By Julianne Obregon
Filmmaker George Miller returns to the world of Mad Max and reinvents the post-apocalyptic world in “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
In the film, Miller takes the audience to a world where civilization is gone, to a place known as the Wasteland where the necessities are controlled by the Citadel and its allies, Gas Town and the Bullet Farm.
In this world there are no laws and no mercy.
Road Warrior Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy, is a man that is haunted by his past and is convinced that the best way to survive is to wander the desolate land alone.
It isn’t until he meets Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron, that he realizes there are still things worth fighting for.
Furiosa is a woman of action that will do whatever it takes to get back to the place she calls home.
“I thought there was something really powerful in the name,” Theron said about Furiosa at a press conference May 2 in Hollywood, California. “You didn’t have to know anything about her. Anything that was emotionally driving her was already represented in her name.”
At the Citadel, Furiosa drives the War Rig, the most valuable vehicle and war machine owned by the Warlord of the Wasteland, Immortan Joe, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne.
Furiosa first meets Max after she flees the Citadel with the War Rig across the Wasteland with precious cargo belonging to Immortan Joe.
Immortan Joe has convinced his War Boys that he is an immortal that has returned to deliver them to the Warrior paradise of Valhalla.
The moment Immortan Joe finds out what Furiosa has done, he pursues her with his War Boys and allies in a high-speed chase through the Wasteland.
As the War Boys rally together to follow their god in the chase, Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult, despite his weakening health, joins the others to prove his worth to Immortan Joe before he dies.
Theron, known for “Prometheus” and “The Italian Job,” was able to become a character similar to Max, a female warrior.
Furiosa has lived a life filled with sorrow and pain that she runs from just like Max.
Though this film had little dialogue, Theron was able to portray Furiosa’s struggle and vulnerability, especially when she discovers the home she remembers no longer exists.
But no matter what blocks her path, Furiosa pushes forward and never quits.
Hardy, known for “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Inception,” also plays a character that doesn’t bow down easily.
Max is haunted by the people he has failed to protect and though it weighs him down, he keeps moving forward.
Hardy displayed the loneliness that Max suffers as well as Max’s need to live on his own.
At first, Max only agreed to help Furiosa on her quest because without her, he would have no transportation.
But after fighting alongside her against Immortan Joe and his allies, he decides to support her cause.
According to Hardy, Max was able to make a connection with humanity once more throughout the film.
Hoult, known for “Warm Bodies” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” plays a character that knows he doesn’t have long to live.
Despite that, Nux chooses to join the chase in Max’s black 1974 XB Ford Falco Coupe with enthusiasm and joy.
“It was the first time on a set that I got natural chills,” Hoult said when discussing the car chase. “Every hair on my body stood on end.”
Hoult radiates the youth and joy that Nux displays as he gets closer to his goal of being the one to bring Furiosa back to his leader.
This reboot of the “Mad Max” movie kept the audience captivated and left them wanting more.
Even if this is the first “Mad Max” film an audience member has seen, there will be no confusion as to who each character is and what the storyline is.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” is out in theaters Friday and is rated R for intense sequences of violence and for disturbing images.