With lots of enticing Scifi movies coming out this summer, I took a chance on the surprising praise for the newest installment in the Mad Max franchise –and I’m so glad I did! It’s been so long since my mom’s infatuation with Mel Gibson led me to watching the older versions of Mad Max. All I remember was cars, sand and action. I suppose you could break Fury Road down to the same, but the combination of smart worldbuilding and top-notch fight scenes made this a movie we can stand by as fans of the genre and say, “They did that one right!”
Fury Road introduces us to the hero looking out over the desert, struggling with the voices in his head of the loved ones he’s lost, when a two-headed gecko scurries toward his feet. The movie you’re in store for is a post-apocalyptic realm for fans who love to see how the world could change. Animals have mutated and the best of humanity struggles with the demons of his past failures.
And then, as though catching back up with time, an intense chase and escape scene throws us into what will only be the beginning of this thrill ride. As we catch our breath, the story takes us to the citadel, where we see living details of this civilization struggling to survive in the desert.
Enjoy this moving picture of suffering on your own. I’ll just say I was captivated by how every person on screen made me think about how they’d have grown up there. Great job by the director creating empathy for their livelihood and hope for a hero to rescue them.
The visit through the halls of the citadel is short, and then we are mounted to the front of a war machine and off on a new chase. Not only will the fight scenes be quick and powerful, but most will also be on top of or through windows of racing vehicles. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say Fury Road delivers with aces on giving us a new type of battle structure. My favorite was the guitar player on bungee cords rocking out a heavy metal battle cry to strike fear into the hearts of their prey. Of course his axe also works as a flamethrower. What else did you expect?
As for the sentiment behind the story, I don’t want to ruin that either. It creates sympathy for those you want to care for, but not the kind that will ruin a guy’s night out by making you cry. Suffering and loss are felt with resonating effect, but the best part is going to be how cool the heroes just took out the bad guys. I suppose there are enough close calls and scenic awesomeness to merit a 3D purchase, but I didn’t see it that way and I still enjoyed it just fine.
Great purchase for someone wanting an action movie with a post-apocalyptic setting.
For those who enjoy this kind of setting, Hugh Howey wrote a brilliant novel, Sand. My novel, Scavenger: Evolution, is also set in this world, where sand divers race to discover treasure long hidden in the cities buried far below.
About Timothy C. Ward
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