Well that sure kicked my ass! Obvious spoilers follow...
Summer started early this year and this one will be hard to top. Fury Road is balls out, straight forward action set in a post apocalyptic wasteland of a future Earth. The story is pretty straight forward - our "hero" Max gets mixed up in a "family dispute" between a female general named Furiosa (Charlize Theron doing her best Sigourney Weaver impersonation) and Overlord Immortan Joe - a Darth Vader-esque villain complete with flowing white mane and clunky breathing apparatus.
There is an entire world created in this film, one of albino "war boys" who serve the overlord by running his kingdom of dirty dregs and driving his assault vehicles. Nicholas Hoult is a standout who begins the film using Max as a "blood bag" - essentially stringing him up as a hood ornament with a lifeline of plasma providing him with precious body replenishment. His story comes full circle as Max eventually escapes and Hoult's character tags along. Turns out Furiosa is running with Joe's "wives" - a set of females used for breeding as Max and Nux (Hoult) join their mission.
The film is highlighted by huge chase scenes, each occurring in different environments and circumstances - a gigantic sand storm, a bog, and a rocky terrain filled with murderous biker gangs. The vehicles and the mutants who inhabit them are spectacular, the chase and the explosions / car wrecks are even better! Harpoons fly, knives and chainsaws tear through metal and flesh, and grenade tipped staffs are used with reckless abandon. It is glorious and utter chaos. And then this guy just plays his literal "heavy metal" guitar adorning one of Joe's tanks, announcing the fleet's arrival with foreboding malice - a sort of macabre drummer boy if you will...
Awesome.
There is an endgame to the whole ordeal and a satisfying final act that sees mostly everyone in a new place with a new destiny. And yes there are a few exceptional nods to the previous Max films - little trinkets or instances that will make long time fans smile when they spot them. I won't spoil them here. My only nitpicks would be that we don't get as much backstory in some scenes - a truly exceptional swamp bog scene is relegated to about a minute of screen time! - but it's a minor thing. When something is this well-made I want as much as I can get!
All in all, this is an awesome throwback to not only the Mad Max originals, but to action movies in general. Nearly 90% of the effects, vehicles are all REAL...no CGI crap here acting as a crutch. I hope we get more Max movies in this day and age - not bad for a 70 year old director bringing back a 36 year old franchise!
4 out of 5 Khans!!!
^ Now that's a movie poster! ^
1 comment:
My favorite movie of the summer. Good review!
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