Mad Max: Fury Road – Setting a new benchmark for action movies

Mad Max: Fury Road is a breath-taking spectacle of high-octane, exhilarating and gut-wrenching action.

Thirty years after Beyond Thunderdome, George Miller has returned to the Australian outback in the grandest way possible. Mad Max: Fury Road continues the story of Max Rockatansky – the character Mel Gibson made so iconic back in the day - as he continues to navigate his way through the post-apocalyptic wasteland.



Still haunted by the demons of his past, Max (Tom Hardy) must team up with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a renegade on the run to survive and bring order to the wasteland by combating the threat of the tyrannical warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne)

Mad Max: Fury Road is a ground breaking piece of work. Not only is it a great movie but it should be the standard for every action movie to come. Miller orchestrates a breath-taking spectacle of high-octane, exhilarating and gut-wrenching action. There is rarely a moment when Miller does not have the audience at the edge of their seats. The set-pieces are fantastic and marvellously choreographed while the film’s reliance on practice-effects rather than CGI gives it a unique and gritty feel unlike anything else.

Photo: IMDb

Hardy does a stupendous job taking over the role of Max Rockatansky; he’s a more than worthy successor to Gibson, and even though he has a handful of lines throughout the movie, it’s his sheer presence and amazing physicality that makes his performance so charismatic and memorable.

Photo: IMDb

However, that being said, this is ultimately Theron’s movie. A ferocious warrior one minute and a thoughtful protector the next, Furiousa really is the beating heart of this film and an all-out intriguing and exciting character brought to life by Theron’s terrific performance.

Photo: IMDb

As Immoratan Joe, Byrne serves as a competent antagonist and his presence is most terrifying and intimidating.

Photo: IMDb

Cinematographer John Seale, who was brought out of retirement by Miller, astounds us with wonderful eye-popping imagery which gives the film a distinct visual panache. Junkie XL’s searing soundtrack serves as the perfect companion to the film’s invigorating action, the bombastic score is always boiling at the surface, ready to explode at a moment’s notice.

The storytelling, on the other hand, has a language of its own and relies on the film’s set-pieces to serve as the vehicle for plot development and character beats rather than dialogue.

Photo: IMDb

All in all, Mad Max: Fury Road is the summer blockbuster we deserve. Miller crafts a film that stands out as a modern-day classic and undoubtedly sets the benchmark for every action film to follow. You are unlikely to see a more thrilling movie anytime soon. In addition, the film has a surprising bit of heart as well, which is uncommon as most action movies do not invoke real emotions.

Photo: IMDb

Above all, Mad Max: Fury Road is an action behemoth. It is beautiful, chaotic and complex in its own way.

I would rate it a 9.8 out of 10.

This post originally appeared here.