Netflix has announced its December 2024 release slate, and there’s a lot great stuff coming to the streaming service – from shows to documentaries to movies – but one that stands out immediately is Mad Max: Fury Road, which will start streaming on Netflix on December 30th. The 2015 film was the first Mad Max film in decades, with series creator George Miller bringing his trademark flair to the project. In a world of sanitized remakes and CG spectacle, Mad Max: Fury Road stood out with its amazing car chases built around practical effects, its brilliant world-building and visual storytelling, introducing breakout characters like Furisoa. Fury Road was a return to form for the franchise, one that garnered widespread acclaim.
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Fury Road‘s production is something of a story in and of itself. Miller came up with the ideas for Fury Road in 1987, but the film spent years in development hell before pre-production in 1998. Miller attempted to shoot the films several times in the 2000s, but it was delayed numerous times by events like September 11th, the Iraq War, and the controversies surrounding Mad Max actor Mel Gibson. Miller decided to try again in 2007, but would later announced that filming would begin in 2011. Miller cast Tom Hardy as Max in 2010, but filming was delayed until 2012. Filming wrapped in December of that year, with additional footage shot in November 2013. The movie opened on May 7th, 2015, wowing audiences with its eye-searing action and amazing characters.
Mad Max: Fury Road grossed $380.4 million worldwide, but still took a loss. However, the movie was instantly praised by moviegoers and critics alike. Miller’s action scenes were white-knuckle extravaganzas and it was soon talked about as one of the great action films of all time. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was the film’s breakout character, a tough-as-nails warrior that audiences immediately connected with. Hardy’s Max took something of a backseat to her, but most fans loved her so much that didn’t matter. Fury Road garnered a boatload of accolades, including Best Film from The National Board of Review and was named one of the top ten films of 2015 by the American Film Institute.
At 2015’s 88th Annual Academy awards, Fury Road got ten nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects. It won in six technical categories of Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Make-Up and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. Fury Road is rare in the pantheon of big budget action movies, its list of accolades showing just how beloved it was. Action movies don’t usually get the kinds of awards that Fury Road, cementing its place among the best films of the 21st century.
Mad Max: Fury Road premieres on Netflix on December 30th, 2024. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is currently streaming on Max.
