Mad Max Fury Road (2015) Movie Review

Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 action film that serves as a soft reboot to the Mad Max franchise. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland with no law and order. Cult gangs control the two most prized commodities of this world, oil and water. The plot follows Max Rockatansky, a vagabond survivor, who joins Imperator Furiosa and her crew in order to escape from the gang leader, Immortan Joe. The film can be best described as a long chase sequence.

• Every frame is a painting: The visuals in this film are second to none. It is one of the most visually appealing films that I have ever seen. Every frame is really well decorated in accordance with the theme of the film. From the yellowish-brown desert in the day, the blue desert night, the white-faced gang members, the rugged and rusty vehicles, the dusty and ragged costumes, everything looks spot on and fits perfectly. Each and every color just pops out. The choice of locations, be it the rocky hills where Joe rules, the canyons, and even the set designs like the oil rig, are simply perfection. And for a change, all this works well while watching it in 3D.

• Action: Fury Road is without a doubt, my favorite action film of all time. Majority of the effects are practical and uses only a little CGI. The stunts are creative and dangerous. The action is just non-stop from start to finish. It begins at the top gear and never slows down till the end. The film essentially works like a 2-hour long chase sequence. I took a deep breath after the first hour because I genuinely felt out of breath. It is a complete assault on your senses.

• Performances: Every actor has done a great job in this movie. Tom Hardy barely has any dialogue but he's still very effective. Charlize Theron as Furiosa plays her part really well. She can arguably be called the lead of this film. Nicholas Hoult as the white face cult member, Nux, probably delivers the best performance of his career. The most effective however was the villain Joe played by Hugh Keays-Byrne. He plays what Red Letter Media called in their review, a white Darth Vader. All the supporting cast including the 5 women who play Joe's wives, suited well in their parts too.
• Music/Sound: The music/sound is exactly what is required from such a movie. It's loud, pacy and uses a lot of electric guitar and drums. It plays a major part in supporting the rich visuals of this film.
• Direction: George Miller instantly became one of my favorite directors with this film. Although Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was an excellent action film and it's gruesomeness holds even today, Miller has just gone to another level with Fury Road. With directors of the present day for whom action means unnecessary camera movements and CGI skyscrapers collapsing, George Miller provides a masterclass in action that all of them should sign up for.

• Max is not really the lead in this film. Furiosa's character gets more screen time. However, the film is not about Max per se, but the world created in the movie.
• During a scene towards the end where parts of a truck are flying away, the CGI looks pretty obviously fake.

If you've been following this far, you can probably tell what my recommendation will be. I obviously recommend this movie. If possible, please watch in a theatre-like environment for the wonderful experience that it provides.