Everyone line up right here to see how an action movie should and can be made. This sequel, nearly 30 years in the making, Mad Max Fury Road thunders past all others giving audiences a ride of a lifetime.

If it isn’t obvious by now, I loved Fury Road. It’s amazing that this movie was even made let alone how fantastic it turned out. The last movie in the franchise (and action flick director George Miller directed) came out in 1985 and sits pretty far back in the minds of movie goers these days. Ideas for this movie came together in the mid 90’s and it wasn’t until recently that he got a budget (allegedly $150 million which is also shocking) and the green light to make it. Let’s get into the details.

You don’t need to see any of the other movies to enjoy Fury Road. Earth is a desolate place where only the strong survive. Food, water, gas/oil, human breast milk and blood (for transfusions) are the highest of commodities. The movie starts with Max alone, surveying the desert land that stretches out before him. He is discovered by a roving gang called the War Boys, captured and brought to their leader Immortan Joe. It is in his kingdom where Max is turned into a slave, to be used as they see fit. When Max inadvertently gets pulled into Joe’s trusted warlord Imperator Furiosa’s escape plan, the two must work together to fend off an unrelenting zealot army that’s determined to reclaim what belongs to Immortan Joe.

That’s right, Max is being chased for almost the entire runtime of the movie. Each action scene, except for two, take place on cars, bikes, trucks and big rigs that are careening through the desert. I can’t describe the visual insanity of these set pieces, so I’m going to use a frame from the movie.

Everything that could be done practically, was done for real, on set. CG was used to enhance, not drive, so Fury Road has this amazing complex kinetic carnage that is stunning to watch unravel in front of you. Stuff like Avengers just can’t compare because those are just pixels running into other pixels. Here it’s dudes with flame throwers and explosive tipped javelins and chain saws climbing around custom rigs jousting and dueling in a moving 90 mph war.

The spectacle of the movie simply sets a new bar, it’s a simple as that. The distinct make up and costumes for each clan (three are shown) are really cool (everything about this movie is cool). The designs for the vehicles are done way beyond cosmetic flair, they have a physical purpose. They don’t just have metal sticking out of them for no reason (looking at you Michael Bay). Nux’s car for example, has the exhaust pipes go along the side blocking the doors. This shields the sides and helps block off the back for a trunk mounted fighting post. Passengers have to enter through the roof (which has reinforced retractable parts for sand and incoming armament protection) and the front rack is used as a traveling space for a Blood Bag (which results in some of the most amazing shots of Max strapped into this contraption as they careen through the desert).  All of the right creative decisions were made on this production. It could have been a complete mess but the production design, killer soundtrack, editing and direction are simply top tier film making.

I also appreciated Fury Road’s restraint on gore. They could have gone full gore hound and splattered the camera lense with blood at every opportunity, but they didn’t. You’d expect to see explicit visuals of dozens of people getting crushed and blown apart in a film like this, but it’s not shown and exaggerated for shock value. Gunshot and stab wounds don’t result in blood geysers. For all the spectacle and chaos, gore is never the focal point (there is one big gag that I think works extra well thanks to the restraint leading up to it).

With the action out of the way, the killer cast of Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Hugh Keays-Byrne and Nicholas Hoult needs to be addressed. While the plot is very simple, the characters and their motivations are really well thought out. Tom Hardy as Max is the strong, but silent type, and even though his name is in the title, he’s not the main character. It’s Charlize Theron’s Furiosa who really powers the film. She’s on a mission to rescue her female friends from Immortan Joe’s inner sanctum. He runs their section of the world, he is their society.  Nicholas Hoult as Nux is a treat to watch as he goes from fanatical War Boy to a man making his own decisions to join a truly meaningful mission and existence. Together these three literally rage against the machine. Hugh Keaeys-Byrne as Joe makes for one of the most memorable on screen baddies ever conceived. He is a phenomenal villain, everything about him is striking and imposing.

There are only strong characters in Fury Road, whether they be antagonists or protagonists. The women have seen and gone through so much that charging into the desert against all odds in the hope of finding Furiosa’s utopia is seen as the only option. Max is a lone wolf, a man who’d rather keep to himself and gets swept into this tribal battle that challenges himself to fight for more than himself.

Fury Road had everything I wanted and more. Great characters that I cared about, perfect pacing, inspiring direction and truly jaw dropping spectacle. It has to be seen in theatres to get the full effect. I honestly think that this will go down as one of the best action movies ever made. We don’t get many of these.