When I heard a fourth Mad Max film was being made I was sceptical about Mel Gibson being replaced with Tom Hardy made me less enthusiastic about the film. Despite the former's fall from grace over the last decade he was still an iconic figure in the series. When the film played at the theatre where I worked I didn't give it much more than a passing glance and thought that it was obnoxiously loud. It would be over two years later when I caught a clip of the black and chrome version and was stunned by how beautiful it looked. I gave it a try. Despite my initial hesitancy to accept Hardy as Max those concerns quickly faded; he's fine in the role. But it was Charlize Theron as Furiosa that won me over. She says very little but the emotions play so vividly on her face and eyes. We are given very little about her origins,especially how she lost her arm but it's not necessary. Some who are going to be disappointed that Max is not much more than a secondary character in the film, which leads me to the question: Have you not seen the last two films. Max is only part of a larger story, much like The Man With No Name from the Sergio Leone Italian spaghetti films. There are scenes that are truly remarkable,especially one in which we see people on long stilts crossing a swamp. In the black and chrome version it resembles an illustration from any prog rock album cover of the 70's. I'm still unsure if this has surpassed The Road Warrior as my favourite action film.
Review of Mad Max: Fury Road
