#REVIEW: “MAD MAX: FURY ROAD”

Review by Jonathan Godfrey for Mr. Will Wong

George Miller’s first Mad Max Film was released in 1979. The Film’s post-apocalyptic tones were subtle, but by 1981, Miller upped the ante when he released Road Warrior, a Film about the future in a way which no one had ever seen before. Silent like the Man with No Name, and deadly like him too, Max had become a Cowboy in a treacherous Wasteland. By 1985, Max had defeated the Demons of the Desert and rescued a band of mystic Orphans in the third Film, Beyond The Thunderdome.

It’s now 2015, and the Happy Ending we thought we had, has returned as the Nightmare knew. Max, now played by Tom Hardy, begins this latest Chapter as the slave of a fearsome Empire. Chained to a chariot, he chases after a rogue Warrior on her path to redemption. Charlize Theron plays said Warrior, otherwise known as Imperator Furiosa. And the cool Character names don’t stop there: Toast the Knowing (Zoë Kravitz) and The Splendid Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) are two of the women Furiosa risks everything to save. But does she save them?

The obstacles in her path are many, but they all begin and end with Immortan Joe. Joe is one of the Franchise’s greatest Villains to date, and it’s interesting to note that he is played by the same Man who played the Franchise’s first Villain, Hugh Keays-Byrne. The nods to the past are numerous, and the nuanced visuals increase exponentially in this edition. The Movie looks incredibly cool and much of that can be attributed to Master Cinematographer John Seale. In fact, he Came out of retirement to make the Film, because that’s what a good Aussie would do!

Another reason the Movie is such a cinematic Spectacle is Costume Designer Jenny Beavan. Over the last decade she has stitched together quite the Resume, but it’s in Mad Max that she shows what she can do with needle, thread, and studded leather. But let’s not forget the Star himself, Tom Hardy.

Hardy replaces Mel Gibson in the lead Role, and that’s no easy task. It takes a certain type of Actor to plqy Max, a Man capable of pure madness… and Hardy is that Man in spades! He does an excellent job portraying this Character of few words and many wounds. And by the end of it all, it is without question there could be no other.

Franchise Fans can trust that this is George Miller‘s most maniacal Installment yet. For those caught-up in the Feminist controversies surrounding the Film, see for yourselves that it isn’t as bad as Boycotters make it to be. It’s a great Film – one of the year’s best – and a worthy addition to a timeless Series. The 3D is good, the DBOX is better, and the phenomenal Soundtrack is brought to us by genius Junkie XL!

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Friday, May 15, 2015.