THE ART OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD by Abbie Bernstein [Book Review]

THE ART OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
by Abbie Bernstein
Foreword by George Miller
Available in hardback from Book Depository and Amazon

THE ART OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD book is nothing short of a wondrous creation and ultimate companion piece to the new movie. Featuring a combination of matt and glossy artwork on the 12″ x 11″ hardback book, the contents 2cm in depth, this 175 page companion book contains everything you could possibly want to know, see and read about the movie.

The book opens with a foreword from writer/director George Miller where he explains what he was trying to create with Mad Max and his hopes for the latest movie. A page then sets the scene with a brief synopsis of Mad Max: Fury Road before delving into the origins of the new film and the initial ideas that were brainstormed over 15 years ago. Some of the original storyboards are reproduced in the book along with a glorious abundance of conceptual art, character, vehicular, costume and weaponry designs, behind-the-scenes stills and action photography from the shoot and film. Titan Books, the publisher, and Abbie Bernstein have made sure to satisfy the film fan and reader by printing these images large upon the page in full colour (except for the sketches and some other art). The artwork and images of the characters, vehicles and locations are bold and beautiful, with each photo telling a tale of its own with plenty of detail to leave you studying and admiring. Most pages feature accompanying text too, even if in just the form of captions for those double page spread galleries, but you’re guaranteed that every few pages there’ll be a good few paragraphs giving some background on the photos and artwork from those who worked on the movie and even from the stars such as Nicholas Hoult, who plays War Boy, Nux, and Hugh Keays-Byrne who stars as the film’s villain, Immortan Joe. It’s a gripping read, especially from a film fan’s point of view, especially as thoughts and ideas behind each part of the film are revealed, giving a real sense of how the film came together as a whole, from the aesthetic to the execution.

The book itself is split into chapter sections with the index at the beginning of the book. Rather than group, say, all the characters together, the book is ordered in a way to mimic the way the movie unfolds. So you’ll get to read and look at sections detailing the characters of Max and Furiosa early on in the book, along with Max’s V8 Interceptor, whilst details about Immortan Joe and his ‘wives’ can be read about later on in the book. There’s some terrific shots in the book featuring the various vehicles, which have always been part of the main draw of the Mad Max films. The accompanying text details the concept and ideas behind their construction whilst other chapters are dedicated to particular chase sequences and stunts in the movie.

With page after page chock full of photos, artwork and imagery, there’s so much to feast your eyes on that you can’t take it all in at once, not that would you want to. Pop this on your coffee table and visitors won’t be able to resist thumbing through the pages and admiring the attention to detail and jaw-dropping photos. There’s no doubt about it, THE ART OF MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is an absolute must-have for Mad Max fans. This stunning high quality book is a piece of art in its own right and deserves pride of place on any film fan’s bookcase.

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