Mad Max: Fury Road

I couldn’t help but think of Tim Allen and his constant grunts of manly masculism on the TV show “Home Improvement” when watching the adrenaline soaked movie “Mad Max: Fury Road.”  There will be a lot of “Tool Time” grunts, as this movie has so much testosterone and adrenaline, theatres should install seatbelts and some kind of hydration system when watching the film.  Your heart will beat from excitement, suspense and pure enjoyment.  The film is go…go…GOOOOOO the whole 2 hours.  And it totally ROCKS in every way! 

I must confess, I am not big into CGI movies, the effects thereof, or their smaller counterpart “the car chase scene.”  Personally, if I don’t care about the characters or what is taking place, I don’t care what things look like in regards to action sequences.  This is what I find so troubling about the uselessness that is the “Transformers” films.  Combine this with the FACT  that the movie “Bullit,” with the legendary Steve McQueen, has the pinnacle of all car chase scene, I ask  “why bother with new car chase scenes?”  “The Fast and the Furious” series is fun, as are those “Bourne” car chase scenes, but, I don’t know…something is missing.  For me, car chases boil down to a vibe I can’t shake, the  “I swear I’ve seen this before” vibe.  So, it was with a bit of an exaggerated sigh and the knowledge that Frank Miller goes “all out in his films” that I prematurely sat down to watch and review his reinterpretation/continuation of the Max franchise.  To be blunt:  I was wrong, this movie ROCKS!

The movie is set in an apocalyptic America or country that is full of sand and little else.  Water and gasoline are vital to those that have survived.  Max is a part of this life and he has lost his family, the scars still haunting him as he wanders the wasteland.  The movie pays homage to “The Book of Eli,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Star Wars” in regards to the spiritual wasteland and the losteness of souls that have survived.  Within minutes of seeing nothing but sand and Max briefly talking, he is captured and used as a body hostage that hosts blood.  His captors are employed by a villain named Immortan Joe, who has water supplies and gasoline, which he uses  to enslave many.  This is very similar to Gary Oldman’s role in “Book of Eli,” as both men use the resources they have to enslave thousands.  Joe is “packaged” by various forms of body armor and masks in order to preserve the religion he has created, one that has him as a demi-god.

After Max is captured, Immorten Joe quickly sends his crew (“War Boys” they are called) on a typical supply, gasoline, water run in order to keep this society humming along.  However, during this trip, Furiosa (played by Charlize Theron) takes the “War Rig” truck off road, heading east.  The rest of the crew she is traveling with assumes she knows where she is going and what she is doing.  However, Immorten Joe soon finds out she is headed east because Furiosa is trying to free Joe’s five wives, who just happen to be introduced to us via classic “woman using water for car washing purposes” (a.k.a. “Cool Hand Luke”).  It is on this retrieval trip that Max is perched upon a small Volkswagen, as the driver is using his blood.  When a sandstorm causes massive collateral car damage, Max barely survives, and meets up with Furiosa and her ladies.

Max is played by Tom Hardy, a rising star that rose to prominence as the vicious villain Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises.”  Sadly, for the first part of the film, he wears a mask, like Bane, and says very little that is understandable.  I’m unsure why Hardy is growing as an actor when he is difficult to understand.   I’m not saying he isn’t relatable or horrible, just hard to understand.  Frankly, he looks and acts a bit like Jeremy Renner (a.k.a. Hawkeye in the Avengers) is many of his roles, but I digress.   Hardy finally gets his mask off and then does little talking, so in some sense, it doesn’t matter.  Heck, the car chases are why people will go to see this.  And the car chase scenes deliver in every sense.  They are chaotic, crazy, impossible and believable all in one scene.  I am truly stunned that the cars look as believable as they do, as you know when thing are happening, there has to be CGI involved, yet it doesn’t take away from the wonderment you will experience when watching.  This film is perfect for IMAX.

While we never get to know Immorten Joe or why he has these breeders as wives, we do get a chance to know and love Furiosa.  She doesn’t steal the show, but is amazing throughout.  Critics have loved the versatility of Charlize Theron for years, as she can do so many parts well that it is hard to know where her specialty lies.   From comedy in “Arrested Development” to her well deserved Oscar, she can do it all, and now she has a huge win that falls in the “action” category.  Her eyes always exhibit calm, yet she shows tender grace to her lost family and extreme hatred towards Joe for her years of indentured service.  Her dedication to the part is commendable, as is her shaved head and lost arm. 

There are many critics that have viewed this film, enjoyed it, and seem to think that the story is ultimately a feminist story, one that empowers women and shows they are tough and can fight and “hang” with men, as they are the ones that overthrow Joe and will now rule instead.  While there are certain moments of great feminine strength and beauty, Max is always involved, as is the underrated Nick Hoult (of Beast fame from X-Men), making the story one of team work, hope and redemption.  I’m confused as to why critics must label something “feminine” or “feminist” in order to make a film great, when that has nothing to do with the overall enjoyment of this particular film.  Technically, this film was directed by Frank Miller, who did the “Sin City” franchise, one that mistreats, hurts and leaves most women in the “wait for man to save them” stage.  In this film, while the ladies have more action and freedom, the entire world revolves around testosterone and cars, which, traditionally, are male activities.  Just enjoy the film because it is a great film, with great car chase scenes, and excellent respect among the leads.