Mad Max: Fury Road may be the fourth entry in the Mad Max franchise, but it is by far the best movie in the series for these 10 major reasons. Since the film’s release, Mad Max fans have debated if George Miller’s revival of the beloved post-apocalyptic franchise was as good if not better than the original Mad Max trilogy. However, when looking at the franchise as a whole, it becomes pretty clear that Mad Max: Fury Road is the best movie in the franchise by far – and here are 10 reasons why.
Upon its release in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road was a massive critical and commercial success, with it making $415.2 million at the box office and winning all kinds of awards. Mad Max: Fury Road is often considered one of the best action movies of all time, with the film winning six Oscars at the Academy Awards. The massive gap between Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road was exactly what the franchise needed, allowing the series to completely rework itself into a new form that resonated with audiences and critics alike when it was released.
10 Furiosa Gave The Mad Max Franchise A Great New Hero
One of the best aspects of Mad Max: Fury Road is that it gave the Mad Max franchise a great new hero: Furiosa. Imperator Furiosa is just as much of a protagonist of Mad Max: Fury Road as Max himself, with her being the driving force behind much of the film’s story. Audiences fell in love with Furiosa, causing Furiosa to earn her own Mad Max spin-off movie. Besides Max, Furiosa has become the most iconic part of the Mad Max series, with her presence putting Mad Max: Fury Road above the original three films.
9 Junkie XL’s Soundtrack Added A Perfect New Dimension To Mad Max
Junkie XL was the composer of Mad Max: Fury Road, marking the first of several collaborations between George Miller and himself. Junkie XL’s Mad Max: Fury Road soundtrack instantly put the film above the other franchise movies, as it perfectly complements the visuals, tone, and story of the Mad Max series. Junkie XL’s score is loud and bombastic, with the composer’s use of harsh instruments adding a sense of urgency to every scene in the film. Junkie XL’s score for Mad Max: Fury Road is incredibly unique, with it being leagues above the music from the previous Mad Max movies.
8 Immortan Joe Takes Being A Mad Max Villain To The Next Level
The villain of Mad Max: Fury Road is the terrifying Immortan Joe, and he really takes being a Mad Max villain to the next level. While antagonists like Toecutter and Lord Humungus are fun, they’re nowhere near as entertaining as Immortan Joe. Rather than being just the leader of a gang of marauders, Immortan Joe is the totalitarian dictator of an entire post-apocalyptic society, making him an even more dangerous threat than Max has faced before. Interestingly, Immortan Joe is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, the same actor that played Toecutter in the original film, adding another layer to the character.
7 Mad Max: Fury Road Adds More Lore Than Ever
Another interesting element about Mad Max: Fury Road is that it adds more lore than ever before. All kinds of Wasteland history and characters are mentioned only to flesh out the world, with them not really having an impact on the story. This allows other Mad Max projects to fill in the gaps, such as the 2015 Mad Max video game. Mad Max: Fury Road stretches the franchise to its limits, greatly expanding the world past what it was in the original trilogy.
6 Mad Max: Fury Road’s Stunts Take Even Greater Risks
The original Mad Max trilogy has some pretty entertaining stunts, but none of them live up to the stunts seen in Mad Max: Fury Road. Mad Max: Fury Road takes risks that many of Hollywood’s biggest films are scared to pull off, with the movie constantly putting its actors in incredible danger. Whether it be stuntmen hanging from swinging poles secured to moving cars or Tom Hardy dangling upside down out of a moving car with his face mere inches above the ground, Mad Max: Fury Road‘s stunts are a sight to behold.
5 Max’s Character Is Developed The Most Since The Original Film
Max Rockatansky has never been an incredibly deep character, but Mad Max: Fury Road fleshes him out the most since the original film. Max reluctantly helping Furiosa on her mission to save Joe’s wives is an interesting arc that gives the film a unique spin on the hero’s journey. Plus, Mad Max’s visions of the little girl do just enough to give him an emotional core for audiences to latch on to while still leaving the character shrouded in mystery.
4 Fury Road’s Frame Rate Trick Perfectly Stands Out
Mad Max‘s cinematography pulls off a unique trick that hadn’t been seen before. In order to help audiences keep track of the film’s intense action, Mad Max: Fury Road constantly switches frame rates. The frame rate would decrease or increase in order to lengthen or shorten the shots, making the film much more readable. Plus, the variable frame rate gives the movie a unique feel, making the action feel snappier.
3 Mad Max: Fury Road Thought About The Audience’s Eyes While Shooting
One of the best parts about Mad Max: Fury Road is that the on-set creatives thought about the audience’s eye while shooting. George Miller knew that it would be difficult to keep track of what was going on if the audience’s eyes were having to fly around the screen during the quick-cut action scenes. Because of this, Mad Max: Fury Road constantly uses match cuts, attempting to keep the main focus of shots in the same part of the frame so that audiences naturally find what they’re supposed to be looking at. This is a trick unique to Mad Max: Fury Road, making the film smoother than its predecessors.
Another reason that Mad Max: Fury Road is so much better than its predecessors is that George Miller had an extra two years of directing before taking on the movie. Mad Max and Mad Max 2 were George Miller’s first two feature-length movies, and 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was only his fourth. However, before making Mad Max: Fury Road 20 years later, Miller directed several other films, giving him time to refine his craft before tackling the Mad Max revival movie.
1 Mad Max: Fury Road’s Much-Needed Franchise Update Redefined The Series
What makes Mad Max: Fury Road so special is that it was able to redefine the series with a much-needed franchise update. Despite being great, the original Mad Max films still feel kind of cheap. However, George Miller doubled down on the style in Mad Max: Fury Road, giving it a tone that makes it stand out. Recasting Tom Hardy as Mad Max also defined Mad Max: Fury Road as separate from the original movies, which was another great choice. This redefined Mad Max universe has allowed Mad Max: Fury Road to earn both sequels and spin-offs, showing just how successful it was in revitalizing the franchise.
