Highway to Hell

It is quite clear that a good story is a vital part of making a quality film. Yet, in certain rare circumstances, the narrative can play a less important role than the majestic visual aspects of storytelling. It can be a risky proposition, and one that rarely works, but when it does, the audience is in for one exciting and mesmerizing ride. This is the case with the Academy Award Best Picture nominee Mad Max: Fury Road.

Director George Miller returns (in what can be considered both a reboot and a sequel) to his famed franchise thirty years after completing his original trilogy, taking us on an adrenaline-packed journey across his graphic, post-apocalyptic wasteland. The story follows Max Rockatansky (with Tom Hardy replacing original Mad Max actor Mel Gibson) as he is nabbed by the followers of the fanatical Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne – who also returns to the franchise after playing Toecutter in the original picture). What follows is a nearly two hour chase as Max, who is now being used as a blood donor for one of Joe’s sickly kamikaze War Boys, Nux (Nicholas Hoult), is strapped to the front of his vehicle as they chase Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who has aided the wives of Joe to escape from under his powerful thumb. Miller provides just enough of a back story to push the tale forward in an exciting way, with Max dealing with the loss of his family while Furiosa and the wives struggle to find freedom, hope and redemption in a landscape that feels unrelentingly dead.

Yet, Mad Max still hinges on the audience buying into the absurdly intense chase – and Miller, against quite a few odds, succeeds. The director uses his immense budget (which at an estimated 150 million dollars, is nearly 149,500,000 more than he had for the original adventure) to create a vivid landscape, with oranges and reds replacing the typical drab greys of most dystopic flicks, as well as developing an unrelenting chase that, for the most part, rarely uses any computer generated effects (a truly miraculous feat). Miller, who also co-wrote the screenplay with James McCausland, takes us on a journey that feels surprisingly fresh to the big screen. It is epic in every way, from Joe’s party of vehicles carrying a group of drummers and a truly rocking blind electric guitarist (played by real life musician Iota) who has a flamethrower built into his axe, to the balancing act that consists of men swinging on giant poles attempting to attack the runaways or nab the stolen brides.

Miller’s visual flair feels both new and old, as the stunts that we are witnessing feel very original, yet he also sometimes adds a hurried effect to the pace which makes it feel like an action-packed silent epic. The music, written by Tom Holkenborg – who is better known as Junkie XL, also adds to the grand nature of the motion picture.

It is funny that the movie that comes to mind as a comparison piece is directed by the ousted former star of the franchise, Mel Gibson. His 2006 picture Apocalypto was also able to capture the intense, action-packed pure adrenaline that comes with a chase (yet his movie is set during the decline of the Mayan empire and features a young man fleeing for his life after being selected to be a sacrifice to the gods). For those of you who enjoy Mad Max: Fury Road, check this 2006 flick out as well.

The only issue I have is that Miller and his team did not use Verdi’s ‘Dies Irae’, which was epically featured in the amazingly edited trailer.

The cast, which is led by Hardy and Theron, feels wild and dangerous as well. Theron is all in, even shaving her head for the role, while Hardy is just as intense as he deals with the precarious situation he has landed himself in. Hoult is wildly entertaining as the seemingly brainwashed hyper-nutcase who flip flops his allegiance numerous times. Also, each of the wives bring something different to their respective roles, some displaying bravery while others quickly get cold feet. Keays-Byrne also deserves credit as the maniacal and villainous leader. Also, take some time to glance at the names of the characters as the credits roll – as it seems like Miller and McCausland went out of their way to make outrageous and sometimes funny names for their cast.

Mad Max: Fury Road is a superb piece of filmmaking that pushes cinema to its very edge. It is like watching some sort of bizarre cross between a monster truck rally and moto-cross racing, mixed with a touch of Cirque du Soleil and rock n roll – all set in a dying landscape where there is little water and no foliage as well as danger around every corner. You don’t need reason, you don’t need rhyme, as AC/DC once said, to take this Highway to Hell!