A non-stop, over-the-top action film that never quite connects. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the other “Mad Max” films that I don’t remember much of anything about them. (In fact, I always thought there were only two films up until recently.) That said, the opening of the new film is somewhat confusing. There’s very little explanation to how the world got to its current state and how Max came to be the man he is. The action starts almost immediately and is chaotic. The film is essentially a two-hour chase sequences, with wilder and wilder action sequences and a few lulls. The lulls tend to be a bit boring, since the characters aren’t very interesting. Ton Hardy’s Max seems to prefer to grunt instead of talk, the villains are just caricatures and a few of the stars are models turned actresses…not that they do a bad job. Nicholas Hoult, who is almost unrecognizable, gives a wild performance and becomes more interesting as the story progresses. It’s Charlize Theron who seems to have the only role with a solid backstory and most opportunities for some strong acting. The action has some unique moments and colorful characters, but is somewhat repetitive and a bit too out there. I did see the 3D version, and found it was not worth the extra money.
**1/2 out of *****