海角大神

Fans of George Miller鈥檚聽Mad Max聽movies have been waiting a long time for the fourth installment in the series. It鈥檚 been almost thirty years since the release of聽Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, which starred a young Mel Gibson as the tough survivalist with a tragic past, and next year Max Rockatansky will return to theaters once again in聽Mad Max: Fury Road. Gibson himself won鈥檛 be in the movie, even for a cameo, but聽The Dark Knight Rises聽star Tom Hardy has taken up the mantle and definitely looks the part after being kitted out in grim, post-apocalyptic gear.

Speaking on the set of聽Mad Max: Fury Road聽earlier this year, Miller said that聽early screenings聽of footage were 鈥�testing extremely well,鈥� and Warner Bros. held the first full screening in Burbank.聽Keep in mind that the version of聽Mad Max: Fury Road聽that was screened was only a rough cut that was a little over 2 hours long and still had a lot of sound, music and FX work to be done in post-production 鈥� not to mention conversion to 3D. A聽lot could change.

Caveat in place, the first reactions to this early cut of聽Mad Max: Fury Road聽have now made their way online. The most detailed assessment of the preview comes fromAFTimes聽and was written by a self-confessed 鈥�HUGE Mad Max fan,鈥� who summed up his impressions with a lot of enthusiasm:

鈥淲hat is聽Mad Max Fury Road?聽It isn鈥檛聽NOT [sic] the first聽Mad Max.聽It isn鈥檛聽NOT [sic] the聽MM-Beyond Thunderdome.聽It is not the movie that 1985 Randy walking out of a movie theater in Plymouth, MA, having been only slightly sated after waiting so long for sequel.聽This IS the kind of Mad Max II/The Road Warrior on steroids, go-big-or-go-home, crazy, toss-you-in-the-deep-end mythology and put-it-all-out-there-in-case-we-never-make-another-one Mad Max Fury Road.

鈥淭his movie feels like thirty years of Miller holding in passion for a world that he built so long ago, exploding on the screen鈥β燳ou want groovy cars? By the car-carrier load!聽You want auto combat? Parts strewn for miles!鈥�

That sounds like a very definite fan thumbs-up, and other reactions have been positive as well.Adam Lamar聽promises that moviegoers are 鈥�in for a treat,鈥� and Kevin West says that although it was 鈥�weird to not see Gibson as Max鈥� Tom Hardy holds it down just fine,鈥� adding that the movie has 鈥�great action sequences and amazing post apocalyptic vehicles and costuming with awesome makeup.鈥�

AFTimes聽also posted a new synopsis for聽Mad Max: Fury Road, which offers some new details about Charlize Theron鈥檚 character, Imperator Furiosa. The rest of the cast includes Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Transformers: Dark of the Moon),聽Zo毛 Kravitz (Divergent) and Josh Helman (Jack Reacher).

鈥淢AD聽MAX: FURY聽ROAD聽is the fourth film of聽George Miller鈥榮 Road Warrior/Mad Max franchise co-written and directed by Miller. The post-apocalyptic action film is set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life.

鈥淲ithin this world of fire and blood exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order鈥� There鈥檚 Max (played by聽TOM HARDY聽from聽The Dark Knight Rises), a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos.

鈥淎nd鈥� Furiosa (played by聽CHARLIZE THERON聽from聽Prometheus), a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.鈥�

It might have the approval of a die-hard fan, but will聽Mad Max: Fury Road聽be able to impress the average moviegoer as much as it pleases those who are already in love with the series?

H. Shaw-Williams blogs at Screen Rant.