matt 🐢’s review published on Letterboxd:
Now this is the Mad Max I know and love. It was enjoyable to see where George Miller started with the limited technology of the 20th century, but to see his vision fully realized in Fury Road is one of the most exhilarating and rewarding moments in cinema. This was probably one of the first R rated movies I saw in theaters, and brother, let me tell you this changed my life. It totally transformed how I viewed the movies and completely broadened my perspective on their possibilities. George Miller is a certified madman, and this is his magnum opus.
Opening with one of the hardest narrations ever heard by man’s own ears, Max makes his triumphant return after 30 years in a characteristic fashion: by crashing his car. Tom Hardy’s iteration of this character catapulted Max Rockatansky to true Hollywood Blockbuster status, and we need never look back. Mel Gibson is a relic of a bygone era, one that didn’t include nearly as much religious symbolism, ethereal imagery, and certainly not enough chrome. After Max is taken prisoner and becomes a living blood re-stocker, we’re introduced to the deep and complex world that is this post apocalyptic wasteland.
There was an attempt to establish a sort of mythos surrounding Max and the Wasteland in the original trilogy, but I never found it all that compelling. In Fury Road though, oh boy it is dialed up to one thousand and I couldn’t get enough. Immortan Joe—played by the same actor who graced our screens as Toecutter from the original—is a mythical figure, with hordes of worshippers willing to do whatever it takes just to lock eyes with him. He’s an incredibly profound character with a serious sense of gravitas. His ghoulish costuming, the way his wig billows in the wind, and his raspy villain voice all come together to create one of the most memorable onscreen villains.
The exciting characters don’t stop there though. There’s also Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, a certified badass heroine. Like many Mad Max characters she’s nearly a mute, instead conveying all her emotions through the most nuanced physical performance. Along with Hardy’s Max, the two grunt and gesture their way through this vast desert epic. If I remember correctly, Nicolas Hoult hadn’t had his big break yet—this could be classified as such—and he leaves a lasting impression as Nux. His “lovely day” line has become one of the most iconic of the 21st century, and his character arc is very satisfying to see play out against the melodramatic action being staged.
It is a near universal opinion at this point, but Fury Road is easily one of, if not the very best, action film to come out this century. Miller had been building to this moment since the first Mad Max, so to see his plan come to fruition here can be likened to a religious experience. The production design, set pieces, scale of the production, attention to detail and the world building going on—it’s all immaculate and I still can’t believe a movie this absurd exists. Miller directs this movie like an absolute madman, an expression I’ve surely used before but never has it been more true. The picture is shot with a preposterous amount of energy and excitement. The Australian auteur had been trying to make this movie for decades, and you can really tell in the final product just how happy he was to finally be able to do it.
I could probably go on and on about all the things I absolutely adore about Mad Max: Fury Road but then this review would be too long and no one would read it. It is sufficient to say this is one of the best, one of the coolest, and one of the wildest films ever made. It’s one of those movies that I could watch any time and any day. This is Blockbuster Cinema at its finest, a testament to what a true artist can do when they put a big budget to good use.
