We saw Mad Max: Fury Road at the Cinerama tonight, as part of its Eight Days of Oscar—Fury Road having being nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. I have no idea if it will win any awards from the Academy, but it’s no ordinary action movie.

Action there is aplenty, a kinetic feast of racing cars and roaring maniacs that rarely lets up. Imperator Furiosa and Max flee across the desert, taking Immortan Joe’s five nubile wives to a better place. They seek hope, Furiosa seeks redemption, and Max seeks mostly to survive. Furiosa sets the plot in motion; Max is a loner battered by fate, grudgingly coming to the women’s aid. Furiosa is the true hero here, though Max proves himself a hero in time.