'Mad Max: Fury Road' Review: Come for the Subversion of Gender Roles, Stay for the Gratuitous Violence

Much like when the idea of a "Mad Max" reboot was first announced, it's easy to walk out of the theater after seeing the movie and not quite know what to think. After a viewing of "Mad Max: Fury Road," you will have been subjected to almost exactly two hours a nearly non-stop action, peppered with grotesque imagery and moments of extreme violence.

It's not a movie for the faint of heart. Yet it's also a movie that almost everyone should see.

Everyone who works in Hollywood should see it, anyway, and the reason why is apparent in all of the press that "Fury Road" has received following its release. The movie's feminist undertones had some Men's Rights Activists calling for a boycott, while the rest of the world (i.e. people who actually go outside on occasion) praised the movie's surprising subversion of gender roles.

Before we get into that, a bit about the plot: "Fury Road" follows the titular Mad Max (Tom Hardy, taking over for Mel Gibson) as he's taken captive by dictator Immortan Joe and his War Boys. Max is held captive in the Citadel as a "blood bag" for one of the sick War Boys (Nicholas Hoult) until one of the Citadel's most trusted lieutenants, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) takes her war rig and veers off into the desert while on a fuel run.

What follows is a relentless chase across the desert that provides action set pieces that feel limitless in adrenaline. The action is nicely choreographed and well photographed, as it should be: director George Miller reportedly came up with detailed storyboards for the movie well before bothering to write a script or come up with a plot. Still, the plot that has come to be serves the movie well enough as an excuse for the action.

It is in the character of Furiosa (and in one of the major plot points that we won't reveal here for spoilers' sake) that the movie becomes a shining example of how to treat female characters in Hollywood movies. Furiosa retains her femininity while never being sexualized, works with Max without ever being subservient to him, and remains the leader of her operation where many movies would have simple had their "hero" step in and take over. She has goals, wants and desires. She has agency, and she can hold her own in a fight. In short, she's a person. She's an action hero like any other, she just happens to be female.

The female empowerment angle may or may not contribute to your enjoyment of the movie. Chances are it'll pass you by unnoticed, as things like that should when they're done properly. However, the rest of the movie's content could be far more polarizing than any "feminist agenda."

The fact is that "Mad Max: Fury Road" can be incredibly hard to watch at times. The violence is rampant and, while not always shown in great detail, visceral and realistic as opposed to heavily stylized. Combined with the grotesque nature of many of the film's characters—for example, we're introduced to Immortan Joe as his deformed, boil and sore-covered body is placed into body armor—the visuals of "Fury Road" aren't for those with a weak stomach.

"Fury Road" also suffers a bit from an interesting dilemma: the "Mad Max" franchise has influenced so much of film and pop culture over the years that, now that it's finally circled around to a reboot, some things about "Fury Road" feel like they've already been done before. For example, those who have played the "Borderlands" series of video games will see a lot of similarities; they are all, of course, because "Borderlands" was influence by "Mad Max," but you still get the feeling that you're not really seeing anything new.

Additionally, while the visuals are stunning and the action frenetic, there aren't many moments that stand out as truly innovative action-movie moments. Movies like "The Matrix" revolutionized the way action set pieces looked on screen, with "wow" moments like Trinity's 360-degree kick. Here, there are no true "wow" moments. Instead, we get a long string of moments that are pretty cool.

In fact, the strongest suit of this action movie might not even be the action. Instead, it may be the world-building that George Miller employs, which sets up a very specific post-apocalyptic future complete with a heap of terminology specific to that world. As an audience, you catch on surprisingly quickly and go along with a lot: even when Miller throws some of his campiest moments at you, you're willing to accept them. Where else could you have a psycho strapped to the front of a truck, playing a flame-throwing guitar?

By now, the hype around "Mad Max: Fury Road" may have given you a preconceived idea of what you're going to see. Throw that out the window and try to enjoy the movie for what it is: a perfectly serviceable action movie that, while it doesn't do anything particularly game-changing, has all the elements in place for an entertaining 120 minutes of chaos.

Grade: B+