DIRECTOR: George Miller LEAD CAST: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
SCREENWRITER: George Miller & Brendan McCarthy PRODUCER: George Miller, Dough Mitchell
EDITOR:
Jason Ballantine & Margaret Sixel CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Seale GENRE: Action
DISTRIBUTOR:
Warner Brothers LOCATION: Australia RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes
Technical assessment: 4
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V 18
The film begins
with a brief prologue of apocalyptic future—a world that is turned into a wasteland
with nothing left but rage and darkness. In Citadel, a ruthless leader,
Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Bryne), reigns and all the people fear him. Until one
of his priced warriors, Furiosa (Charlize Theron) rebels and kidnaps his slave
wives and “breeders” (Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough,
Abbey Lee and Courney Eaton) out of Citadel. She heads east hoping to bring the
women to a safer place—a place where she was born, they call—the green place. Consequently, Immortan Joe is outraged and
sends his men to chase after her in the desert. There, Max (Tom Hardy), now a
prisoner haunted by the ghost of his past and on the brink of insanity, finds
himself in the middle of this mess created by Furiosa—he’s reluctant at first
but eventually decides to help Furiosa out.
Mad Max: Fury Road remains
faithful to its original look and feel of madness but this time, with a much
bolder, bigger and profound vision. The story can be considered simple—single tracked
without unnecessary subplots and distractions. In its simplicity, there lies
intelligence and intricate craftsmanship both reckless and controlled as it
shows order in the midst of chaos. The film defies typical action-genre plotlines
by putting premium on the meat of the message while providing above-average
level of excitement and thrill. Mad Max: Fury Road is an achievement of technical excellence
in itself and director George Miller never ceases to amaze Mad Max followers. Miller has once again outdone himself after
almost two decades since the last Mad Max franchise. The acting is great and
flawless from the lead actor Tom Hardy up to the ensemble of crowd characters.
But the real gem of the film is Charlize Theron who exudes charm amid required
toughness of her role without losing femininity. Her portrayal of Furiosa is
such a remarkable achievement in her career given the demands of the complicated and
complex
character. She’s every inch perfect fit for the role. Mad Max: Road Fury is
such an enjoyable and unforgettable hell of a ride where madness is really
everywhere in the film but not without a compelling story to tell.
Mad
Max: Fury Road is a film
about revolution and redemption. The film gives a clear glimpse of an apocalyptic
future where humans will lose everything but still would hold on to life’s
essentials and to what would eventually remain—faith, hope and love. The women, as the source of life, are portrayed as the ones
who have the ability to cling on to hope. In its entirety, Mad
Max: Fury Road is a film
about women. It shows how women rule in a male-dominated world. It questions status quo
and stereotypes by showing equal physical strength of men and women. The resistance
of women as being used and abused in reproductive coercion, and being treated
as merely “breeders” of men and future warriors is very evident in the story.
Amidst the chaotic and violent backdrop, humans’ innate goodness
springs eternal and good triumphs
over evil in the end. Such messages both salient and loud are a rarity in
action genres. However, it cannot be denied that given the core of the message,
the film has to be consistent with its genre so there’s violence, blood and
gore and even a certain level of sexual theme and nudity (although done in context) here and there
that might not be suitable to the very young audiences so CINEMA deems the film
as appropriate only to audiences 18 and above.
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