Mad Max: Fury Road

Thirty years after he went Beyond Thunderdome, cinema's favorite Post-Apocalyptic survivor Max Rockatansky is back. This new entry, Mad Max: Fury Road, brings series creator George Miller back in charge. This time, however, Tom Hardy takes on the role that made Mel Gibson famous.

Mad Max still wanders post-apocalyptic Australia in search of peace and quiet. He's promptly captured by the goons of local bad guy Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Max is made into a human blood bag for aspiring goon Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Needless to say, Max doesn't like his situation one bit.

Joe's trusted servant, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), drives off with his "wives." Joe and his convoy of freaks give chase. Max is forced to go for the ride. When he and Nux catch up to Furiosa, they find themselves forced to help them on their quest.

You don't need to crash course on Mad Max to prepare for Fury Road. It's a largely standalone piece. There are references to his tragic back-story as told in the first film. But they won't leave you in the dust. Certain plot points from this film, however, zipped by me too fast.

Even with 3D, digital photography and some CGI, Mad Max's aesthetics barely changed. The costume and makeup designers visualized a wide array of freaks and goons. These freaks drive an equally freakish array of vehicles, including one converted to have a rock'n'roll stage! Their future world is a colorful post-apocalyptic desert. The visual experience was like watching a Live-Action rendition of the 1980's anime Fist of the North Star (itself inspired by Mad Max).

You might get better mileage from Fury Road if you're a fan of the older films. For me, it was OK. The purposely minimalist story made the two hour run-time seem longer than it was. Max's withdrawn nature pushes him into the background and lets the other characters lead. Surprising for a film called Mad Max...

Maybe I should get to watching the older films post-haste.