Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where we look at trailers for upcoming movies.

The Mad Max films form one of the most bizarre trilogies out there.  A product of the unique mind of George Miller (known more these days for the Babe and Happy Feet movies), each film had a drastically different style and feel.  The first film, Mad Max, is the darkest of the three, with its tragic story and its nihilistic style, and it helped introduce the world to Mel Gibson.  The second film, The Road Warrior, is an absolute masterpiece, possibly the greatest pure action film of all time, whose chase sequence is one of the most pulse-pounding and electrifying sequences ever put on film.  The final film, Beyond Thunderdome, is almost too strange to describe, with Tina Turner overseeing a town powered by pig methane where arguments are settled in the craziest of cage matches (“Two men enter, one man leaves!”), and a group of abandoned teenagers who think Max is a prophet.

So it’s almost impossible to have any idea what to expect from Mad Max: Fury Road.  I’m thrilled that George Miller is back behind the wheel, as there’s no one else to whom I would trust a new film, but I’m conflicted since Mel Gibson won’t be returning.  On the one hand that’s probably a good thing, as the thought of watching an older Gibson try to revive his career by returning to his roots isn’t appealing, but on the other hand he was Max and I’m not eager to see him replaced.  And then of course there’s the troubled production, which has been an ongoing story for years.  But if this first trailer is anything to go by, we’re in for one hell of a ride with Fury Road.  Take a look, and read on for my thoughts:

The trailer opens with a familiar image.  It’s clearly our hero Max, along with his trademark vehicle, the V-8 Interceptor, looking out over a desert landscape (Namibia, filling in for Australia after weather forced filming to a different location).

These movies take place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where water is in short supply and gasoline is in even shorter supply.  Gangs rule the wasteland, fighting over whatever gas they can find.  But as the camera pans down, it seems that supplies are not the only issues in this wasteland.  Radiation has seemingly caused some mutations, like this two-headed lizard.

Max tells us, “My name is Max.  My world is fire and blood.”  The then stomps on the lizard and drives off, pursued by a variety of thrown-together vehicles, and it seems almost like the last 30 years haven’t happened and this is an immediate follow up to Beyond Thunderdome.  But then we get a gorgeous shot of the chase that feels much more modern and interesting than the gritty cinematography of the 80s.

However, just because it has some more modern and fancy techniques doesn’t mean that the core of the Mad Max series isn’t still there.  Miller is still relying on old school stuntwork and action.

This sequence is probably from the very beginning of the film, as we’re treated to a series of shots showing that Max has been captured by a gang.  They tattoo writing onto his back (not sure what that’s about) and they cut his hair so he looks more like Tom Hardy.

We’re then given the most important information in the trailer.

The rest of the trailer, much as it should, mainly focuses on action.  Miller’s vision for the film is basically one continuous chase with very little dialogue, and the trailer reflects that.  However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more going on.  So I’m going to split up this section of the trailer into related subjects.

First and foremost is Tom Hardy’s costar in the film, Charlize Theron.  She’s playing a character called Imperator Furiosa, perhaps the leader of a gang and possibly the source for the “Fury Road” subtitle.  (Miller originally said he planned to film two movies simultaneously, the second of which would be titled Mad Max: Furiosa, although I haven’t heard if he stuck to that plan.)

Theron shaved her head for the role, and looks suitably badass.  She’s pictured a lot in the trailer, so I imagine her role is pretty significant.  In The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome, Max was reluctantly partnered with the Gyro Captain (played by outstanding character actor Bruce Spence), so maybe Furiosa is supposed to fill that role.

One interesting wrinkle to her character is that she has a prosthetic arm.  It looks as improvised as the vehicles used in the film, as we can see here that she has a wrench attached to it.  Knowing Miller, I bet (and hope) that we’re never given an explanation for it, and are just forced to accept that aspect of the character.  Not everything needs to be explained.

One thing that may require a bit of explaining is the villains of the film, who are known as the Citadel.  We don’t know much about the plot, although I believe the gist is that Max ends up helping Furiosa attempt to cross the desert with a tanker and some people, but they’re being pursued by someone for some reason.  We see the bad guys here with steering wheels in their hands, seemingly worshiping and idol in the form of a large steering wheel.  Not sure what that’s about, but it’s an interesting image.

