By Robert Yaniz Jr.

Thirty years have passed since the last time audiences saw “Mad Max” Rockatansky, and in that time, director George Miller – the man behind the original three films – has become more synonymous with wholesome family fare like Babe: Pig in the City and the Oscar-winning Happy Feet than the kind of extreme thrills he brought to startling life in the original Mad Max trilogy. So, after more than a decade of stalled development, how does Mad Max: Fury Road fare?

Tom Hardy takes over the title role from Mel Gibson, and it’s a smart fit. Hardy has a commanding screen presence, whether he’s monologuing as a Gotham City villain in The Dark Knight Rises or simply chatting while driving in the criminally under-seen Locke. The actor is perhaps among the strongest stars to rocket up to the A-list in recent years, and it’s shocking that he hasn’t landed an ongoing franchise role until now. From his portrayal, it’s clear that Max is tortured by those he’s lost, and Fury Road‘s opening narration offers hints at his damaged psyche, cluing viewers in that his only remaining goal is to survive the post-apocalyptic wasteland in which he lives.

Unfortunately, Max soon fades into the background, becoming more of a spectator in his own film and robbing Hardy of the chance to shine. The plot of Fury Road is a basic chase-heavy action movie setup that starts off strong, and this focus of high-octane fun would normally make for a thrill ride of a film. However, without characters moviegoers can care root for or sneer at, it’s all smoke and mirrors, style without virtually any substance whatsoever. That B-movie approach works for a sequence or so but is near-impossible to sustain over the course of two butt-numbing hours.

This detachment is only made worse by the film’s failure to usher new viewers (which, at this point, likely includes the vast majority of those flocking to theaters) into Max’s tumultuous and primitive world. Most of the characters – including original Mad Max villain Hugh Keays-Byrne, returning to the franchise in a new role – fail to engage viewers and contextualize the high-speed antics of Max and company. Likewise, Nicholas Hoult’s Nux takes a poorly executed turn halfway through that prematurely neuters his wild card of a character.

In fact, only Charlize Theron elevates the material. Since Hardy is left either blankly watching much of the action unfold or coming to Theron’s aid, she is the heart and soul of Fury Road, the only one with a clear objective and more than a single character trait. In many ways, her Furiosa (yes, that is her character’s name and no, this doesn’t mean that Vin Diesel makes a street-racing cameo appearance) is more of a driving force behind what little narrative thrust the film does have. In snagging the juicier role, Theron manages to become the most interesting part of what amounts to a bunch of cast of disposable characters there only to fall prey to the legion of baddies.

There’s also plenty of rich visuals here, made even more impressive considering that Miller relied almost exclusively on practical effects to achieve the onscreen insanity. The art direction and character design are also fairly inspired, and the addition of a guitar-playing villain in much of the film ensures that audiences don’t take the film too seriously. Keep an eye out for the brilliant uses of bright orange and contemplative blue throughout to highlight each scene. Miller is, if nothing else, a visual stylist who knows how to translate the story to arresting life onscreen, even when the material doesn’t match his directorial efforts.

Moviegoers looking for some cool action sequences should walk out of Mad Max: Fury Road feeling like they’ve gotten their money’s worth. However, those looking for a compelling narrative and fun or memorable characters may be disappointed by this fourth installment in Miller’s brainchild. Hardy and Miller have already alluded to potential sequels. Here’s hoping that the next one focuses as much on telling a fun story to tell as it does on the action beats.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5