When it comes to cinema, Alain Chabat has seen it all – or at least, nearly everything worth seeing. But every so often, a film comes along that throws the rulebook straight out the window, and for Chabat, one in particular left him utterly stunned.
A roaring comeback for a cult saga
Back in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road roared onto screens and revived a legendary action–sci-fi franchise whose glory days stretched back to the late ’70s and ’80s. It wasn’t just a sequel – it was an audacious, adrenaline-fuelled reinvention that favoured practical effects over CGI, and it paid off in spades. The film raked in nearly $380 million worldwide on a budget of about $150 million, a feat made even more impressive considering how its more recent prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, struggled at the box office despite glowing reviews.
Critics were near-unanimous in their praise. With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 440 reviews, the consensus was crystal clear: this was a rare kind of blockbuster, both technically dazzling and unapologetically bold.
Why Alain Chabat was blown away
Chabat, like many, fell under its spell. Speaking in a video interview, the French actor–director described the experience in one word: “dement” – “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “All the usual codes had been blown to pieces.”
And he’s right. George Miller’s direction did more than just stage epic chases and explosions – it upended expectations. Max, played by Tom Hardy, was pushed into the background, with Charlize Theron’s Furiosa emerging as the true driving force of the story. Dialogue was sparse, replaced with blistering, wordless action sequences that spoke louder than any script. The result? A two-hour masterclass in visual storytelling and raw cinematic energy.
A pure spectacle worth experiencing
Part of the magic lies in the film’s kinetic choreography – stunt work and vehicular mayhem that feel tangible because, for the most part, they were. From sandstorm chases to the now-iconic War Rig battles, every frame carries the grit, heat and chaos of Miller’s apocalyptic vision.
For those who haven’t yet experienced Fury Road, it’s available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Max. As for Furiosa, it’s currently up for rental on platforms like YouTube – worth checking out if you’re curious to see how Miller expanded his brutal, beautiful wasteland.
Because sometimes, a film doesn’t just entertain you – it leaves you, like Chabat, staring at the screen, speechless.
