SUMMER MOVIE REVIEW - MAD MAX:FURY ROAD

by Philip Croyle

It’s been 30 years since the last film in the ‘Mad Max’ franchise, and its been well worth the wait. Tom Hardy (Bane from The Dark Knight Rises) replaces Mel Gibson’s career defining role as Max, a lone warrior surviving in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland. Sharing the screen with him is the always elegant and equally tough Charlize Theron as Furiosa, a woman on a specific quest to break free from the imperial reign led by the hideously masked Immortan Joe. Not once does this film release the audience from its grip, it is a splendid rock opera of a film that is full of spectacle and surprising emotion. Each scene becomes more vibrant and intense as the slew of pulpy characters are expelled into a world of true madness. Directed by veteran Aussie filmmaker, and the creator of the original series, George Miller takes us ‘Beyond Thunderdome’ and blasts away everything modern big budget Hollywood has to offer with some of the most spectacular action scenes ever filmed. Take the trip down ‘Fury Road’ and prepare to be awestruck with the most rousing motion picture you will see all year.

***1/2 Reels