Mad Max: Fury Road movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews...

Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth installment into the Mad Max franchise, and having been thirty years since the last film came out, it's about time we went back into this world. The reboot has been directed by George Miller, the same director who made all three original Mad Max films. Mel Gibson doesn't return to the role however, and has been replaced by Tom Hardy. Along with Hardy, the film stars Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Abbey Lee Kershaw, and Hugh Keays-Byrne (who also played the villain of the first Mad Max film). The film follows Max as he is in the middle of this group of people on the run from a lunatic.

Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky

If I were to try to figure out the reason there hasn't been a Mad Max film in so long, it's probably because that trilogy started an entire genre of that kind of post-apocalyptic world. Granted, it had been done prior to Mad Max, but those were the films that made it popular. In this day and age with so many movies and video games doing that same kind of formula, it would have been difficult for this film to be approved. However, we finally got another Mad Max movie, and if anything, it only serves as a reason to show why this series will always be the best of the genre.

Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiousa

For starters, Tom Hardy is fantastic as Max. He gets a lot of the mannerisms and the kind of intensity as Max, and plays the character really well, and with integrity. However, what makes Fury Road so unique is that Max isn't really the protagonist of the film. He's a major character for sure, but he plays more of a guy caught up in the middle of the story of the far more prominent Imperator Furiousa, played by Charlize Theron. She's been trying for a while now to get into action roles, with films like Aeon Flux and Prometheus. I have high hopes that Fury Road will be the one that solidifies her reputation as an awesome action star, because she is fantastic in this movie, and plays such an interesting and compelling lead for the film. 

Nicholas Hoult as Nux

Hardy and Theron aren't the only actors who give fantastic performances in this movie, though. First off, there's the villain, who is played by the guy who was the villain in the first Mad Max film, so he has some attachment to the franchise, and you can tell he put effort into his role. There's also a huge supporting cast of unique, quirky, and completely insane characters who are all interesting. Out of all of these though, the biggest standout both in terms of acting and character development was Nicholas Hoult as Nux. He plays this former henchman for the villain, Immortan Joe, who eventually sides up with Max. You see a lot of henchmen in movies, but rarely do they ever get any kind of characterization. He plays this character in such a complex way, and this is role isn't at all type cast for him, and he is brilliant as Nux. If anyone will win an award for their performance in this movie, it'll be Nicholas Hoult.

Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe

Now, enough of the technical critical mumbo jumbo. Let's talk about the action of Fury Road, because it's hands down the best part of the film. The action in this movie starts, and then it just doesn't seem to stop for a good long while for each scene. The action keeps building and building so that each action sequence is unique and memorable in its own way. The pacing is also fantastic, some of the best pacing I've seen in a while. Every action scene lasts exactly as long as it needs to, and every time the film slows down, it slows down for exactly the right amount of time. This also allows for just the right amount of character and story development, in between all the rampant chaos of the film. There's also the fact that almost all the action in this movie has been done with props and practical effects, which makes it feel all the more real to the audience, because all the cars flying and blowing up actually did those things on set (mostly).

Final Rating
Mad Max is a completely insane, thoroughly entertaining, and incredibly well done. The actors were all great, there wasn't a single bad performance to be found here, the acting ranging from "really good" to "absolutely brilliant". The action is fantastic, the direction is amazing, the writing is incredibly impressive, and the practical effects are a breath of fresh air. Regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Mad Max, go see Fury Road. In my opinion, this is the best, most entertaining, and most well made Mad Max film in the entire series. Mad Max: Fury Road is absolutely one of the best films I've seen all year, and one of the best movies I've seen ever. Fury Road is a rare example of what I would absolutely call a perfect movie.

Mad Max: Fury Road

5/5