The desert is vast and desolate.
The world has ended.
A saturated brown wasteland of sand fills the screen.
Coupled with a deep blue horizon, the first frame of this incredible work by George Miller reveals the color scheme used for the entire film. It’s clever that he does this, using one frame to display tones that foreshadow his use of sunlight and darkness in the scenes to follow.
The sun is shining and with that the complexities and gradations in the colors on the screen are amplified. The shades of reddish brown and blue are endless. And eventually, the sun goes down:
The film becomes almost unrecognizable; the red hues pulsing in the faces of Max (Tom Hardy) and Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) are gone, replaced with dark blues that create a much more ominous environment. The intense fighting scenes at night reflect this, the energy and mood of every scene is dictated by these very calculated and intricate color schemes, which cycle throughout the movie.
Aside from the coloring, it’s important to note that Fury Road uses minimal CGI. Meaning, it is basically a live action stunt movie--- with practical effects and explosions that also add to the artistic value of the film. With each explosion that the audience hears, vibrant (and almost blinding) reds flash across the faces on the screen (yes, I’m still talking about color):
Speaking of the characters, Hardy and Theron perform exquisitely in virtually every scene that they take part in. The script is well written and never awkward (as blockbuster movies these days tend to be). Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), the lead antagonist of the film, also does a near perfect job of embodying a powerful and corrupt leader in this post-apocalyptic society.
With blaring violins and deep fast-paced drums, this 2-hour film goes by in a flash. And while the films plot is modest, the action scenes are so visually and sonically appealing that I thought the film didn’t even need a plot. George Miller showcases his mastery of simplicity with this film. And also creates a kick-ass visual masterpiece that I could (and plan) to revisit again and again. Fury Road doesn’t insist on itself, which again is rare for action movies nowadays. Everyone who took part in creating this film (it seems) understood exactly what it was meant to be and truly helped create a masterpiece. If you haven’t seen this film, you’re missing out on the single greatest action movie of the last several years.
