Mad Max: Fury Road

jennontheisland

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Now, there has been a question I've seen popped up.

...how the hell did Furiosa become an Imperitor?

And that's something I'm honestly curious about, since she was captured at a young age. You'd think - since she doesn't seem to have any deformities - she'd be among the wives, right?

But I had a theory. I think she lost her arm in her capture, and that would reject her from the wives. So, she was forced to fend for herself among the Warboys, and then she just badassed her way to the top.

I'd figured about the same thing. She was obviously well and attractive enough to be breeding material, but the arm... Probably given to the warboys as some kind of cast off bride for them. But, since the brides generally appear to be quite intelligent, as well as healthy, I'm thinking she built her mechanical arm herself, and someone figured that her skills there could applied to war rig construction. And of course, if you build it, you get to drive it. The bones on the door of her rig were a nice touch.
 
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Zoombie

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Plus, considering the education level in the Citadel, I would not be shocked if they couldn't tell or didn't care about the difference between inherited traits and wound-based deformities.

I.E, can't have babies with a one armed woman. They'll only have one arm too!

(You laugh, but some people today are confused by how descent works, and they live in an era with public education and cellphones.)
 

bertrigby

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I've seen it suggested that perhaps she is infertile, leading to her rejection as a wife and gradual acceptance as part of the male world of the drivers.
 

Aggy B.

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Hmm There's a pretty cool press conference from Cannes available on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-xV8A7ZL5w)

It's interesting in the middle when they talk about the plot, Miller mentions that it all grew out of the idea that the "thing" being fought over would be the wives - people not things - and they would naturally have to have a woman as their warrior because having a man steal women from another man would not be the same story at all. Which is an insightful statement in and of itself, but also interesting in regard to how a simple change to one element does, in fact, effect the whole architecture of the plot.
 
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DreamWeaver

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Hmm There's a pretty cool press conference from Cannes available on Youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-xV8A7ZL5w)

It's interesting in the middle when they talk about the plot, Miller mentions that it all grew out of the idea that the "thing" being fought over would be the wives - people not things - and they would naturally have to have a woman as their warrior because having a man steal women from another man would not be the same story at all. Which is an insightful statement in and of itself, but also interesting in regard to how a simple change to one element does, in fact, effect the whole architecture of the plot.
This is so true for this movie. It's got me really thinking, now, because the exact opposite happened in another kick-ass female movie. One of the interesting tidbits about Alien was that they changed the character of Ripley from a man to a woman AND MADE NO OTHER CHANGES WHATSOEVER to the script. I supposed there might be a change from him to her somewhere, but they didn't change any of the dialogue or action; they didn't even change the name the character is called by everyone else in the movie (though they did give her a first name...but was that not until Aliens?).

In one movie, changing the gender of the hero completely changes the movie; in the other it has no overt effect on the story (though it did make the movie unique among action movies of its time).
 

jennontheisland

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In one movie, changing the gender of the hero completely changes the movie; in the other it has no overt effect on the story (though it did make the movie unique among action movies of its time).
Of its time... Other than Mad Max, it's kinda the only movie with a female character like that. I've tried to come up with others but can't. Maybe that's why Mad Max seems so revolutionary. We haven't seen a character like this in a generation.
 

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The Quick and The Dead had a strong female protag in an otherwise male-centric cast. (And in a role which is typically male.) Silent Hill featured a female protagonist and a female sidekick and female villain(s). Pitch Black was also split between Radha Mitchell's character and Vin Disel's character. Prometheus (despite being a hot mess) had a female lead like the Alien movies. (Black Widow too, but I've not watched any of those and I understand there's some debate about the feminist quality of her role.)

Which isn't to say that well-rounded female protagonists in the action/horror genre are common. (Although, I'd say probably more common in horror/thrillers, but I don't watch nearly as many of those.) But they are there. What is uncommon is having more than a single woman in these movies who are more than just set dressing or pushed back into the TSTL fainting damsel in distress category.

What's also uncommon is that Miller, once he had put together the plot, the finessed/pushed the details to show the... uniqueness of what they were doing. (Subverting male-gaze, ensuring each character had an arc and an individual personality, making them as active as the men in the resolution to the challenges they face.)
 

CrastersBabies

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Finally saw it tonight and loved it.

Baffled by some of the people I know saying things like, "It was plot thin" and, "it was like one long car chase."

Fuckin' duh.. It's Mad Max. Either these people simply don't remember the other films, or they have never seen them. :)
 

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Never saw the originals. Don't care. I am amazed at how interesting they made the movie DESPITE the fact it was one long car chase. That's some damn good writing.
 

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Mr. Putt and I saw it for the second time on Friday, and it was just as awesome as the first. :D I just want to throw all the money at it. This conversation followed the movie.

Me: If/when we have a daughter, can we name her Furiosa?
Mr. Putt: No.
Me: Then I want a divorce.
 

mayqueen

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I'm also baffled by people who say it had no plot. Yes, it was one long car chase, but Furiosa had a clear goal, an escalating antagonist, and a compelling set of stakes. What else do you need?
 

