MOVIE REVIEW | Mad Max: Fury Road

Remember to breathe...

Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action movies I've seen in a long time, if ever. I'm not a huge fan of the genre, I think a lot of it is overdone, but I really liked this movie. Here's why: review

1) Visually STUNNING

Holy crap is this a gorgeous movie! Despite the gore, disturbing content, and disfiguration throughout the shots are beautifully composed. I felt immersed in the world and wasn't distracted by the CGI (in fact, I hardly noticed it). The way the director shows off the world makes me wonder about the lives of characters outside the movie, how one could live in such a hostile environment.

2) Diabolical ACTION

As soon as I saw the trailer in theatres it stuck in my mind. I loved the amazing variety of thrown-together weapons and vehicles. It reminded me a lot of the game Borderlands in that many of the hostile characters just look too crazy to be real. Insanely suicidal, no-holds-bars....... Just madness. I think maybe the only thing that would have been cooler is if they used the environment just a tiiiiiny bit more. Of course there's the huge sandstorm you see in the trailer (cool scene by the way), and another scene with some wicked motorbikes on mountainous terrain, but other than that the violence really centered around the vehicles. However, the vehicles were so varied that it kept the action fresh. From start to finish it really is non-stop, with brief breaks in between scenes.

3) Interesting WOMEN-CENTERED Plot

I was wondering to myself if I would call this a movie with a feminist goal in mind. I had read a couple reviews before watching the movie so I already had an idea of what was in store for me. Furiosa is a breath of fresh air for me and I'm ecstatic that there was zero romance inclination towards Max. She kicked ass, yet felt relatable in a struggling human-being kind of way. While Max is the eponymous hero, I genuinely felt as though he and Furiosa were equal as partners. They both needed to survive, they had to take care of their own and they worked together to get it accomplished. Max treats her with respect, and Furiosa values his opinion. I did hesitate near the end when Max offers the final decision they have to make, but it was ultimately Furiosa's decision. Furiosa wasn't just an emotionless character either, nor was she completely masculine like the common tendency with female characters these days. After watching her I really want to explore her backstory some more. As a mainstream viewer (one who hasn't seen the original nor any other Mad Max content before his movie), the only thing that confused me was how she had gained so much influence within her community. She tells us she was abducted, and this is a place that uses women for breeding only, and yet she seems to hold a lot of respect in the beginning. It makes me really curious!

I also really enjoyed the symbolism surrounding the notion of womanhood. You have motherhood in the form of the women escaping, in attempts to protect their unborn children. Then you have the elders, forms of knowledge long forgotten in our current society (for the most part). I recognized some interesting adaptations of native American teachings from my own culture in the forms of land-based storytelling (the satellites) and the seeds. There was also a great display of physical strength by women with Furiosa and the awesome grandmother biker gang.

I loved the metaphor of the water being controlled by men, who are overthrown by a group of women. At the beginning of the movie, this world is oversaturated by men in power. It's clear that the people aren't happy, being able to barely survive with what little he gives them. He literally controls their lives by controlling their water supply, which is also a common symbol for life in of itself. Given the rest of the movie and who is seen issuing the water at the end, I like to think of it as woman's position in society today. Men control the resources, the positions of power and women are thirsty for their own independence. An extreme image, I know, and I'm not saying it's this extreme in real life. What I feel though is that women are struggling to find a space in society where they can exercise their own autonomy. The grasp at whatever figurative drops of water they can. By the way, it's not just women suffering in this community either, but it's made clear that both men and women in this movie are subject to torment by the hands of a few.

It's implied that Furiosa and the other women will be the ones to take over the city after the movie ends and the only male left alive who helped them (Max) decides to step down and let them handle it. It's as if to say "Look what we did (men) and where it's brought us. Perhaps it's time for someone else to have a shot at it." He's also the lone ranger type, but the image of the women rising up (to power) and him being lost in the crowd below them was an optimistic scene for me. It was subservience on Max's part either since he grins up at Furiosa while she grins down to him. It's not hostile, it's not because one is better or worse... just respectful. I really liked that.

Perhaps my only criticisms...

I think the antagonists were a bit thin in character. They were just evil for the sake of evil in the eyes of the audience. I don't even remember the main guy's name. I don't even remember most of the names to be honest! But do you really go to see Mad Max for an epic storyline? No. So it was appropriate.

Just look at this guy! He's sooo evil it's not even funny! Right down to his 80's haircut.

By the final chase scene, I felt so exhausted from vehicles crashing into each other that I might have been a bit desensitized to it in some parts. They were still really enjoyable, but by that point explosions and the like can only look different so many times. You could probably summarize the whole movie as just one giant chase scene. Not a bad thing necessarily, it's actually a very neat concept to me. Sure, lots of movies have the good guys running from the bad guys the entire time, but a movie with only vehicle chases done as many ways possible? Pretty cool!

Oh ya, also... I guess almost all POC die in post-apocalyptia...

tl;dr You should go see Mad Max: Fury Road in theatres because it's a really wicked movie.