03. Mad Max: Fury Road

Director: George Miller

Release date: May 14, 2015

After what seemed like eternal damnation in the fiery depths of “development hell”, it seemed like a fourth Mad Max movie would remain nothing more than a pipe dream for visionary auteur George Miller. But such was the production team’s determination, which had to see the shoot successfully relocate from Broken Hill to Namibia due to heavy rains, they were to overcome endless hurdles to deliver one of the most visually spectacular pieces of escapism in recent memory.

While you can argue Fury Road is light on plot, even compared to the original trilogy, its dazzling artistry lies in different areas. Miller revels in jaw-dropping carnage as post-Apocalyptic wrecking machines and their inhabitants somersault across an arid landscape. Within the destruction Miller locates a visceral beauty and, when mixed with the white-knuckled intensity of the stunning set pieces, a creates a marvellous piece of escapism. The strong cast supplies the required pathos, forming a group of characters we care about, and Tom Hardy demonstrates that he can be a brooding, powerful lead while barely uttering a word.