REVIEW: Mad Max: Fury Road 3D

MOVIE
Mad Max: Fury Road

CAST
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 15, 2015

DIRECTOR
George Miller

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours






STARS
***3/4










REVIEW:

My excitement for "Mad Max: Fury Road" was very unusual compared to the anticipation I had towards most other films coming out this year.  While many summer films like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Jurassic World" were on more people's radars, this film was always the must see movie of the summer, and even the year for quite a while, for me.  Ever since the original teaser trailer for the film premiered at Comic Con last year, my anticipation for this flick was through the roof and couldn't be topped by anything.  Well, except for the new "Star Wars" movie coming out in December.  It's hard for films to meet or exceed my expectations when I make them so high, like I did with this film, and unfortunately "Fury Road" didn't quite meet the expectations I had for it.  Before you look at the rating I gave the film and then reread that last sentence, let me assure you that the "disappointment" I have with this film is minimal.

There are only two things I had problems with in this film, and they didn't really take away from my overall enjoyment of it.  The first thing that irked me was that the film's editing is pretty questionable at times.  There are several moments that are incredibly well-edited, but at the same time nearly every single scene ends with a fade to black.  Doing this once or twice is fine, but to do it after nearly every action sequence gets tiresome.  The other thing that bugged me with the film was that the character of Max isn't a fully fleshed out individual.  Throughout the movie we're shown glimpses into Max's psychological torments from his past, and yet we're never given a full explanation about why he's so caught up in all of it, how long ago it happened, and other things of that sort.  Some may consider these nitpicks, but they're just the things that took me out of fully loving the hell out of this film.

Having said my negatives, it's hard to deny how wickedly awesome everything else in the movie is.  Director/writer George Miller has made a simple, stylish, and brutal action movie that acts like a "Fast & Furious" movie if it took place in a gritty, post-apocalyptic Australia.  The fact that most of the action is done practically is truly astonishing considering we live in the day and age of CGI explosions and destruction.  Even when the visuals are computer generated, they look absolutely marvelous and incredibly realistic.  Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, and Charlize Theron deliver their A-game and show in their performances that they're having an absolute ball making this flick.

The 3D is pretty worthless, though, aside from a "pop out" gag that happens during the film's climax, but overall this is a must see on the big screen.  If you can see this on the biggest screen around you, preferably in the cheaper 2D format, and you go with a bunch of friends, I guarantee you'll have a fun time watching this movie.  I don't necessarily have much of an urge to go see this one again, though, but if the opportunity presents itself, I definitely will.  "Mad Max: Fury Road" is a bold, action-packed, and insanely awesome 2 hour car chase sequence that always keeps your attention and tells its simplistic story in a stylistic and fresh manner.  Is this the best film I've seen so far this year?  No.  Is it one of the most exhilarating movies I've seen so far this year?  Absolutely.




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