First off, I just want to establish that I’ve never seen the original Mad Max films, even though I should have. That being said, I have no idea how this movie might hold up to long time fans of Mad Max, but what I do know is that if you’re brand new to this franchise this is one movie you will enjoy.

Let’s face it, the vast majority of action movies aren’t that great. Too many spawn multiple sequels that not a lot of people care about, but many still go see. This is not one of those movies. Just about every second is exciting, and the effects look incredibly real. But I’ll slow down a bit. Basically, the world of Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has wiped themselves almost to the brink of extinction with nuclear weapons. The world left behind is mostly desert wasteland, inhabited by rival clans of survivors. They travel over the dunes in heavily armored contraptions that somewhat resemble cars, but with a pile of junk crazy glued onto them. One clan captures Max, and as he lays in captivity one of the clans most important drivers, a woman named Imperator Furiosa, steals the clan chief’s wives and runs away in an effort to get them to freedom. Thus, the prolonged chase seen that is the rest of the movie begins.

While this might seem like a boring premise, it truly pays off. The chase scenes are well choreographed, with epic battles over a dune sea ending in explosions, wipe outs, and high speed gunfights. The soundtrack of the movie brings the tension of these scenes to a whole new level, and seeing them play out is exciting and interesting. Each faction that shows up has a different method of war when it comes to the road, from knives to guns to spears with explosive tips.