REVIEW | Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

In the fourth installment of George Miller’s Mad Max movie series, prepare for an unbroken chain of intense and high-octane road action. Never mind if you haven’t seen a single Mad Max movie with a very youthful Mel Gibson as the titular Max (1979-1985), because there’s not much need for a backstory.

Mad Max: Fury Road is simply an extreme car chase set in a post-apocalyptic era. The chasers are led by the evil desert king, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), and his cancer-ridden albino war boys— and their target is a war rig steered by a badass, one-armed Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and her team: Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy); a villain-turned-ally, Nux (Nicholas Hoult); and the Five Wives (Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee and Courney Eaton). Yes, Furiosa is the lead character here, not Max.

Fury Road is a rather eccentric piece of work but nonetheless strikingly beautiful. Dialogue is almost nonexistent because the imagery is enough to tell the story. Every single frame of the movie is one stunningly rich and provocative visual experience, the composition superb. And as frequently cited in other reviews, it is indeed a Hieronymus Bosch painting come to life. A grandiose clash of monster, sand, metal, fire, beauty, and savagery, with intricate details that demand your attention.

Imagine a vast and ceaseless desert as the painter’s canvas, its stillness and quietness suddenly interrupted by a string of noise and madness. Zoom in closer and it’s a fantastic road war, every motion a beautifully choreographed violent dance. The genius cinematography is as jaw-dropping as the action itself.

For action fans, this will get your adrenaline pumping. For art lovers, it’s a surreal visual delight. Fury Road is a win-win deal: triumphant in both artistry and summer blockbuster material. It doesn't care about pleasing anyone, it is uninhibited and crazy, confident and solid, a vivid trip to George Miller’s dystopian universe. The plot may be too thin, but this is what hardcore action is all about— high performance.

4 out of 5 stars

Opens May 14, 2015 in Philippine cinemas (Rated R-16 by the MTRCB)
With an out-of-competition screening at the 68th Cannes Film Festival

Photo credits: Warner Bros. Pictures