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I have a feeling that some of those complaining about lack of plot are uncomfortable with the many female characters, but either don't realize that's what they are unused to or are smart enough not to say so. Thus, they criticize the plot because that's kind of the go-to critique of action movies.
 

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I saw it this weekend and yeah, officially girlcrushing on Furiosa. Amazing film.

Apparently a friend of mine got a tattoo inspired by it: a pair of bolt cutters surrounded by a circle of metal and chains with the words "We are not things" on the metal.
 

nighttimer

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Finally saw it tonight and loved it.

Baffled by some of the people I know saying things like, "It was plot thin" and, "it was like one long car chase."

Fuckin' duh.. It's Mad Max. Either these people simply don't remember the other films, or they have never seen them. :)

I appreciate how director George Miller doesn't spend much time telling us how we got to the world of Mad Max. He simply assumes the audience either has seen Mad Max, The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome, or doesn't care to bother spending time explaining the back story.

He's got shit to blow up and shit blows up real good in Fury Road. Because seriously, Miller could have and probably should have called it Imperator Furiosa: Fury Road and it would have been just as accurate because everything Max can do Furiosa can do too and often better.

Furiosa is strong, can drive like an ace, kick ass, shoot, fight and she's doing it all for a reason. Max? Hey, he tells you right upfront: he's only trying to survive. Max is the one whose motivations evolve as the movie goes on.

This may be the most subversively feminist film of this or any other summer. I love it that there's no "Oh, Max! Please save me for I am a poor helpless woman" moments. But does it pass The Bechdel Test?

The test states:


  • 1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
  • 2. Who talk to each other
  • 3. About something besides a man

I think it passes The Bechdel Test.

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy apparently did not get on all that well on the set and maybe the friction added an additional edge to the performance.

It's always refreshing when actors get candid about what really goes down on a movie set and Charlize Theron is the latest star to tell it like it is.

When speaking with Esquire, the 39-year-old Oscar winner opened up about tensions she had with Tom Hardy while shooting Mad Max: Fury Road. It turns out rumors that the two stars were clashing on set weren't entirely false.


“We f--kin’ went at it, yeah. And on other days, he and George [Miller, the director] went at it," she reveals. "It was the isolation, and the fact that we were stuck in a rig for the entire shoot. We shot a war movie on a moving truck — there’s very little green screen. It was like a family road trip that just never went anywhere. We never got anywhere. We just drove. We drove into nothingness, and that was maddening sometimes."

"It’s material that’s really frightening — we didn’t have a script. Tom and I are actors who take our jobs seriously. Both of us want to please the directors we work with, and when you don’t know if you can deliver on that, it’s a frightening place to be — and for Tom more than me, because he was stepping into big shoes," Theron explains.


Despite going at it a few times, Charlize went on to say that she ultimately appreciated Tom's approach more than some of her peers.


"I'd rather have that honesty working with someone than someone who fake-smiles through something — especially for actors, when your job is to go for the emotional truth. When you're with somebody and you don't feel like you’re in their emotional truth, then you don't trust them," she says. "I think good actors go all the way. If you want to be a safe actor, and you emotionally protect yourself from things getting out of hand, the performance will show all of that. Anyone who really, really, really goes into the deep dark corners of what emotional truth is, as somebody who works opposite of that, you have to be grateful for that. I beg for that. I beg for that on a job, that potency to the stew that makes it that magic that it is."

Since Theron is dating Sean Penn she has some familiarity dealing with intense actor types.

I wouldn't call Fury Road a complete reset of the action genre, but it is a great thrill ride for the summer and Hardy definitely should consider doing more Mad Max movies in the future.

However, I'd be just as happy to see Theron in a future Furiosa flick as well. :Thumbs:
 
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DreamWeaver

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I saw it this weekend and yeah, officially girlcrushing on Furiosa. Amazing film.

Apparently a friend of mine got a tattoo inspired by it: a pair of bolt cutters surrounded by a circle of metal and chains with the words "We are not things" on the metal.
Love the tattoo. Also regarding the bolt cutters: one of my favorite grace notes was when Max had driven off with the rig, and Furiosa told the wives to grab what they could and run. One of the wives pauses to give a final kick to her cut-off chastity belt. I loved that. It was a perfect way of showing how much she hated being a slave.

I don't remember which one it was, though. Anyone? (I'll find out next time I see the movie, anyway :greenie).
 

Aggy B.

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Love the tattoo. Also regarding the bolt cutters: one of my favorite grace notes was when Max had driven off with the rig, and Furiosa told the wives to grab what they could and run. One of the wives pauses to give a final kick to her cut-off chastity belt. I loved that. It was a perfect way of showing how much she hated being a slave.

I don't remember which one it was, though. Anyone? (I'll find out next time I see the movie, anyway :greenie).

