Indulge me in a little thought experiment: think of one of the best written, slow-burn, layered scripts you've ever seen or read. Think about the praise that movie earns and the respect it gets for being nuanced, timely, emotional, subtle, or metaphorical. And imagine yourself trying to write something like that. It seems daunting for sure, but for me it doesn't seem unattainable; it feels like with the right amount of time and training creating a work like that could be feasible. Now think about all of the logistics for setting up an involved action scene. Think about where the camera needs to be, how the different actors need to move and speak and react all with the right timing, how to keep everyone safe while creating the illusion of danger, and how to make it all pop off of the screen. Imagine doing this knowing that you have very few attempts at this, sometimes only one, to get this right. I cannot, with 200 years at my disposal, imagine a scenario where I would ever be able to do that and make a movie like Mad Max: Fury Road. The logistics alone feel impossible. And while this film was certainly praised, it often doesn't get the same sort of reverence that a slow-burn, arty drama gets but to me, is every bit as impressive.

I never used to think of myself as an action movie fan. And maybe that's because a lot of the action films coming out during my childhood in the 2000's were pretty poorly written and an over-reliance on CGI was beginning to take hold. But in the last 5 years or so, I've come to realize just how much action can make or break a film for me. It's so much easier to look past a movie's shortcomings when the action is precisely shot and beautifully choreographed (Inception is a good example here, where some of the character issues are forgivable when every action scene is so well though out). Conversely, a film with a stable plot and characters can quickly become marred by bad action, leaving a sour taste (here I think Captain America: Civil War is a good example of this. I remember when this came out everyone loving it and I felt so lukewarm because I thought the action was plagued with weird angles and choppy editing).

Fury Road is some of the most beautiful, mind-boggling action ever shot. And it has a lot of other great things going for it with awesome world-building, zany costumes and makeup, a surprisingly funny script, and simple but effective character work. But what Fury Road does better than any other film I've ever seen is shoot absolutely insane stunts in a gorgeous environment with impeccable camera work. I'm not a very emotive watcher but I was legitimately physically smiling through most of this film.

I was worried how Fury Road might hold up on a rewatch but I loved it even more than the first time. It's a nitrous injected, flamethrower-guitar wielding joy ride that cranks everything up to 11. And while I think a Furiosa prequel isn't all that great of an idea, I cannot wait to dive back into this world and see what Miller comes up with next.

I don't like action movies, should I watch this? - nope. The plot, dialogue, and characters all serve the master that is Miller's action-packed vision. It's all about the world and all about the stunt work here so if that isn't of interest to you there won't be a ton to enjoy here.

Better for a casual or film-loving audience? - Both, though the film-loving audience may roll their eyes at it a bit depending on there preference for story-type. But anyone interested in the practical aspect of film craft should be able to find something to appreciate here.