First of all ‘No’, just ‘No’ this is not a good movie. It’s an over the top farce which simply cashes in on a dusty franchise without building on the character, the insanity, or the cunning of Max Rockatansky.

The movie’s most interesting aspect is its opening where we get a taste of post apocalyptic life as Max is captured, inked and branded in a nightmarish city run by the evil lord Immortan Joe. The opening scenes feature mutations, deranged drug induced youths, fuel guzzling engines and a people enslaved by the control of water supply in a barren desert landscape.

What happens next is a very sandy two hour car chase, incorporating a desert storm of biblical proportions, a flame throwing guitar, victoria secret virgins, monster trucks, and various gangs which help give pursuit to the increasing escalation of nonsense.

The problem with the movie is that there is no realism, not that it hurts to be removed from reality in a science fiction movie, but what I mean is that the lead characters are indestructible despite several run ins with death throughout the movie. For the first twenty minutes Max is used as a Type O blood bag without so much as receiving a cookie, then he unflinchingly partakes in two hours of truck driving combat. There is no connection to Max or to the female lead Furiosa, we don’t know their motives, how they’ve both wound up at the citadel, where they’re going, how they intend to survive, and worse is that we don’t feel any empathy for them despite the severe lacerations they receive throughout. Ultimately the characters are sub material to a movie that concentrates on being loud and jam packed with adolescent fantasy. Although the landscape is vast the movie has no depth. There is no tension in the fight scenes, car chases truck, some meaningless extra gets killed, truck gets speared, car blows up, repeat for two hours, charge ten bucks a head, release to DVD.

For me the film fails to fire from both barrels, it’s more of a ‘Max and his moths’ kinda movie than the rage filled road warrior epic I was expecting. My only advice is if you go to see Fury Road don’t be afraid to walk, it never gets better, and don’t be fooled into thinking it’s nearly over, it’s not. Just get up off your seat, don’t apologise to the idiot beside you, kick them if you must, shout abuse if appropriate, just do whatever it takes to make your way to the green exit sign and go.

Tom Hardy plays Leo Demidov, a Ukrainian orphan who swears allegiance to Soviet Russia. The film starts out with Leo raising the flag for the mother land, a war hero without a watch who has no idea how long this movie feels. Leo matures into a loyal MGB agent in the post war Stalinist era, we get introduced to him as an agent with a pragmatic mind and an honest heart who falls in love with his wife to be Raisa Demidov (Noomi Rapace), an unrestful citizen with an honest mind and a pragmatic heart.

The film gives a strong portrayal of a tyrannical state where people live in fear of questioning their government; several characters hide their tears in the face of the truth in fear of persecution.

The dominant mantra that ‘crime cannot exist in paradise’ explores the theme of courage, can Leo Demidov find the strength to oppose tyranny when he uncovers a child serial killer in the midst of Moscow, whose tracks have been covered by agents of the state. The gritty backdrop of fear and firing squads is this movies real strength, but the plot is a major let down.

When the first victim is revealed the movie is set for a gruesome manhunt, but it fails to live up to the chase as it stays focussed on cloaks and daggers instead of building on the crime thriller. The killer is even given some tardy psychological background when he’s revealed as a psycho with a towel and a bag of sweets, could we not come up with something better than a peado with a bag of toffees and a travel pass.

The movie also concludes with a life lesson that love is in fact a pragmatic consequence of environment, so the film which starts out with a romantic vibe fails to win hearts or stimulate minds.

I guess you should see this movie if you like to see actions scenes involving Tom Hardy using a knife, or if you like action scenes with Tom Hardy punching someone in the face, or if you like action scenes with Tom Hardy fighting in the mud, or maybe you just want to see Tom Hardy kicking ass in a different accent. Otherwise if you can control your popcorn addiction for a week it’s worth giving this one a miss as it doesn’t offer a whole lot more than fancy dress prepared for Netflix subscriptions.