MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – mobile battles and little else

Charlize Theron in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Charlize Theron in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

For some reason, the critical consensus on Mad Max:Fury Road has been pretty favorable. It’s 120 minutes long, of which at least 105 minutes are chase scenes that are really mobile battles. They are remarkable battles, but they are just battles. Writer-director George Miller has produced an adrenaline-filled thrill ride with some unique elements. But there just really isn’t anything exceptional – characters, dialogue, plot, setting – besides the action.

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are just fine as the good guys. Poor Hardy has to wear a steel mask for a third of the movie like he did for the entire The Dark Knight Rises. Theron is a fantastic actress, but all she has to do here is glint over her shoulder a lot (and she’s looks great doing that). I really loved Nicholas Hoult, who was so engaging in Warm Bodies, here as a Takes A Licking But Keeps On Ticking pawn-of-the-villain.  Zoe Kravitz rides along with Theron and Hardy, looking adorable.

If you feel the need for a simplistic rock ’em, sock’em action movie, this will fill the bill.  Don’t expect any more.