After a three-decade absence, director George Miller’s favorite post-apocalyptic curmudgeon returned to theaters earlier this year and now in an octane-fueled blockbuster.
Now exploding onto home theater screens, Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Home Video, Rated R, $44.95) continues the saga of Max Rockatansky, a beaten man surviving in a desert wasteland.
Actor Tom Hardy excels at the lead role, made famous by Mel Gibson back in the early 1980s, with a near-silent but riveting performance.
The story finds the ferocious Imperator Furiosa (played by a grizzled Charlize Theron who often dominates the screen) stealing the five breeder wives from the grotesquely evil and grossly megalomaniacal Immortan Joe and attempting to drive them to a promised land called the “Green Place.”
Our hero Max eventually decides to help after freeing himself from being a hood ornament on the front of a vehicle.
The fantastic, 2-hour, off-road race shines through its incredible use of practical effects (enhanced as little as possible by digital magic) including harrowing car chases, crashes, fiery explosions, motorcycle stunts and guys bending on really long poles atop moving vehicles.
The digital transfer, presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, brings a wonder sense of three-dimensional vibrancy to the work of Mr. Miller and cinematographer John Seale.
The pair conspired in using the desert region of Namibia, Africa, like a blank canvas to insert slickly designed motor vehicles and colorful characters in the high-speed demolition derby.
Considering the dust factor of the locations as well as near sterile color pallet of the landscape, the artisans still managed to deliver an incredibly crisp experience. Scenes bathed in swathes of oranges, reds and blues highlight such epic moments as a monstrous sandstorm and dueling chase through a desert canyon.
A soundtrack takes advantage of either Dolby Atmos or 7.1 Dolby TrueHD technology, depending on a home theater owner’s speaker set-up, to reinforce every roar of an engine and explosive crash that will cause viewers to jump out of their seats.
The Blu-ray extras present an informative overview of the movie through multiple featurettes led by a 30-minute look at the project’s origins and production process.
The overview amazingly reveals that Mr. Miller used 3,500 drawn storyboard panels to lay out near every film shot for his staff to realize this enormous adventure.
I also loved the 23-minute look at the real, customized vehicles used in the movie showing in detail, the construction and functionality. Viewers get an overview on about a dozen of these battered beauties including Max’s XB Interceptor, the Doof Wagon (with 64 speakers and a guitarist blasting riffs while dangling from its front) and the massive War Rig driven by Imperator Furiosa.
More featurettes, another 40 minutes worth, focus on the stunt work, handmade tools and weapons, and the actors’ struggles in the harsh environments.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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