NOTE: This review contains MILD SPOILERS. 

Five minutes into the movie, you were probably marveling, as I was, at the way production designer Colin Gibson created an entire civilization that looked (dys)functional to every last detail. (Gibson and his team also created the movie’s insane lineup of vehicles.)  -Detroit Free Press

I know what you’re thinking (esp. if a regular reader): Why did YOU watch this movie!?  It’s definitely NOT my type of film, BUT I heard several positive reviews (podcasts, radio,  online folks, etc.)  Also, I know almost nothing about the Mel Gibson films- played Max first.  I wanted to see Tom Hardy (who appeared in Wuthering Heights shown on PBS years back).  I  saw this reboot on HBO this past SAT, when the channel premiered it. 

In those days, we were far removed,  They’d ship everything over, so you’d get magazines like four months after they’d been released in the United States and Europe, so we were always quite a way behind the trends. But Kiwis are really innovative people, and we try to make up a lot of our own things.  -Lesley Vanderwalt (Hair & Makeup Designer)

The FIRST thing you will notice is the wild, wacky look of the film- TRULY like nothing I’d seen before!  As for ALL that sand- it was shot partly in the desert of Namibia.  The music is quite effective, and unusual.  Over time, you discover that Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is the REAL lead of the story; she is seeking some sort of redemption after years of being the right-hand of the warlord, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne, an Australian veteran actor who also appeared in the original films).  Nicholas Hoult (a young Brit) does a fine job as a Nux, a formerly fanatical supporter (“War Boy”) who learns that there is MORE to life than fighting to get into “Valhalla” (Heaven).  

Mad Max: Fury Road should be recognized for the ground it broke: slipping in a feminist, elaborately constructed world in a moment, and a genre, where those things are typically at odds.  -Katharine Cusumano (Bustle)

So, is this a feminist film (as MANY critics have commented)?  Well, that’s up to YOU to decide!  Max (the loner) helps Furiosa (a take-action gal w/ NO apologies) on her quest to get the wives of Immortan Joe (including Zoe Kravitz) to a place of safety.  There is NO romance between them, BUT a gradual growth of respect- how refreshing!  This film was mainly about world-building (Ali Mattu, a fan of this film, agreed w/ me on that); he replied (tweeted) that there will be sequels in the near future.  Even if you’re skeptical, give Fury Road a shot.