Mad Max Fury Road: One of the Best Movies I've Ever Seen

If you asked people to describe George Miller's critically acclaimed 2015 post-apocalyptic epic "Mad Max: Fury Road," you'd probably hear a lot of the same terms come up over and over again. Phrases like "exciting," "action-packed," "brutal," or "wild." And yes, the film is all of those things. "Fury Road" is probably the best action movie I've ever had the privilege of watching, and it is nothing short of a masterclass on how to properly conduct an edge-of-your-seat action sequence. The movie is effectively one big chase sequence, and I must say, what a chase sequence it was. If you're looking for thrills, and unique ones at that, look no further than this movie. However, what makes this movie something beyond just special isn't the thrills. It isn't the brutality. It isn't even the movie's spectacular, top-of-the-line use of practical effects. Rather, it's the shockingly tender heart at the center of it all that makes "Fury Road" more than just another action movie or even just another good action movie. Amidst all the carnage, the chaos, and the darkness, this movie reaches out to us with a fundamental, heartfelt, and earnestly asked question:

"What does it mean to be human?"

Mad Max: Fury Road is a deceptively simple film with a deceptively simple premise: Imperator Furiosa, a rogue officer in the post-apocalyptic army of a warlord named Immortan Joe, Max Rockatansky, a survivor and former prisoner of Immortan Joe, and a small group of Immortan Joe's wives must flee from the warlord while also working to reconcile their own differences that may explode into all-out fear-driven hostility at any moment. In short, it's one big chase scene where a bunch of people who don't trust each other have to work together to survive. Not an entirely unfamiliar premise. So, what exactly makes this particular film so special? Well, pristine technical aspects aside, "Fury Road" is an undeniably human movie despite containing an appalling amount of inhumanity. What I'm saying here is that it's not about what happens around our characters so much as it is about what happens to our characters. As amazing as the technical aspects of "Fury Road" are, George Miller and Co. somehow never lose sight of what's important: the characters. And what a cast of characters they are. Max is a haunted man, very mistrustful of anyone and everyone other than him. It doesn't matter how innocent they may seem. Nux, a former member of Immortan Joe's army, could be my favorite character in the movie. I love how innocent he seems when it comes to violence. He commits it without a second thought, but he doesn't seem to really understand why. He is somehow innocent and cruel at the same time, which is a heartbreaking combination that creates an incredibly likable and multi-layered character. However, As for Immortan Joe's wives, how the movie portrayed them may be, for me, the most impressive thing about it. Every single one of them was unique and their own flesh-and-blood character. Not once did I find myself mixing them up with each other, which is a near-impossible feat to pull off when you're trying to write and juggle five characters who all have the same background. They were all their own person with their own set of skills, their own desires, and their own fears. This particular aspect really gave the movie's message on humanity an exclamation point (or five of them). Toast (Zoe Kravitz) was definitely the most intelligent and practical member of the group, far less emotional than the other wives, and this set her apart from the group as the one who kind of knew what she was doing. The connection that Capable (Riley Keough) shared with Nux was simply special, and her kindness really brought Nux's character full circle. The Dag (Abbey Lee), with her flash of bleached hair, is the firebrand of the group. She's the only wife who's not afraid to make fun of Immortan Joe, and this rebellious streak is unique to her. Cheedo (Courtney Eaton) is the wife who doesn't really know how bad the path she's on really is, and her attempts to leave the group and go back to Immortan Joe really make her stand out as the one who could overturn the whole escape effort. And finally, The Splendid Angharad, portrayed by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, is the most notable among the group. She's a tragic character through and through, pregnant with the child of the man whom she wants nothing more than to escape from. Now, if I stopped there, that would be an impressive cast of characters, but I haven't even gotten to the best character in the movie - Imperator Furiosa. Portrayed splendidly by Charlize Theron, Furiosa is a complex, hardened, soulful, mistrusting character who was cast aside by Immortan Joe when he discovered that she was infertile. She's complicated and hardened, but there are moments when she is undeniably human. In essence, what I'm saying is that Furiosa is essentially every overarching idea in "Fury Road" stuffed into a single character. And what a character she was. She was a scene-stealer and has become a favorite among both critics and audiences for good reason.

The characters are definitely the best part of this movie, but close behind is the unmatched practical effects work on display here. George Miller has stated that about 90% of the movie was shot practically, and when you take into account the sheer scale of what's going on in this movie, that figure is just mind-blowing. And yes, the practical effects of the movie definitely take a back seat to the incredible characterization here, but I had to talk about them because I couldn't believe that a lot of what I was seeing was actually real and not just created by a computer. And if a movie looks real, it tends to feel real. The surprisingly down-to-earth effects combined with the surprisingly down-to-earth (yet simultaneously mad and crazy) story to create a film I will never forget. "Mad Max: Fury Road" is probably the best action movie I have ever seen (certainly on par with "The Dark Knight"), and will rightfully go down in film history as a true masterpiece. This film goes beyond the realm of a mere recommendation from me. I would consider it essential viewing, with the caveat that this film can be very dark and brutal for long periods of time, and it is certainly not for young viewers. However, it's ironically this darkness, the same brutality that gives me pause to recommend it to younger viewers, that makes the occasional and well-placed tenderness of the film feel all the more tender. And it's this tenderness that lends an undeniable humanity to the characters of "Fury Road." George Miller's epic is big, yet intimate. It's brutal, yet touching. It's wild, yet introspective. And it's dark, but somehow ethereal. What a movie. We will ride eternal, shiny, and chrome.

Mad Max: Fury Road - 10/10

Psalm 139:13-16