Film Review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron

Thin plot? A little bit. That’s hardly going to matter, though, as you get completely immersed in the action. Hardy takes on the eponymous anti-hero, and he does well enough portraying a renegade who softens his stance once he meets Furiosa. There isn’t much, if any, reference to Max’s former occupation as a police officer as there was in the previous trilogy; perhaps director/producer/co-writer George Miller is shying away from that aspect. The film is frantic and schizophrenic at times, showing flashbacks of Max’s past in an attempt to show what motivates him, but the story is left relatively unclear.

Theron, for her part, complements Max perfectly as a strong alpha leader. Unlike Max, her moral compass is pretty clear; she wants to rescue the five innocent wives, who have been forced against their will to breed with Joe and his fealty. She’s resourceful (performing repairs on the truck and proving able with firearms) and capable (as an amputee, she wears a mechanical arm, which she likely built herself), but proves herself capable of making tough decisions for the sake of the group.

Although Hardy and Theron take top billing for the film, it’s pretty evident the action and effects are the real stars of the film. The visuals of the ad hoc vehicles, the beautiful fury of the sandstorm, the improvised weapons…Miller and his group of creative minds have put forth a visually stunning future dystopia

It’s an action film that requires you completely turn your brain off, but if you’re willing to take this step, Mad Max: Fury Road has a great chance of winning you over. It’s fast, it’s visceral, and most importantly, it’s a film that absolutely revels in its lunacy. It’s beautiful, aggressive, and easily in the running for my favorite film of 2015.

Mad Max: Fury Road gets an A.