Some films try to reboot a classic and fail horribly. Not only did the filmmakers behind Mad Max: Fury Road make an incredible movie, but one that even surpasses the standards set by the originals.
But as much as the franchise owes it to this new movie for giving it life again, Fury Road also owes it to its past. Without those original ideas, we wouldn't have this film. No one would have had the guts to make this movie this day and age as an original idea. And honestly, if this film didn't already have an audience, it wouldn't have been made. It would have gotten a budget similar to Snowpiercer, and then the film wouldn't have been as effective as it is. Because nowadays in order to get $150 million to make a movie, you need some sort of franchise behind it--or the likes of a David Cameron or a Christopher Nolan. If Fury Road were an original concept, it would be groundbreaking and perhaps the most important action film of the last 20 years. But it turns out studios needed to see that it worked before signing off on this one.
But I'm glad that they did.
This time, Max (Tom Hardy) gets captured by a cult, led by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), who uses his blood to help a sick warrior, Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Along the way, Max crosses paths with one of the cult's workers, Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who rebels against her leader by smuggling his five breeding wives out of the cult in attempts to get them to freedom.
Hardy's Max is slightly different than Mel Gibson's from the original trilogy. We are with Gibson's character from the very beginning of his transformation and see him progress. We don't see that with Hardy's. He is animalistic from the very beginning and frankly not as lovable. On the other hand, when Gibson's character would get into that mode, it wouldn't be as big of a shock since we know how he usually acts.
The humor in this one is a lot more prevalent. But it's not like your typical Avengers-like action movie humor with one-liners and clever quips--it's a lot more dark and subtle, which makes you appreciate it more.
This is the action film that I've been waiting for. I had been getting tired of the same old cliched action films of the last few years. With a couple of exceptions, they're all starting to blend together. But Fury Road is anything but cliche. And in addition to that, it has some of the best action sequences I've seen in a very long time. It doesn't rely on chance or right-place-right-time in order for the heroes to survive. It's unpredictable and consistently exciting.
While it's not absolutely necessary to watch the original films before watching this one, it's definitely worth checking them out first. Mad Max: Fury Road is the best movie of 2015 so far.
Twizard Rating: 100
The third installment in the Mad Max series has Max (Mel Gibson) getting caught in Bartertown--a desert community powered by pig feces. In order to get his stolen vehicle back, the town's evil queen, Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), requires him to kill the leader of the feces refinery. When Max refuses to do so, he gets banished from the town. In the second part of this film, Max gets found in the desert almost dead by Savannah (Helen Buday)--a dweller who is part of a small desert tribe of kids that thinks that Max is a savior named Flight Captain whom they've learned about over the years.
I know it sounds confusing, but it's the intricate premise that sets this film apart from the rest of the series. The first two are definitely groundbreaking in terms of cinematography, but this one finally gets a good script that learns how to utilize subplots.
Although we are unclear of the time lapse between films, we know it's been quite a few years. The filmmakers decide to forget all about Max's past, as this could very well be a standalone movie. And if it wasn't for the increasing depth of our lead, it could very well have been.
It's not quite in the same likeness as the first two films. As the previous installments feel like gritty '70s films, this one is definitely an '80s one. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, it forces the film to take itself less seriously. We get great humorous bits from the tribe of kids.
And while the 2nd film (The Road Warrior) may be my favorite in the trilogy, this one just feels less dated. The action sequences are far more intricate and modern. The vehicle fights in The Road Warrior are much more static than the ones in this film.
But much of Beyond Thunderdome feels like a drawn-out spectacle that makes itself seem more important than it really is. The name of the film itself doesn't really make much sense after watching the movie. I think they called it "Beyond Thunderdome" because it sounded cool. I guess "Beyond Bartertown" doesn't really have the same intensity to it.
The thing these films have going for them the most is a likable lead. Gibson carries this series well. It's going to be interesting seeing the new films without him at the helm.
Twizard Rating: 83
As far as '70s movies go, this one isn't as dated as it may appear to the untrained eye. The visuals are pretty realistic, the camerawork is comparable to today's cinematography, and you seem to forget that it was made over 30 years ago.
Max (Mel Gibson) is a law enforcer in a dystopian future who engages in a war with a motorcycle gang as each party is trying to avenge the tragedies within their own group.
The acting's great too. Gibson humanizes the hero and gives him a natural depth beyond just being a tough guy.
While Mad Max may have been ahead of its time in the technical departments, it doesn't make up for it's script issues. It's not that I dislike this film, but it's that it annoys me. Mainly due to Max's wife, Jessie (Joanne Samuel), who keeps wandering off in this world that's proven to be egregiously dangerous. She gets several outs, but always seems to not use them. The script keeps manipulating her actions in unrealistic ways just to create conflict. And the couple has a son, but they keep leaving him behind in order for the filmmakers to play out this "new love" theme that they want to force into the film so badly.
The premise is stretched thin, and the movie also fails to give us enough background in the beginning. It feels like we are playing catchup for the first 45 minutes.
The movie is cool to look at, but it falls short of the hype that time has built for it.
Twizard Rating: 74