But the most important thing you need to know about the villains is the presence of Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe.  Keays-Byrne played the main bad guy, Toecutter, in the original Mad Max, who murdered Max’s wife and child.  Toecutter was most definitely killed in the end of that film, but Keays-Byrne is back as (presumably) a different character, in a cool nod to the original film.  He also has a creepy mask.

See… creepy.

There’s also another group at play here, who I’m going to call the Women in White.  They’re seemingly aligned with Furiosa, although I can’t tell if she’s one of them, their leader, or their protector.  Both of the Mad Max sequels gave Max someone to protect and save, making him a reluctant hero.  In The Road Warrior it was a group of refugees and in Beyond Thunderdome it was a village of abandoned kids and teens.

Also, in both of those groups there was an individual who, let’s say, was a bit different.  In The Road Warrior there was the Feral Kid, a child who wore animal skins, spoke in grunts, and killed people with a sharpened boomerang, and in Beyond Thunderdome there was a kid who never spoke and was a bit odd.  So it seems that at least one of the women in this group is also a bit different.

The Women in White are along for the ride for some reason, perhaps they’re on the run from the Citadel.  Luckily they have Max looking out for them.

Max doesn’t look like he’s having an easy time of things in the film, strapped on the front of a vehicle in a familiar position presumably soon after being captured and tattooed.  We get several shots of Tom Hardy throughout the trailer, and he certainly looks the part, even resembling a young Mel Gibson a little bit, but the character was never exactly the draw for these films.  He’s usually the quiet ones, leaving the flashy, talkative roles to other characters.

Mad Max: Fury Road seems to have considerably more computer effects than any of the previous films (which had exactly zero computer effects), including a sequence involving a sandstorm.  It’s too soon to tell how much CG made it into the film, but fans are certainly hoping that it’s not a significant amount.

But the majority of the film will focus on one thing, a killer car chase through the desert with a bunch of crazy vehicles and insane stunts.  The trailer is full of these sort of moments, and though it’s hard to connect these shots in order to figure out what’s going on, the images are really impressive.

For all we know, we’ve just seen the entire movie compressed into two minutes and 45 seconds.  I bet we’ve seen shots from every action sequence in the film, and that explosive last shot might be the film’s finale.  The thing is, none of that matters.  There are almost no spoilers for a Mad Max film because you don’t go see them for their plot.  (Yes, I’m exaggerating, there is plot and there are surprises in the previous films.)  Still, seeing all the action is a great way to show the scope of the film, and get us excited for the epic thrill ride it’s setting out to be.

We get our only other bit of dialogue at the end, where Furiosa asks Max, “What’s your name?”

Mad Max: Fury Road in many ways has a lot to live up to.  The Road Warrior is in many ways the greatest action film of all time, and if Fury Road can capture even an ounce of that magic then it’ll be spectacular.  On the other hand, the Mad Max films set themselves apart from today’s standard “action movie” fare.  When seemingly sure-fire sequels like The Expendables 3 bomb at the box office it’s clear that “action movies” are not as popular as they were in the eighties.  Cashing in on nostalgia can only take you so far.  But the Mad Max movies aren’t action movies in your standard sense.  They turn the kinetics of action on film into an art, almost entirely because of Miller’s vision.  They’re the sort of films that are almost like music, with each shot, hit, explosion, or stunt like the beat of a symphony, building towards its dramatic conclusion, yet they also feel improvised and raw instead of sanitized and overly rehearsed like so many action flicks.  My high hopes for Fury Road are overpowering any concerns I might have, and I have faith in Miller that he can deliver the goods.  If nothing else, Fury Road will be substantially different than anything else coming out next year, and that can only be a good thing.

What do you think?  Are you a Mad Max fan?  Which film is your favorite?  Where does The Road Warrior rank among the top action movies?  What do you think about Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson?  Is there any director with a more interesting resume than George Miller?  Do you think Mad Max: Fury Road can deliver?  Let me know in the comments!