. And from here on out, Max and the gang have Joe chasing them in a monster truck, along with two other war parties trying to help Immortan Joe. Cars are crashing and exploding. Guns are being fired. Bodies flying and getting run over. And just pure mayhem in the Wasteland
If you're looking for Oscar-worthy performances, this isn't it. This is a action film for people who want to see shit blow up and other form of destruction. I really loved this film and had fun watching it. I was surprise at how little Tom Hardy was involved. But don't worry, he was still able to make Max the star of the film. The ladies did a fantastic job in carrying this film. Especially since action films tend to attract males. And Charlize Theron was awesome as the badarse heroine, with a robotic arm. If you loved the chase scene in The Road Warrior, then Mad Max: Fury Road takes that to a whole other level. And how can I forget Hugh Keays-Bryne as Immortan Joe. Who is now immortalized in pop culture. Seeing that the last film that George Miller directed was Happy Feet, it's great to see him return to the Wasteland. And bringing back a iconic figure to a new generation of movie goers. And now, I anticipate the next sequel.
