Nearly 30 years after the last Mad Max installment, moviegoers have finally been blessed with Mad Max: Fury Road. It may be too early to call it, but the fourth installment of George Miller’s post-apocalyptic is arguably the most fun you will have at a theater this summer (or even the next decade).  

The film is set several years after a series of catastrophic worldwide events caused the downfall of civilization in the year 2060 AD.  A desert community (named the Citadel) is run by tyrannical leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, Toe-Cutter of the first Mad Max film) because he controls the entire civilization’s water supply. One of his Imperator’s, named Furiosa (Charlize Theron, at her most bad-ass), breaks off from a routine guzzoline (the film’s version of gasoline) run with Joe’s Five Wives stowed away in an attempt to escape his clutches. Along the way, they cross paths with Max (Tom Hardy), a former highway patrolman who is now being used as a universal blood bag for Joe’s army, nicknamed the War Boys.

In the interest of full disclosure, it should be known that I have not seen any of the other Mad Max films, so this review comes from a complete Mad Max virgin. Once I realized Fury Road would be unrelated to the previous films in the franchise, I wanted to go in with a completely blank slate and zero expectations. For a review of the film from an experiences Mad Max fan, check out our very own Jonathan Barkan’s equally glowing review.

Mad Max: Fury Road is unlike any film I have ever seen. Essentially an extended chase sequence, there are set pieces in the film that legitimately had my mouth hanging wide open. Miller was present at the screening I was at and stated that roughly 90% of the effects in the film are practical (he also said that eight cameras were destroyed during filming). With the exception of one heinous meant-for-3D use of CGI in one of the the final scenes of the film, it shows. What Miller was able to capture on screen is nothing short of a miracle, and truly shows off his talents as a director. Credit must also go to John Seale, whose cinematography is mesmerizing. While I was unable to see the film in IMAX 3D, I can say that a regular 2D showing is sufficient and doesn’t detract from the intended experience.

Also great is that the film does not pander to its audience. The film kicks into high gear from the opening frame, with no time for exposition.  There is no opening scroll informing the audience what happened to the world and the state civilization is in now. There are no characters unrealistically explaining what is going on to other characters (since everyone on screen already knows). We are dropped right into the middle of this dystopian society and hit the ground running.

Speaking of dialogue, it would be interesting to see the script for this one, as there is little dialogue in the film. The acting is uniformly great from everyone involved. Hardy is perfectly serviceable as our stoic hero, but the show really belongs to Theron. No one ever doubted her abilities as an actress, but she taps into a carnal brutality here that is captivating.

The whole film is a marvel to behold, but the final act of the film manages to best everything that came before it in a spectacular sequence involving the War Boys swinging on poles (a tease of this was glimpsed in the final trailer for the film). Even though it has a 2-hour running time, Fury Road feels much shorter. This is one of the highest compliments any film can receive. I didn’t want it to end and I can’t wait to go back to see it again once it gets released this weekend.

Mad Max: Fury Road is the best action movie I have seen so far this year, and I doubt anything else coming out will be able to top it. I won’t be able to praise it enough, so do yourself a favor and get yourself to the theater this weekend and see it. You won’t regret it!