Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It is an interesting and, at first discombobulating choice to tell the story without much in the way of exposition. But what exactly did you need to know that you didn't? Important information: 1) A warlord named Joe keeps hundreds of people as slaves. 2) One of his deputies decides to escape with some of those slaves. 3) If they're caught, the slaves will be raped, the deputy will be tortured, and everything will end badly for everyone we care about. 4) They need to not get caught. That's enough movie for you, right? The stakes are high if you have any imagination, because every single visual tells you just how bad Furiosa et al will catch it if Joe gets his hands on them again. The effects are superb-- all practical-- and the pacing keeps your attention. Sometimes the sudden dialogue bursts are jarring, but the nonverbal acting from just about everyone is on point. All of the above is what makes Fury Road a good action movie. What I found particularly satisfying, however, was the movie's handling of its female characters and their capabilities. When writers try to write a "strong woman" they tend to fall into one of two traps: she's grating and overeager, but not ultimately that capable; or, she's a kung-fu waif who beats up men four times her size while looking pretty. The women in Fury Road are not these things. They're much realer. I hate when writers think that, to make women cool, they must make us essentially magical creatures who win fights through the power of disbelief suspension. Fury Road's female characters lose fistfights, but they win the day by jumping to fight in every other way that they can. ...oh yeah, and Max is in there. Look guys, "Mad Max" film doesn't *necessarily* mean he's the focal point character; it just means the movie takes place in his universe and is therefore a part of that franchise. I get the surprise but I don't get the ire. It's a good film. Be happy.