The 2015 film, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” directed by George Miller depicts a vast nuclear wasteland in which there is constant competition and fighting for resources such as water, oil, and food. Most of the fighting between factions is done with weaponized and over-the-top vehicles, which reflect the degraded state of the world.
The combat exchanges between vehicles are my favorite parts of the film. The vehicles are depicted very well, and even though over-the-top, there is still a reasonable suspension of disbelief so that the audience is not pulled out of the movie.
The vehicles also do a very good job of reflecting their factions. The Rock Riders, which inhabit the mountainous rocky canyon that the characters pass through, ride strictly on dirt bikes because it is much harder to maneuver through the canyon on larger vehicles. The dirt bikes are also quicker and lighter than most vehicles, so it is easier for the Rock Riders to ambush travelers from above or behind large rocks and cliffs.
The amazing visual design of the vehicles are accompanied with dynamic camera movements consisting of fast pans and zooms. The visual language of the fight scenes helps achieve the effect that the battles are always in motion and mostly between vehicles. The actual fighting consists of many elements.
Fighting is done with a large assortment of weapons, some more post-apocalyptic than others. Small machine pistols and larger mounted machine guns are utilized to give the fights a bit more range and danger. There are also other weapons such as flamethrowers and explosive javelins. The javelins make for some pretty cool moments, for instance when one of the war boys aboard a vehicle jumps to another one with a javelin and blows the vehicle up, sacrificing himself.
The battles usually consist of multiple vehicles at a time, all serving many different purposes. Some vehicles like bikes and mid-sized cars are used to catch up and launch small scale ambushes. Other vehicles carry men who jump to board or ambush other vehicles, with some even containing men balancing on pikes to board and ambush enemies.
Even though the battles are my favorite part, the characters are also very entertaining as well. Max, the main character, only cares about moving forward and surviving since the wasteland has broken him down.
However as the movie progresses he learns to look out for his allies and accommodate to their needs even if it puts his life at risk. Furiosa is also very entertaining because she has the goal of finding a fertile area inhabited by her allies called The Green Place.
Unfortunately, The Green Place has been laid to waste and Furiosa has to journey all the way back to the Citadel that she spent the first part fleeing. She even becomes the leader of the Citadel, after its previous tyrannical leader, Immortan Joe, is killed by Furiosa on the journey back.
Another entertaining character that accompanies Max and Furiosa is Nux, who is one of Joe’s war boys. I like that Nux slowly goes from worshipping Joe and trying to capture Furiosa, to fighting against him. Throughout the movie, Joe promises the war boys a seat in Valhalla if they die in his name, which Nux attempts many times during battle. However, when Nux sacrifices himself at the end of the movie, it is for his allies, not Immortan Joe or his forces.
While maybe not the most contemplative movie, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is unquestionably and unapologetically entertaining. It is certainly one of my favorite movies for its interesting and dynamic fight scenes, along with very cool character and vehicle designs.