10 Long-Gestating Movie Sequels That Were Worth The Wait

Years Waited: 30

After spending decades making talking animal films like Babe: Pig in the City and Happy Feet 2, George Miller returned to the franchise that made him famous. And initially, things looked grim. There were reports of extensive reshoots and that the film was shooting without a script. But then it's 2015 release rolled around and it taught audiences everywhere one very valuable lesson: never underestimate George Miller.

Mad Max: Fury Road is not only the best film in the series, it's flat-out one of the greatest action films ever made. The plot can be essentially boiled down to one long chase sequence through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it's Miller's exquisite handling of character and theme that carry this film into the pantheon of classics. Tom Hardy is excellent as Max, but it winds up being Charlize Theron as Furiosa who completely steals the show.

And of course, there's the action. Miller captures so much death-defying stuntwork and so many action beats in-camera with practical effects that it's mind-boggling.

After waiting three decades for Miller to return to the action genre, he showed everyone why he remains a master of the form with one of the most incredible films of the decade.