Mad Max: Fury Road

May 31

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I would first like to say that it has been literally years since I’ve seen the original Mad Max, so I have no intention of pulling out any kind of comparisons. Maybe another time. Second of all, the title Mad Max: Fury Road really doesn’t represent the film at all. How about, Fury Road: Featuring Mad Max?

Maybe someday you'll have a movie to yourself.

Maybe someday you’ll have a movie to yourself.

While there’s plenty of screaming, driving, and high-octane explosions, this movie’s really about Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and her quest to overthrow the patriarchy. Well okay, first to free the “breeders,” but then overthrow the patriarchy with some encouragement from Max.

Our lady, Imperator Furiosa.

Our lady, Imperator Furiosa.

I’m not going to write you an essay on this wonderful take on women in dystopian action movies – Buzzfeed already did it for me. However, I do think it’s odd to focus so heavily on Max, just to shift the paradigm towards Furiosa’s redemption. Was it maybe to suck viewers in? Maybe to fund a franchise with some hype? More than likely a little column A, little column B.

Whatever, it’s great. These two work together to accomplish something bigger than themselves, without any of that superfluous sexual chemistry. Not to mention, Max isn’t really your typical “good-guy” protagonist: we know very little about him – he’s haunted by his past and only lives to survive no matter what the cost. Oh, and he’s crazy.

This guy.

This guy.

On the note of madness, the culture of the Wasteland is phenomenal. From the warlord spectacle down to the nomenclature, it’s obvious that a love and care went into creating this world – which is not surprising since George Miller himself is still in control.

From beginning to end, I could not not pull my eyes away from the screen. Sure, it’s ridiculous and violent, but it’s just so fun! Mad Max has really hit the nail on the head in terms of world-building – combine that with some fantastic pacing and War Boy shenanigans, good times are to be had all around!

If you couldn’t tell, I dug this movie. Yes, some spoilery things are a bit too convenient to handle. Yes, Mad Max isn’t really big in this. Yes, it is not perfect. But it’s just so much fun. It’s gritty without being daunting or foreboding – there’s hope, but it doesn’t hit you over the head. This is just some badassery at it’s finest, and exactly what I want in my summer movie.

Final Grade: A

About reelgirl

Film lover, kitsch enthusiast, and all around neat gal.

Posted on May 31, 2015, in Review and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.

  1. Chris Lindsay | June 1, 2015 at 9:15 am

    I like your insight that this is a film about a “quest to overthrow the patriarchy.” I wrote a short essay on Fury road called “When Barbarians Rule.” If you would like to read it, here is the link: https://christopherjohnlindsay.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/max-max-fury-road/

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  2. Gregoryno6 | June 6, 2015 at 5:39 pm

    First and foremost I was grateful that it didn’t desecrate the earlier films like Prometheus did.
    The feminist angle was interesting because the MM universe has been very centred on men, and this movie needed some original angles.
    Immortan Joe’s face mask immediately reminded me of the Clown from AHS Freakshow. Coincidence? Who knows? I daresay Hollywood is more incestuous than Tasmania, and ideas get mentioned in casual conversation, or someone sees someone else’s sketch… this process of transfer and acquistion will make an interesting story one day.

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