Cook Library Cinema Club: Mad Max

The blockbuster new film Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the big winners at the box office this past weekend.  The highly anticipated movie is the fourth film in director George Miller’s successful Mad Max franchise, and the first of the series to hit movie screens in thirty years.

Set in Australia in the not-too-distant dystopian future, the films follow the adventures of former police officer Max Rockatansky.  Consumed with grief and guilt over his failure to protect his wife and daughter as chaos first engulfed the world, Max is determined  to protect what little semblance of law and order remain.  Actor Mel Gibson rose to stardom playing the title role in the first three films in the series:  Mad Max  (1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior  (1981) and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome  (1985).

Tom Hardy takes over for Gibson in the seminal role of Max in this latest installment, with exceptional support from Charlize Theron.  The pair is on the run from the army of a tyrannical cult leader (Hugh Keays-Byrne) after Theron escapes the gang’s clutches with five of the man’s wives in tow, who were held as slaves for a selective breeding program.  Fans will find this to be a truly spectacular addition to the franchise and well worth the thirty-year wait.  Let’s just hope the wait for the next installment isn’t nearly as long!

Check out the trailer below for a peek at the action.  If you miss Mad Max: Fury Road in theaters, the film will arrive on library shelves in a few months.  And don’t worry if you missed out on the earlier movies in the franchise — you can find them all at the library!