Mad Max: Fury Road

This is the perfect summer movie for me. Mad Max: Fury Road doesn't try to overcomplicate it's story or take itself too seriously but deliveres an action packed movie for all, men and women, to enjoy.

This movie is basically one giant car chase, and I never was bored or saw the same thing twice. Colorful explosions all over the place, cars flying through the air, gun fights, insane stunts, this movie has it all. Everyone and everything is in constant motion. They're either chasing someone or being chased. Reading that over again, it makes the movie sound pretty boring but with so many different moving pieces, a huge stockpile of explosives and giant cars suited up for war, you can't help but have a great time. There's a guy playing a flame-throwing guitar in front of a wall of amps! It doesn't get much better than that...

If we look a little deeper at the story, we see that everyone is fighting for their own personal version of freedom. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) fights for his own personal freedom. Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) fights for the freedom of others. Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) fights for his control over others'  freedom. Everyone's freedom and control is constantly shifting back and forth between each other and what makes this so exciting to watch, along with all of the absolutely insane practical effects and stunt work, was how the story was so unpredictable.

While Max is the first person we see and the first person we're trained to route for, we soon meet Furiosa and from then on, the story belongs to them both. They're strong characters from the very beginning, both physically and mentally. While Max seems to be the typical tough guy we're always supposed to cheer for in big action movies, Furiosa is definitely the one who steals the show. It's almost her story with Max acting as the passenger. They start out as strangers and are forced to trust each other as they have a common enemy. Their connection doesn't come from awkward hand touching, second glances or long monologues about love or anything like that, it comes from their mutual respect and dependance on each other. They hardly ever speak as it is! Hardy and Theron are truly transformative in these roles. It's been a long time since I've seen such strong and capable characters with so little dialogue.

The biggest news making it's rounds regarding this movie is how it treats it's female characters. This, in of itself is very sad. Why can't an action movie, let alone any movie, treat their female characters with strength and integrity? I don't believe this movie has a feminist lens or is purposefully shoving feministic propaganda down anyone's throat. There is so much more to it than that. The combination of relationships between Max and all of the women is fantastic because it's codependent. They both need and save each other. It's a perfect representation of an actual relationship! All of the women in this movie are strong, beautiful, smart, and resilient. No one is sexualized, or given the normal archetypes that women are unfortunately always placed in. Instead director George Miller gives them an actual purpose and treats them with respect and maturity. It's sad that these kind of characters are so rare. We'd all be better off if we heard/saw more stories with respected female characters such as this.

Even though I've said very little about the story itself, there is already so many great things about this movie that make it worth seeing in theaters. It's certainly a spectacle, and that deserves the movie theater experience for sure. The story is solid and emotional. The practical effects are game-changing.  There were a few 3D gimmicky moments, but the special effects are mostly amazing. Literally everything about this movie makes it the perfect summer blockbuster and it deserves all of the accolades it's receiving. I hope it stays in the top of the box office for weeks to come! It is easily the most fun I've had at the movies this year!