MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (A+)

The Bottom Line: In delivering what is unarguably one of the gutsiest, full-throttle, bat-out-of-hell blockbusters of our time, maniacal director George Miller adds an aggressively glorious installment of hope, rebirth and redemption to his legendary Mad Max trilogy.  Not much has changed in the this post-apocalyptic, diesel-fueled, wasteland western - maniacs try to lead, the masses try to survive and everyone thirsts for 'guzzaline', bullets and/or water.  This is a very simple, bare bones, get-from-point-A-to-point-B story that doesn't require a working knowledge of its predecessors (although I'd highly recommend them all).  Whether you're a diehard of- or newbie to the series, this film will gleefully chew you up and spit you out - then realize it's not done with you, toss you back and in and chew you up some more.  As the titular Max, the always brilliant Tom Hardy stoically fills the iconic and pre-nutball shoes of Mel Gibson through limited dialogue and a series of cognitive grunts.  He's always adding complexity to his flight-or-flight, do-the-right-thing, reluctant moral compass.  The other side of the heart-and-soul coin gives us Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa, the mechanical-armed, laser-focused, girl power powder keg that moves propels the movie forward.  In owning this front-and-center role and amplifying the grand feminist nature of this film, Theron ends up doing for Mad Max movies what Sigourney Weaver did for the Alien franchise.  Her performance here is award worthy.  Along with potent sides of outback weirdos and buffed-up baddies, Hardy and Theron are absolutely fantastic!  Relying heavily on its pride for practical effects (as supposed to the computer-generated kind), this is a gorgeously choreographed demolition derby of masterful, go-for-broke direction, vibrant cinematography, audacious production design and A-level acting...  It's a gritty, intense and rampantly raw road rage rodeo of kinetic action and gloriously graphic vehicular carnage.  It'll blow your mind, drop you jaw and inspire your awe.  Easily one of the most fully immersive and visceral cinema-going experiences I've ever had, I'm convinced that THIS is the reason they build movie theaters in the first place...  It's nothing short of a Mad Masterpiece!  Sit tight, take hold, Fury Road!

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Hugh Keays-Byrne

Directed by: George Miller (Mad Max, The Road Warrior, The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet)

Rated: R

Running time: 120 minutes

Story: In the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and everyone is fighting for the necessities of life, there are two rebels who just might be able to restore order—Max (Tom Hardy), a man of action and few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos, and Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a woman of action who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.

Official site: www.facebook.com/madmaxmovie