The "Mad Max" franchise was a creation of George Miller and the launch for Mel Gibson's career back in the 80's, with the second film often regarded as the best of the series. A fourth film was always in developmental hell and as time went on, Miller made decisions in order to make the fourth film a soft reboot, ditching Gibson in order to potentially relaunch a new trilogy. In the post-apocalypse, Max Rockatansky is captured by Immortan Joe and his army known as the War Boys, being used as a blood donor for a War Boy named Nux. A lieutenant of Joe, Imperator Furiosa, betrays the tyrannic leader in order to save the five wives of Joe, hoping to take them to her hometown to find sanctuary. Joe unleashes his army against Furiosa, while Max manages to ally with her as well as Nux, in an attempt to survive a never-ending cat-and-mouse chase. The story is clearly not the strong suit of this film, as it's not only minimal, but rather lacking in details. Since this is a soft reboot, we don't know exactly why this world became this way, who Max was prior to the apocalypse, how society works, why people are the way they are, etc. While this is a problem, the way many view this story is an excuse for the setting and events to occur in order to make a breathtaking action flick. The tone is essentially over-the-top chaos at its finest. It's not a comedy, but it's just insane with the characters and the things that happen onscreen. However, the film is clever in how one can view its content. One can see the story carrying themes of feminism, redemption, survival, and others tied into a typical action blockbuster. Another can just take the film as a fun, entertaining piece of fluff. The themes are also balanced in a way that aren't too in your face, but not extremely subtle, since the setting and story are written to use these themes perfectly in the narrative. Maybe some can argue it's too heavy on the feminist agenda, but for me, I personally don't think that it was obsessive over that theme to the point of hijacking the narrative and film.
If there is one issue that many will agree with, it's that Max is not an interesting character in this particular installment. Max in the first three films is a very engaging character as he is a man who lost his humanity and morality after the death of his family. In the sequels, he gets pieces of his humanity little-by-little, which is a reward in this much hostile world. In "Fury Road", Max barely does anything in the story. While Tom Hardy is doing a good job, this portrayal of the character is much more of a blank slate. At first, he is hostile towards Furiosa as he only wants to look after himself, only to truly fight for her cause by the end. Not only have we seen this before, but the development isn't really shown in a dramatic way. However, many can also defend that the titular character was specifically designed to simply be a passenger or lens of the audience as the real protagonist is Furiosa. Not only does the plot heavily revolve around her and her goal, but Charlize Theron plays her with such passion. She is stern and aggressive, though she cares for the people and is not doing things out of her own regard, but because it is the moral thing to do. Essentially, she is the female counterpart of Max, and it's perhaps why Max in general is very underused. Having two people that are practically the same character is not a very interesting dynamic. Furiosa is a very good character, but the film shouldn't have been called "Mad Max" to begin with if she is truly the film's protagonist. Other characters include Nux, a crazy War Boy who becomes more human when he starts to care for the well-being of the wives, and Immortan Joe, the ruthless leader of the Wasteland who's appearance is more expressive than the character himself. There are other characters such as the wives and othe minor antagonists, but not are there too many to list, but their characters aren't extremely noteworthy and the actors are all extremely good in creating individuals who act like they have lived in the wasteland all their lives in different ways. When it comes to well-developed characters, Furiosa and Nux are mainly the highlights as they have a clear character arc while also being enjoyable onscreen for their personalities. Max, Joe, and the others aren't really bad characters, but they are necessary for this particular story and do remain memorable due to their distinct looks and features, not because of their complex or engaging depth.
George Miller is a seasoned filmmaker who tries in his power to make sure his films can be perfected as much as they can filmmaking-wise. Miller masterfully directs "Fury Road" unlike any other blockbuster in recent years. If Theron as Furiosa being the star of the film narrative-wise, Miller is the true star production-wise. The world established in the film is so visually characteristic. From the character designs, modded vehicles, vast landscapes, and the contrasting of bright and dark colours, it is a visual marvel. A lunatic playing a guitar attached to a flamethrower surrounded by speakers on a moving vehicle is so goofy and over-the-top, but it is overflowing with personality. Even though the apocalypse is supposed to be dusty, dirty, and ugly in a way, the way it is filmed looks beautiful and polished in an artistic matter. The cinematography is filled with close-ups, wide shots, panning, and other tricks that help add to the visuals of the film. The editing matches the over-the-top nature with slow-motion, multiple angles on an action moment, increasing the frame rate, basically what is best used for a film of this caliber. However, if scenes need to be much calmer compared to the action, the editing also does its trick to let the film breath. The score by Junkie XL once again matches the chaotic nature of the action beats, but also performs strong in the more dramatic beats. The score also doesn't completely overshadow the action sequences, which as I clearly been focusing on, are the highlight of the film. Since the film is an excuse for the extended action scenes, it's no surprise that the action is extremely thrilling, giving a boost of adrenaline and excitement for any action fan. It's by no means a bloody or gory film, but the action works so well because majority of it was on-camera. While there is a moment or two of CGI, the visual effects are mostly used for colouring or weather effects. The action in general was pulled off by Miller's excellent directing, the hard-working stuntman, and the designers of the vehicles, weaponry, etc. Above all, the filmmaking is as top-quality as you can get for your action blockbuster.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" is by no means my favourite action film on a personal level, but I can't deny that it is not undeserving of the praise it has got. Sure, Max and Hardy were underused and the story itself is not fully developed, but everything else is golden. From the crazy tone, well-acted characters, amazing action sequences, Miller's passionate directing, visually defined world, and the remaining combination of good music, cinematography and editing. It did deserve the attention and love, even though I find it a tad overrated. Whether this or "The Road Warrior" are your favourite of the franchise, "Fury Road" was a much-welcome and needed refreshment to the action genre.
Verdict: 9/10. A grade that is deserving for a film being made passionately and as perfected as it could have been, even if a nitpick or two is unavoidable.
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