"Mad Max: Fury Road" is completely unique. Its visual appeal and creativity can't be denied, but it is also one of the strangest films that you will ever experience. In a market where every genre is saturated with films that recycle the same concepts and ideas, it is rare to find a film as unique as this one. It even feels unique when compared with the “Mad Max” films of the 80’s. George Miller is no stranger to the film industry and "Fury Road" may be his masterpiece. I think that it is really cool that Miller wrote a new chapter into his series 30 years after the last film. Most of this story is told without dialogue. The action is constant and the imagery drives the story for better or for worse (we will never forget the brief milking scene or the idea of a “blood bag”). Immortan Joe’s mask is terrifying and the production team convincingly transformed all of the actors into nuclear holocaust survivors. I appreciated the performances by Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, though any sort of emotion seems to be overshadowed by the previous and next action sequence. This one won't be winning any Oscars in acting categories, but it will certainly make a run in categories like Production Design, Film Editing, and Sound Editing. To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed with the film. It had so much hype for its entire theatrical run, augmented by a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 97%, and I just did not receive the amount of character development as I expect from a critically acclaimed film. Still, I will be the first to admit that I need to see it again to process everything that happened and may adjust my rating afterward. My wife and I are still scratching our heads about the electric guitar guy (who we have discovered is named “The Doof Warrior”). We assumed that he was symbolic or sort of reference to the original films, but apparently he is exactly what he appears to be: a flame-spewing guitarist who pumps up the rest of the troops. I suppose that he left a big enough impression that he is the only character that I have discussed. The most well-written character in the film is Nux and we grow attached to him because he undergoes the greatest transformation. I look forward to watching this film again and believe that the sequels will be even better if they deliver the same amount of action while including a greater transformation of their characters. There are a lot of cheesy sci-fi films from the 70's and 80's that involve vehicles ("Death Race 2000" is the first one that comes to mind), but the vehicles are perfectly incorporated into this film's creative atmosphere and they are just cool. Everybody loves “Mad Max: Fury Road” for its creative post-apocalyptic story and constant stream of action. I believe that the Academy Awards will acknowledge its effort and remind the film industry that action films can blow our minds with more than just the action.
[Pictured: 'Mad Max: Fury Road" is action on top of action on top of action]
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