Three decades (1971-85) after presenting the Mad Max trilogy which enjoys a cult status among action movie aficionados, Australian writer-director George Miller has returned with a fourth film seeking to reboot the series with Mad Max - Fury Road.
Set in a post-apocalyptic desolate desert-lands of a dystopian future, this movie find the protagonist Max (Tom Hardy), an ex-cop and road warrior, trying to survive the feral forces controlled by the tyrannical warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who controls the precious resources of water, fuel and blood. He joins forces with renegade warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who is trying to escape the clutches of Joe with five of his slave wives. What follows is a long chase where Joe with his army of warriors in monster trucks and myriad malevolent contraptions try to hunt down Max and Furiosa.
While it is true that story line is wafer thin and the characters lack any semblance of depth, Miller is successful in using them to create a powder keg of an action package which brims with raw energy and is sure to blow the mind of the viewers. Miller mounts humongous adrenaline rushing action set-pieces which are highly original and chaotic in wreaking their hyper-kinetic havoc by seamlessly melding the old world action elements with contemporary CGI wizardry.
While a noisy thumping heavy metal score that elevates the impact of the action set pieces to a level unprecedented in recent times, brilliant cinematography captures the desolate desert-scapes in beguiling beauty and the well mounted action spectacles with rare clarity which is amiss in junkyard jamborees like Transformers series as well as several superhero movies. Charlize Theron, the real hero of the movie, is in kickass form as Furiosa and Tom Hardy does justice in reprising the gritty titular role of Max with a quiet intensity.
While I've never been a fan of loud music or mindless mayhem, Miller brings them together in an hypnotic concoction that would engross the viewers as never before. There is craft in the chaos of these jaw-dropping stunt sequences which set the bar for action movies high and could teach a lesson or two to the Michael Bays who pride themselves as makers of mighty blockbusters.A veritable treat for action and auto junkies that could be best enjoyed on the BIG screen with 3D (IMAX 3D, if possible) !!
A VERY GOOD WATCH !!
RATING - 3/5
