Marqus Rice’s review published on Letterboxd:
It was me. I was the one guy who told everyone to pump the brakes while it felt like the film community at large was going gaga after the release of this film. I was the one person who somehow managed not to be impressed with Mad Max: Fury Road. A movie that was decades in the making and saw a series of nominations and praise after coming out. I did not like this movie the first time I saw it. Never saw a Mad Max movie before this one and I guess I just wasn’t prepared for what I was gonna see. The world, Max’s motivations or lack thereof because he doesn’t speak, the crazy characters and whacky dialogue, it just wasn’t for me at all. And to be honest, after eventually watching the original Mel Gibson movies, that continued. Mad Max just isn’t for me which is fine. I'll gladly put my footprint in the minority. But then I got the chance to actually revisit this movie for the first time in years. While I still don’t like Mad Max 1-3, my opinion of Fury Road has greatly improved since the first time I saw it. It clears the first three by a mile in my opinion and is genuinely an exciting action thriller. While I won’t go so far as calling it the greatest action movie of all time like some of my peers, the stunt work and choreography behind these sequences are some of the craziest shit you’ll ever see on the big screen and are undeniably awesome. Of all the Mad Max movies to come, Fury Road feels like George Miller’s vision of a dystopian desert world, come gloriously to life.
Of the most fascinating things about this movie was the turbulent behind the scenes drama which almost prevented this film from ever coming out. Of course George Miller had the idea of this film back in 87 only for it to spend years upon years in development hell. After years in the think tank numerous delays because of things like 9/11 or the Iraq War affecting our economy and the film’s shooting schedule, Miller’s commitments to the animated film Happy Feet halted the movie getting off the ground. But then even as the film finally got into pre production around 2009, even more delays hit the film for a bevy of other reasons I imagine frustrating a lot of people involved with the project. Of course filming wasn’t exactly easy I imagine either. Not only did they shoot the film in the beating sun of Namib desert, but the film had to undergo reshoots after an already difficult shoot. This wasn’t a film that used CGI, these action sequences which were extremely difficult to shoot, were as Miller described them 90 percent practical. Meaning it took a lot of physicality to get this movie done. And I’m sure you’ve guys heard the stories. The lead actors on this project couldn’t stand each other. That being Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron and who could blame them in this environment right?
In some sort of weird twist of fate though, kind of like Jaws, upon its release Fury Road was met with critical acclaim. Being hailed as one of the best action movies ever, it even received 10 nominations at the Academy Award including Best Picture, a first for this series. It would go on to win 6 awards mostly in the craft categories rightfully so. It was a success for Miller as well, becoming the highest grossing film of the franchise, setting up a potential prequel and sequel film to be coming in the future. Now of course, the role of Max Rockatansky had to be recast given how much time had passed. It was british actor Tom Hardy who would step in for Gibson and play the titled character. A good choice in my opinion. As far as the plot goes, it’s unclear how much time has passed since Beyond Thunderdome, however Max is still wandering the desert in his V-8. He’s captured by this gang of pale skinned people called the War Boys who drive these menacing cars that look like they belong in a carnival. Max is then tagged a “Donor” where blood is forcibly taken from him and given to a sickly War Boy who dreams of doing something great so that he may see “Valhalla” named Nux. Meanwhile the leader of the War Boys Imperator Joe signals a crew to make a supply run to GasTown. The one driving the rig is another leader of the gang named Imperator Furiosa. She turns out to be out for her own gain as she disobeys orders and drives off the charted path. We come to discover that she’s escaping with the wives of Imperator Joe who’ve had enough of his brutal and selfish ways. Joe then sends a mass fleet of War Boys and their vehicles to chase after Furiosa and The Wives. Nux tags along but still weak, straps Max to the front of his car and thus the chase begins.
And Mad Max: Fury Road is exactly that. A two hour car chase. Unrelenting. And I think that’s probably why I like this film as opposed to the others. It leans on its strengths which are these stellar and brutal car chase sequences that are a sight to see. Despite being a movie in a desert setting, there’s a beauty to this movie as well. This is easily the best looking of the Mad Max movies. The stunt work on display is just out of this world. I mean to see these War Boys jump from car to car, some playing guitar while others spit gasoline into their engines, all the shooting and explosions, Max swinging on a pole in the middle of an intense car chase with explosions in the background is just nutty. Even if there isn’t a lot of dialogue, I feel like Fury Road more than the other Mad Max films does a better job of getting its actual story across. I think that honestly has to do a lot with Charlize Theron who is just tremendous in this movie. For a movie called Mad Max, it’s sort of insane that the character you walk away with caring about the most is Furiosa. It’s her journey of returning home to this mysterious place that is the beating heart of this movie. Her heartbreak at seeing it gone is a gut punch and the crucial emotional moment of the movie. In a movie with not a lot of downtime and room for character development Theron finds a way to shine here. It’s no wonder why the Furiosa character is one that is getting a spinoff. There’s a definite story to tell there. As for Tom Hardy, he doesn’t say much, in fact he spends most of the first hour of the movie or so in a muzzle but you can always rely on the physicality he brings to roles. He’s really good in most of these action scenes.
Oh underrated aspect about this movie is the score as well. Junkie XL’s chaotic sort of score perfectly encompasses this movie and its unrelenting pace. If you guys remember the trailer for Fury Road, Dies Irae is the orchestral music playing in the background and I can’t think of a better song to fit this movie if I’m being quite honest. Fury Road is definitely better than I remember it being when I first saw it. So much better than the first three entries and again I think it’s because it’s more action oriented. Not a lot of room to focus on the world of Mad Max this time around which is probably why it worked for me. All I can say is that moving forward, I hope these are more like Fury Road and less like the Gibson trilogy. While I may not be a fan of this franchise overall, undoubtedly the best of the bunch is this one here.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Review: boxd.it/6yG2Rf