Movies
[Review] ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is the Action Event Of the Summer!
Perhaps one of the most anticipated and hyped of the summer blockbusters, Mad Max: Fury Road descends upon us nearly 30 years since we last saw the title character. While the third film was generally well received upon its release, it didn’t match the universal adoration that was heaped upon The Road Warrior. For years, it seemed as though the series had ended with Beyond Thunderdome.
But then it was announced that series creator/writer/director George Miller had a script for a fourth film and that the apocalyptic wasteland that we had come to know was going to be revisited. And now that time is upon us as Fury Road is set to hit theaters in a blaze of explosions, insanity, and more than a little anarchy.
Mad Max: Fury Road tells the story of Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) and his journey through an apocalyptic wasteland with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who is trying to save several former female captives, known as the Five Wives, from the cult-like leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Driving through the desert in a monstrous truck known as the War Rig, the group aim to fend off hordes of war parties who aim to take back these captives, who were being used for breeding purposes.
The first thing I noticed about this film was that it’s absolutely gorgeous. Some of the shots are absolutely dazzling, such as the sandstorm that has been seen often in the trailers. There is also fantastic usage of color. Considering that the vast majority of the film takes place on the open road, the only sources of natural light are from the sun, which bakes everything in harsh oranges, yellows, and reds, and, at night, the stars and moon, which gives a beautiful ethereal blue. In a way, the colors used call to mind the giallo works of Dario Argento.
I would comment on the acting but the reality of the situation is that this movie relies heavily upon action, to the point that each character has minimal lines. Honestly, Tom Hardy probably had to memorize one page’s worth of lines for the entire film, most of which were two to three words. In a way, however, this is very refreshing. There isn’t any absurd exposition that made me roll my eyes nor is there vast amounts of dialogue to fill empty space. In a movie packed with this much action and ferocity, those moments of silence are little treats that allow us to recoup and catch our breath.
Speaking of the action, this film pretty much never lets up. What’s most impressive about the action is how real it is. While it would have been very easy to CGI the majority of scenes, they went the opposite route and actually built these Frankenstein-esque vehicles (which are worthy of every praise possible) only to obliterate them wholly. Because of the actual physical presence of the cars, and the people that drive them, the damage done feels so much more destructive and, as a result, exhilarating. To say that the action scenes in this film are thrilling is an understatement.
Many times the audience laughed when they saw certain villains, such as the now wildly popular guitar player who rides upon a truck with a front built of speakers. While this sounds absurd on paper, it’s no more or less absurd than many other visuals in the film. In a way, that’s what makes this movie so charming. Nothing feels out of place in this world because everything is over-the-top anarchy and chaos.
Additionally, that insanity plays into the fact that nothing in this world is sacred. There’s a scene involving a baby, led by Angus Sampson (Tucker in Insidious) and the entirely callous manner in which it’s approached is actually rather shocking.
Special attention and praise needs to be placed upon composer Junkie XL for creating a backdrop that is bombastic, thrilling, and amplifies the action greatly. The orchestral and almost operatic approach created a nearly religious experience, the music an adulation to the heavens as the apocalypse waged upon the Earth.
I saw the movie in 3D and I want to state that there were very few gimmicks thrown in. In fact, I can only think of one specific scene where it felt totally designed for 3D audiences. Rather, the 3D is meant to immerse you into the world, to put you into the center of the action and it’s damn effective.
One of the biggest things I need to recommend when watching this film is to remember just precisely what kind of movie you’re going in to see. This is not something that is going to riddle your brain or demand your intelligence. This is action, pure and simple. You’re meant to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Final Word: Forget Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road is the action event of the summer! It’s a total throwback to the action films of the 80’s, where fast zooms and real explosions brought you to the edge of your seat. This is one of those moviegoing experiences that ruins other films and will have you begging for more. If this is indeed the beginning of a new era for “Mad” Max Rockatansky, the future is very bright.
Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
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