Mad Max: Fury Road

This review may contain spoilers!

While certainly not the 'groundbreaking' film it's being lauded as by some critics this film is still one of the better films produced this year. I would give Mad Max: Fury Road an 8.5/10.

This film thrives on it's car stunts, props and environments which are all mostly existing and workable parts; Miller goes to great lengths to provide a world that feels real. Furthermore the special effects that can't be created physically still look stunning. The fight choreography is a bit basic but in a way that you can see that these are people without training who are trying to survive. Beyond this the cinematography in the film is beautiful, one of my favourite shots of the film is when Furiosa is on her knees letting out a cry of anguish. Fury Road also boasts one of the best scores of the year, the music is erratic and fast paced essentially fitting right in with the Mad Max world. The plot is also very well paced and has a great structure, analysing this post-apocalyptic environment in a very thoughtful way.

Nicholas Hoult, who played Nux, had one of the greatest arcs of the film; his character went through great periods of evolution and development in a way that took a very great degree of talent on Hoult's part. Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Immortan Joe, was a terrifying antagonist; the incredible rage and aggression he put into his role as well as countering it with unusual displays of affection and weakness was very powerful to watch.

However the best performance of the film came from Charlize Theron, who played Imperator Furiosa. Theron threw herself into these agressive role that kept to herself in every way except for when it came to the protection of the ladies she was with. In this manner Theron brought a great deal of caring and compassion to her role as well. Furiosa is one of the best female performances in an action film, not just this year. but perhaps in the decades of cinema we've had.

Mad Max:Fury Road paid attention to detail when it came to it's world but then failed to give the same degree of detail to a lot of it's characters, as such you could only be so invested in them as characters. Beyond this the moments of conflict and tension were very repetitive and didn't go to any great lengths to be unique from the structure of the past mad Max films.

Tom hardy, who played Max Rockatansky, was a really poor casting choice for Max; his voice changed several times between scenes and he often looked like he was going through the motions of the character without really understanding the psychology of the role. Zoe Kravitz, who played Toast the Knowing, was used as a damsel indistress at the end of the film and read out their supplies; beyond this she had very little presence in the film. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who played The Splendid Angharad, was used as the pregnant target; she was killed off quick because she added very little to the story and she would also draw sympathy from the audience. Riley Keough, who played Capable, was diminished to Hoult's romantic interest as the film was winding down. Abbey Lee, who played The Dag, was just terrible in her performance; she felt like she was reading her lines without putting any emotion behind them. Courtney Eaton, who played Cheedo the Fragile, was quite a flippant character to watch and was more annoying than she was engaging to watch.