10 Most Intense Movie Openings Ever

George Miller had a lot to prove with Mad Max: Fury Road, the first entry into the series in an entire 30 years and also the first without Mel Gibson starring as Max.

Miller clearly knew this, and went about dispelling fan concerns in totally face-melting fashion in Fury Road's frantic, gorgeous acid trip of an opening five minutes.

It begins with Max (Tom Hardy) staring out over the horizon as he attempts to ignore the voices of those he couldn't save rattling around in his brain.

Max then jumps in his legendary V8 Interceptor, only to be pursued by Immortan Joe's (Hugh Keays-Byrne) War Boys, who quickly run him off the road and take him prisoner.

The War Boys cut Max's hair, tattoo his body, and attempt to brand him, before Max breaks free and tries to affect his escape.

He runs through the Citadel's narrow hallways at breakneck speed while fending off both the pursuing War Boys and the skeletal visions of those he failed to save.

The sequence culminates in Max reaching a dead-end up in the sky, and though he tries to use a crane winch to get free, he's ultimately helpless against the sheer number of the War Boys. Cue the title card.

This brilliantly paced, visually stunning prologue made it clear that Miller wasn't resting on his laurels with this belated sequel, and that he'd be pulling out every stylistic trick in the book to ensure Fury Road was one of the wildest blockbuster rides ever made.