Alright, so my full thoughts on Mad Max: Fury Road. This is about as spoiler free as can be.
It is as if George Miller has finally been able to show off his vision of the post apocalyptic wasteland with no compromises. At last, he has the money, technology, and skill to finally bring his world to life as he always imagined it. There are no cut corners here. It is just an explosion of ideas and creativity.
It finally feels like an actual world, and not just some small pocket somewhere. Everything is bigger and grander than what he has done before. There are hints at the other towns and colonies, and I want more.
Not only has the experience and money allowed Miller to fully realize and show off his science fiction world, but it has also allowed him to create some of the most exciting and visceral car chase and action sequences out there. There is an economy of motion to everything. You completely understand what is going on at all times, and are never confused, even as all hell breaks loose. Due to most of the action being done with practical stunts, everything has a weight to it and it makes the impacts that much more brutal.
While rated R and very violent, it never once feels gratuitous or over the top. It never revels in the gore or violence, but it never flinches from it either. This could have been easily been shaved down to a PG-13, but it would have lost the visceral feeling that so much of it has. There are several moments in this that made me howl and flinch, just as the previous films in the series did. And, as usual for this series, the villains death is brutal as hell and awesome.
As for the performances and characters, everyone feels fleshed out and real. No one in this feels like a cliche or a plot convenience. This Max is a very different Max from the old films. In the old films, he seemed both wild and self serving. Here, it just feels broken. Like a broken man, and survives only because he must, not because he wants to. Furiosa is of course the stand out of the film. The best way I can describe her is a lioness. She is like a protective and caring mother to those with her, but has a ferocity that comes out when she must defend her pride.
Nux and the Brides were surprising. Based upon previews and how they are introduced in the film, I expected them to be one dimensional and almost cliche, but the film does a great job of humanizing them and giving them enough depth that you feel concerned for them when everything starts going to hell.
The score by Junkie XL was fantastic, and I can see it becoming a favorite of mine much like Daft Punks score to Tron Legacy has. It is exhilarating and set the mood well even in the quieter scenes. This film would be fun to watch with just an isolated score, because it would probably work just as well because of the direction and minimal dialogue.
This was just expert filmmaking all the way around. The world building is the best Miller has done yet, and he has brought his already formidable action game to a totally new level. The only analogy I can think of is that he was the prize martial arts student back in the 80s. He was great, and should be proud of his accomplishments. But he knew he could do better, so he went away and studied for decades. Honing and perfecting his skill until he felt he was ready to come back and show the world how you do an art like this. Well, Miller just came back down the mountain as the old master. He has shown that there are few that can hang with him.