Go see this movie. One of the best action movies I've seen in a long time. Visually stunning, with a top notch production that completely helped to draw me into the movie's world. This movie is flat out insanely crazy but that's what makes it so good as it just rolls with the insanity. It bathes in it, breathes in it, sleeps in it, drinks it, and eats it all down leaving no left overs at all, insanity is the main course of Fury Road with little room for desert. This is just a main course meal of action, violence, insanity, and visual awesomeness leaving it a feast for the ages.
This movie is totally Miller's movie as his command of direction is so far above the immature, wannabe action directors of today. He never once lost control of the action in this movie. And he didn't let himself get bogged down with sloppy direction - the kind of direction that solely relies on shaky camera for "effect". No, Miller is a real director. He sets up a camera shot and get it while he lets his camera fully take in the world of this movie not hindering the narration or flow of the movie with MTV type of edits and cuts. His communication with the audience was marvelous to behold as there are so few directors out there today who can't handle the sort of movie that Miller was directing. I just loved the world he created and how he didn't stop for any kind of explanation of any about the story, it just kept rolling on, relying on the action and characters to make the movie work. Too many movies get weighed down with pointless exposition, when they think they need to explain everything - as long as the characters in the movie don't question what is going on, then the viewer won't question anything. You've got to have faith in the story and the characters.
This is an odd movie because Mad Max is basically the secondary character in his own movie. But unlike a Michael Bay movie where the Transformers and Turtles were reduced to secondary Max isn't written out of his picture. He still is every bit the survivor and bad ass he was in the first three movie. He's never once is he reduced to some kind of deluded commentary of male castration as a lot of crazy write-ups would have you believe. Mad Max is still one bad ass dude and not a dude to be trifled with as there are plenty of scenes to bad this up.
Ultimately this is female action movie and that not a bad thing at all as Charlize Theron is up for the challenge. As she embodies her character with real purpose and provides the main focal point of the story, with Max basically along for the ride. There's such a handful of good female action movies that when one finally comes along it needs to be celebrated and not dragged through the streets by the Femi-nazis. I had no issues at all with a female action movie because I bought tickets to see a good action movie and Miller delivered on all of that promise. Hardy brought the physical presence of Max, making him a worthy successor of Mel Gibson. A lot his acting came with facial expressions, movement of his eyes and the actual physicality of actions. Hardy more than did a great job. His polar opposite was Nicholas Holt - who was frail and thin looking, while his body was completely covered in white, as he sported the shaved head look. He did a good job bringing some life energy to a characters who has plenty of look-a-likes in the movie. He made himself very unique.
All in all a great movie experience and this movie needs to be seen on the big screen.
