Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): *****

Mad Max: Fury Road blasts straight into fifth gear as Max (Tom Hardy) is captured by the War Boys, the fascist King Immortan Joe’s (Hugh Keays-Byrne) devoted militia, and taken to the Citadel in the apocalyptic desert. When every resource is scare and sacred, Max seems destined to remain trapped underground, his blood forcibly transfused into the sick War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult). However, when Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) drives off with a war rig and Joe’s Wives – five women whose sole purpose is to breed – Joe sends out his entire force to bring his chattel back. With only survival in his mind, Max reluctantly teams up with Furiosa and the Five Wives to find a green homeland for them all. 

It seems impossible to fully capture how great Mad Max: Fury Road is in words. But try we must, although with consideration to not spoil any viewing pleasure. It is the action movie that puts all other recent action movies to shame retrospectively. The practical effects in this film are astonishing and each subsequent action sequence is better than the last. It has high octane thrills with a feminist heart pumping lifeblood into the story. It is a 21^st century grindhouse flick - constantly changing the frame rate, intercutting and bursting with colour - but contains plenty of themes to mull over once your heart stops racing. Mad Max: Fury Road has a deeply rich world, constructed from the surviving materials of the apocalypse – petrol, blood and water are the main sources of fuel in this barren landscape. After the end of the world, tribalism has taken over both in mind-set and warfare. War Boys dive into their enemies’ vehicles suicidally, believing they will be reborn in Valhalla as their reward. Explosive spears, shields made out of metal road signs and knives are favoured alongside machine guns and pistols. For all the destruction onscreen though, it never becomes needlessly gory, choosing its bloody moments carefully for increased impact. 

Mad Max: Fury Road is relentless in its pacing yet all the character’s motivations are established clearly. Whilst it may be called Mad Max, the main focus of the film is on the women, director George Miller’s apparent attempt to make up for the lack of female action heroes. The Five Wives defy their patriarchal leader, abandoning their relatively luxurious and safe life, to denounce their objectification and to reclaim their humanity. Yet they refuse to adopt Joe’s tyrannical methods, they only kill in self-defence and are striving to start a peaceful life. Each Wife has their own distinct character and their own abilities: some are able to fight or defend; the others offer emotional support or information to help. Furiosa is this generation’s Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley; she can hold her own in a fight against Max and negotiate the numerous hazards in the scorched landscape. Furiosa is capable of making difficult decisions, but will do everything in her power to protect the Five Wives and the hope they cling on to. 

Charlize Theron is terrific as Furiosa, focused on the goal in front of her and turning her ferocious oil painted eyes at any enemy trying to stop her. Theron captures Furiosa’s resourcefulness and her uneasy attempts to gain Max’s trust with subtly. Tom Hardy is equally as impressive as the titular Max, at first a reluctant ally only focused on survival until a chance of redemption from the past presents itself. Hardy has hardly any dialogue, conveying the majority of his emotions in tiny gestures and grunts. Nicholas Hoult gives a career standout performance as Nux, the wild and almost foaming at the mouth Wild Boy, on a mission to impress his leader Joe. The over 150 stuntmen and stuntwomen involved in Mad Max: Fury Road should also be praised for their stunning work, without whom these extraordinary practical effects would have been impossible to achieve. 

Mad Max: Fury Road is this decade’s defining and game-changing action movie, with George Miller showing everyone how it is done. The film is filled with sorely needed great female action characters and fabulous performances from all involved. For the first time in years, I can honestly say – and I am sure I am not alone in this – I cannot wait for the sequel to this film.