'Mad Max: Fury Road' has impressive action but never lightens up
鈥淢ad Max: Fury Road,鈥� starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron,聽should come with a jokey disclaimer: 鈥淣o vehicles were harmed during the聽making of this film.鈥� Probably more autos, trucks, vans, motorcycles, and聽armored cars were harmed in this movie than in any other I can recall.聽And these vehicles don鈥檛 look computer-generated, either.
George Miller鈥檚 fourth installment in the 鈥淢ad Max鈥� series, which began聽with Mel Gibson in 1979, is certainly the loudest 鈥� and that鈥檚 saying聽something. In the press notes, Miller describes the film as 鈥渟omewhere聽between a wild rock concert and an opera.鈥� The problem with this聽approach is that Miller ups the amp and floors the pedal for almost the聽entire movie. Even rock concerts and operas take a breather. 鈥淔ury Road鈥� is essentially聽a series of turbo-charged set pieces, and the sequences don鈥檛 really build聽or top each other. They just pile up.
Miller has the dubious distinction of essentially creating the post-apocalyptic action genre, and in this film, set some 40 years after the聽fall of the world, 聽he outdoes himself. Civilization has been reduced to a聽parched rubble. Water is scarce. So, apparently, are dentists. I鈥檝e never聽seen so many rotting grimaces in one movie. In The Wasteland, wild packs聽of War Boys, ruled by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, sporting a聽toothy, death鈥檚-head face mask) scavenge and terrorize. Huddled, starving聽masses have migrated to The Citadel keening for Aqua Cola (that鈥檚 water聽in Millerspeak).聽
The War Boys have captured the itinerant Max (Hardy) and enchained聽him in various contraptions as they, and Immortan Joe and his minions,聽hotly pursue Imperator Furiosa (Theron), a renegade warrior who has聽absconded with the ruler鈥檚 bevy of wives, at least one of them visibly聽pregnant with his child. She is seeking solace for herself and her cargo in聽the faraway land of her childhood, the Green Place.
Hardy has his smoldering charisma and Theron, often best when she鈥檚聽playing against her glamorous image, matches up well with him. The聽action sequences, at least as feats of engineering, are mightily impressive.聽But Miller is so caught up in all his hardcore allegorical hoo-ha that he聽never lightens up. Does he think maybe he鈥檚 Homer?聽Grade:聽B- (Rated R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images.)
