Mad Max: Fury Road Is Finally On Netflix And Still Worth All The Hype
Max never dies.
After Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga failed to make an impact at the box office, George Miller’s bonkers apocalyptic saga might have finally run out of gas. For fans of the Australian director, his 40-year-old franchise, and its expertly crafted action, nothing could be more disappointing. Furiosa was one of 2024’s best films: though Miller set a high bar with its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road, he managed to deliver a perfect narrative complement and quietly refocus the franchise in one fell swoop. However, that seemingly bright future is now uncertain.
Whether Miller will get the chance to complete his new trilogy remains to be seen, but fans are still holding out for the saga’s next installment, tentatively titled The Wasteland. Miller’s certainly game to return to the dystopian desert he created, but until Warner Bros. announces a new Mad Max film, we’ll just have to content ourselves with a trip down memory lane.
As its name suggests, the Mad Max saga primarily focuses on its title madman, though each installment has reinterpreted the franchise, to varying degrees of success. Fury Road, which just hit Netflix, may be the most overt reincarnation, as Mel Gibson, who played Max across three films, is replaced by Tom Hardy. It may also be the strongest installment. It’s a near-perfect expression of Miller’s artistic vision, one manifested through visceral vehicular warfare and stunning cinematography.
Miller made the surprising choice to split Fury Road’s focus with a new protagonist. It pairs his new Max with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a no-nonsense road warrior whose sensitivity is her greatest strength. Fury Road becomes a true ensemble adventure under these two unlikely heroes, as Max finds himself caught in Furiosa’s attempt to escape the Wasteland with the oppressed wives of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). They’re headed to the Green Place of Many Mothers, the oasis that Furiosa once called home, but escaping the wrath of Immortan Joe will be easier said than done.
Even if the Mad Max saga survives, it will be hard to top Fury Road.
As Joe pursues Max and Furiosa across the desert, Fury Road essentially becomes an extended chase sequence. Miller ups the ante at every turn, finding new ways to deliver tactile, bonkers action without sacrificing any momentum. Nearly 10 years later, it stands as one of the greatest action movies ever, and for good reason. But while Fury Road may be Miller’s magnum opus, the director still has more to give. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to see what else he and the Wasteland have to offer, but either way, it can’t hurt to appreciate the masterpiece Miller’s already given us.