The Dag. The one who keeps the seeds at the end. She's also the one who sometimes seems to process reality a little differently than the rest.
 

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I don't remember which one it was, though. Anyone? (I'll find out next time I see the movie, anyway :greenie).

I want to say it was the blonde? But yes, that was a nice touch. All the agency of the wives was wonderful in often small ways. It wasn't Furiosa and Max saving a group of timid mice who all responded to their situation by holing up and letting themselves be saved. They were often strong, sometimes weak, and always real. I honestly hope more action directors are all of Hollywood is taking notes, because we need more of this. Not just more Furiosas. More Angharads, more Dags, more Toasts, more Capables, and more Cheedos. More of the old women. More real women.
 

Rags99

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I appreciate how director George Miller doesn't spend much time telling us how we got to the world of Mad Max. He simply assumes the audience either has seen Mad Max, The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome, or doesn't care to bother spending time explaining the back story.

He's got shit to blow up and shit blows up real good in Fury Road. Because seriously, Miller could have and probably should have called it Imperator Furiosa: Fury Road and it would have been just as accurate because everything Max can do Furiosa can do too and often better.

Furiosa is strong, can drive like an ace, kick ass, shoot, fight and she's doing it all for a reason. Max? Hey, he tells you right upfront: he's only trying to survive. Max is the one whose motivations evolve as the movie goes on.

This may be the most subversively feminist film of this or any other summer. I love it that there's no "Oh, Max! Please save me for I am a poor helpless woman" moments. But does it pass The Bechdel Test?

The test states:



  • 1. It has to have at least two [named] women in it
  • 2. Who talk to each other
  • 3. About something besides a man


I think it passes The Bechdel Test.

Nighttimer, those are great points.

I just wanted to say/add something myself. I have watched it twice now. I am also a huge fan of the originals.

As a male who was in love with both Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley growing up, I say why not go with Furiosa? For me, the original Mel Gibson Max would have stood toe to toe with Charlize. Mel Gibson was a very charismatic actor. One you cheered for now matter his character. I am not sold on Tom Hardy.

Right now if I had to choose, I would keep Charlize and find another Max. He didn't do enough in his scenes to keep me. I wouldn't put up any hissy fit if they recast Max. Just me though.
 

Viridian

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I really liked this Max. He has an odd sort of vulnerability. Lots of pent-up emotion. Lots of confusion and fear.

Even if the two actors didn't get along, I think they complimented each other well in the movie. Furiosa is so calm and in control, and Max is struggling just to hold on.
 

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Max was meh for me. All about Furiosa.

I also got a very strong Orky vibe from the War boys ("Waaaaaaaaaaagh!"), although that may just be because I played too much 40K when I was younger. Certainly there were too many women for a 40K film...
 

Aggy B.

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Yeah, I like this Max too. I think a lot of his character hinges on his comment to Furiosa that hope is pointless unless you can fix what's broken, because otherwise it will just drive you mad. He can't fix what's broken in his life, so he just survives. But Furiosa and the others do have a chance to fix their problems.

But Max is interesting because of how he adapts without becoming The Hero. (Which is the typical way this plot tends to play out.)
 

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As a male who was in love with both Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley growing up, I say why not go with Furiosa? For me, the original Mel Gibson Max would have stood toe to toe with Charlize. Mel Gibson was a very charismatic actor. One you cheered for now matter his character. I am not sold on Tom Hardy.

Right now if I had to choose, I would keep Charlize and find another Max. He didn't do enough in his scenes to keep me. I wouldn't put up any hissy fit if they recast Max. Just me though.

It's not just you. Tom Hardy is a great actor, but I'm not certain he's a great Max. You could have just as well cast any good looking slab of beef like Chris Hemsworth or Sam Worthington in the same part for the same results.

Unhappily for Charlize Theron, by the time some genius picks up on the vibe it's HER character, not Hardy who dazzled so many viewers, she'll be on the wrong side of 40 and "too old" for the part.

Maggie Gyllenhaal can tell her all about it. There's something seriously dysfunctional in how shabbily Hollywood treats women.
 

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It's not just you. Tom Hardy is a great actor, but I'm not certain he's a great Max. You could have just as well cast any good looking slab of beef like Chris Hemsworth or Sam Worthington in the same part for the same results.

Unhappily for Charlize Theron, by the time some genius picks up on the vibe it's HER character, not Hardy who dazzled so many viewers, she'll be on the wrong side of 40 and "too old" for the part.

Huh, I thought everyone, including the critics, agree that Theron was pretty much the star of the show? I wasn't aware of there being any news about replacing her in the next movie.
 

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I really liked this Max. He has an odd sort of vulnerability. Lots of pent-up emotion. Lots of confusion and fear.

Even if the two actors didn't get along, I think they complimented each other well in the movie. Furiosa is so calm and in control, and Max is struggling just to hold on.

I thought Hardy did amazing. But I've liked him in pretty much everything.