Mad world

"Here they come again; the voices in the black matter of my brain"

I'm not sure when but the first time I saw The Road Warrior was on TV when I was a kid and at the time, it totally blew me away from the crazy stunts they pulled off and the epic car chase scene at the end. It was also my first time watching a film with a quiet hero-type protagonist; at the time I was used to watching heroes such as Batman, Indiana Jones or any movie where Steven Seagal single-handily subdues every bad guy without ever getting hit. As an adult and having watched dozens upon dozens of action-oriented films these last several years, I've noticed how directors these days tend to rely on CGI effects to handle some of the more difficult stunts and scenes. I hardly ever see any action movies that utilize practical effects or real stunts any more which is depressing because it made the action all the more exciting. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the rare action films that harkens back to the glory days of 80s actions films where the effects were real and the stunts were dangerous. Instead of a continuation, Fury Road acts more as a reboot to the story, restarting sometime after Max (Tom Hardy taking the reins from Mel Gibson) lost his family. Set in the aftermath of a nuclear war, the world has become a desert wasteland. Max, an ex-cop who lost everything follows the only rule in the world with any meaning left: survive. Within the first few minutes, Max is immediately captured by a group called the War Boys lead by cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). It turns out Max is a universal blood-type and is imprisoned and kept for harvest for the other War Boys, most particularly for Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Meanwhile, upon his capture, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) concocts a plan to flee from Joe

in her War Rig, a giant armored truck, in search of finding a new home. Max gets thrown into the violent mix of things which leads to him joining forces with Furiosa in hopes of restoring order to the dead world. Much like its predecessors, Fury Road has a great emphasis on vehicular combat and it already has some of the most memorable action scenes in cinema; the sand storm sequence alone is destined to be remembered for years. The other thing Fury Road accomplishes that most giant blockbusters forsake is its emphasis on themes. The movie knows it's a popcorn flick but it is also manages to fit a hidden level of depth concerning redemption, solace and survival. The film dives into these elements without ever having to forcibly display it for the

"I am the road warrior"

audience's sake. It's all there and we can see it: the hollow and dilapidated wasteland, Max's horrific visions of the loved ones he's lost, and Furiosa's maternal prowess to find a new home at any cost. Everything about Fury Road simply rocked and is an awesome throwback to the old-school days of how action scenes and stunts were done before CGI effects became the norm. So drop what you're doing, and go see this now, because there won't be any film like it this year or for years to come, and watching it on the big screen makes the experience even more awesome. Mad Max: Fury Road gets my absolute highest recommendation.

-Reviewed by Razor, 5/30/15