Low-brow entertainment steps up a gear as George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road unlocks the gates of creativity. This masterful display of showmanship delivers on big time entertainment and graphic appeal.

Stepping into the role of Max -- originally played by Mel Gibson -- Tom Hardy is good although far from his best (see Locke and Lawless). Meanwhile, Charlize Theron bypasses the damsel-in-distress cliché in favour of a strong feminine character. Her work feels like an endless well of good ideas.

A routine stop to collect gasoline is disrupted when driver Imperator Furiosa (Theron) disobeys direct orders. She's got another rendezvous to make. However, King Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) won't let her escape with his precious cargo, which includes something extra special. Along for the ride, Max (Hardy) and War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult) join forces with Furiosa.

Miller marshals his fellow collaborators like a general. From cinematographer John Seale, he obtains images full of grit, energy and precision. Likewise, editor Margaret Sixel creates some fascinating montages. Instead of confusion or misdirection, she plants us inside the battle, so the camera can navigate the scene as another character.

One especially funny footnote shows the baddies heading into battle with their own rock band. For this, one man performs a marathon solo on guitar, while several others beat the drums.

Interestingly, Miller hasn't simply remade the prior installments. He's stripped out the motor, changed key parts and applied some fresh concepts. His direction -- spreading across all four films -- has never been better. While Mad Max and its immediate sequel The Road Warrior remain fan favourites, I've never warmed to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Even with Tina Turner, the latter misses the mark. Therefore, Mad Max: Fury Road feels like a new chapter… except it's more than that.

Packed head to tail with breathtakingly mad stunts, explosions and outpourings of ammunition, this film might seem exhaustive. Yet no matter how quick the cutting or zippy the camerawork, we always know where we are in relation to the other pieces. As such, Miller treats the spectacle like chess. Observing such poetry in motion, it's wonderful how Theron uses one countermeasure to fix a burning truck.

Much as I would love to sing the praises of Keays-Byrne's antagonist, he's no match for Vernon Wells' unhinged biker from The Road Warrior. The latter simply had the dialogue and presence to stand alone.

At my own imaginary Oscar telecast, Mad Max: Fury Road would storm into the proceedings with fourteen nominations, specifically: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Charlize Theron), Best Supporting Actor (Nicholas Hoult), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup.

Of special note, composer Tom Holkenborg AKA Junkie XL delivers a diesel powered soundtrack. As three huge chords rev up, strap yourself in and enjoy the year's most brilliant blockbuster.

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated “R” for intense sequences of violence throughout and for disturbing images.)