Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially a remake of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The differences are vast, but there is some familiarity. The narrative introduction explaining the background sets the tone in the same mannerism. The character Max Rockatansky appears to be at the same point from the original trilogy timeline and even pilots the same 1973 Ford Falcon XB (V8 Interceptor) for a short time in the beginning of the film.
However, the similarities began to fade from there. There's the same fight for a non-renewable resource, except this time it's water. The road raging villains are present, but in a mostly over-the-top mutated and albino form. And from there on, it becomes more and more evident that the "look" of things was the focal point.
Fury Road does succeed in it's attempt to create dazzling imagery. The cinematography is on point, the landscapes are striking and the action scenes are wildly entertaining. And without the nauseating use of shakey-cam, the audience is able to fully take in and appreciate the technical orchestra of it all. For a few moments, the film is a truly brilliant spectacle. Of course, the chase scenes in particular are notably amusing.
However, where The Road Warrior was raw, focused and patient, Fury Road seems overly aggressive and comes on a bit too strong. The film feels more like a music video from the 90's; all the action up front with just a hint of a story subtlety incorporated within. Although the action is beautifully choreographed and the CGI is surprisingly tasteful, but the film suffers from an unbalanced feeling. The Road Warrior seemed masterfully crafted, with each scene standing on its own, all the while building to possibly the most suspenseful car chase climax ever filmed. In short, The Road Warrior exists to tell a story with all the action, effects and stunt work providing support to the narrative- Fury Road reverses the roles.
