9 Ways Mad Max: Fury Road Puts Other Blockbusters To Shame

Mad Max: Fury Road hasn’t exactly been lighting up the box office, but it’s already being hailed as one of the best blockbusters in recent memory. A soft reboot of the 80s cult favorite Mad Max series, Fury Road is the rare resurrected franchise film that maintains the vision of its creator, as George Miller returns in the directing chair. Anchored by dual lead performances from Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, Fury Road is proof that reboots of old franchises can feel fresh and vibrant. There will not be a better action blockbuster in theatres this year (the jury’s still out on The Force Awakens of course) and here are 10 reasons why.

9. Memorable Villain

Too many blockbusters spend so much time focusing on their heroes that they forget to throw in a compelling antagonist or two. Guardians of the Galaxy had one of the most dynamic cast of heroes last year, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many casual viewers who could remember the name of that film’s villain (it’s Ronan the Accuser. a blue-skinned schmuck destined for the dustbin of villain history). Fury Road borrows a page from the Star Wars school of villain design with warlord Immortan Joe (coincidentally played by Hugh Keays-Byrne — Toecutter in the original Mad Max). Not only is Joe visually memorable thanks to his distinctive breathing apparatus and weird plastic armor, his antagonistic qualities are clear and not overly complex He’s a dictator who enjoys keeping his subjects down, especially when they’re women; in other words, he’s a villain you love to hate, which makes him the best kind.