Mad Max: Fury Road features real stunt work, fierce female character

When Mad Max: Fury Road explodes into theatres this weekend, fans can be assured that the fiery blasts, wicked car crashes and spectacular stunts were not crafted in a computer, the film's director said. 

"It's real people, real vehicles and real desert," said George Miller in a recent interview with CBC News.

"I don't think there was another way we could do it," said the Oscar-winning director, who originated the popular post-apocalyptic franchise.

"It's hard. It would have been nice to do it all green screen but I don't think it would have been believable."

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Decades in the making, the fourth movie in the dystopian thriller franchise returns to the desert and to the world of road warrior Max Rockatansky.

The Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy takes over from Mad Max originator Mel Gibson in the titular role.

This time, the anti-hero joins forces with a one-armed female warrior, played by Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, who is leading a band of women from the grips of a grisly warlord and his murderous army.

A real rush

Nicholas Hoult plays a speed demon soldier, Nux, who seems to get a real rush racing his classic hot rod through the sand. 

Hoult, who shot to fame as the child star in About A Boy, says the rush of real adrenaline helped him get through some of the more hair-raising stunt work — including jumping between speeding cars in the Namibian desert.

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"It's a weird thing," said the 23-year-old actor. "You kind of feel immortal when you're in a scene."  

"Then when 'cut' is called you're kind of like, 'That was kind of close' or 'That was actually something that I'd never do in real life,' but because I'm on a film set ... you just go for it."

Fearsome portrayal of Imperator Furiosa

But don't let the high-octane action fool you, Fury Road is shot-through with a fierce kind of female energy that Miller says is the driving force behind the whole story.

"It was a very first idea that the MacGuffin—what everyone is in conflict over—shouldn't be a thing, but should be people," said Miller, referring to the band of women under the protection of Theron's character.

"It was the five wives, the healthiest creatures in the wasteland that could provide healthy children to the warlord."

Theron's fearsome portrayal of Imperator Furiosa is the strong female character action movie and sci-fi fans have been looking for.

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It's a character that Miller has described as Max's "equal."

"It had to be a road warrior," said Miller. "[It] couldn't be a man, had to be a woman, and then she goes up against Max, and they try to kill each other at the beginning."

Mad Max: Fury Road hits Canadian theatres on Friday.

Director George Miller and actor Nicholas Hoult describe more of the hair-raising stunts fans can expect in the video above.