Review of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) by Wayne K — 08 Mar 2016

Cruising on a proverbial wave of hype, Mad Max: Fury Road is the first time Mr. Rockatansky has graced our screens since 1985, and it certainly is a thunderous return for the series. Rarely have chase scenes been so exciting, rarely have landscapes looked so gorgeous, and rarely has a colour palette been so varied and striking. By opting to stage practical action sequences with stunt drivers and real vehicles instead of CGI and computer simulations, not only does the action feel more kinetic, it also feels more human. We're seeing real people doing real driving and taking real risks. As it was with the Indiana Jones trilogy, it gives everything a more authentic feel, and proves that special effects are no substitute for human involvement.

With all that said, the story in the movie is where a lot is left to be desired. The characters, while underdeveloped, do interact and co-operate in a believable way, united in the universal quest for survival and freedom, but all of them exist in something of a narrative vacuum. The entire thing is more or less a 2-hour car chase, and while all of these sequences are executed beautifully, they don't really serve a higher purpose. I definitely wouldn't hail it as the best of the series, as many other viewers have done. The political commentary is familiar to anyone who has seen the other MM movies, and Max is, as he was in the second film, relegated to a supporting performance in his own film. But with all that instalment, if you're in it for the action, this movie delivers like no other in recent memory. It could do with being a fair bit meatier, but for the adrenaline junky in all of us, it's more than enough to satisfy our appetites.