Mad max and the fury road

Review
Mad Max is a perfect modern take on the heros journey story device and
is executed perfectly by director George Miller as the story is already
considered one of George Millers babies. We are given our first remake
done by the original director and it is a thing of b eauty and pure
adrenaline.

(fig 1 ) fi l m po st er

The films pacing and storytelling pulls us through the stage of the heros
journey like we were on a heros journey rol ler coaster. This is most
likely due to the fact that this is a fast paced adrenaline -fueled
experience and action driven story instead of a more ten sion building
action adventure.
This style complements the world that we are introduced to and the fast
paced action of the multiple cars that dominat e the world Max lives in

creating a very complimentary tempo to this film which fits perfectly

with every scene.

After some initial exposition , both by using a montage of news reports ,

we are quickly given a picture of what is supposed to be the ordina ry
world for Max, pl ayed by Tom Hardy known for his ability to play strong
characters as his roles in Darknight rises and Lawless have shown us.

( Fig 2 ) o pe ni ng st i ll

We are introduced to this character during a short monologue as we pan

up to get our first view of M ax. This shot and monologue set us up
quickly with a concept art style shot which gives us the information we
need about Max and that this is the normal world for him and is what the
world has become. This is all quickly shattered as the approaching cars
we can hear during the monologue have been heading straight for are
character and we are t hrown straight into the ac tion. After we watch Max
get chased down and captured , we in theory are given the stages from the
call to adventure to the refusal to call of adventure and the
supernatural aid which comes as a vision of a little girl and his
attempted escape.
The intro helps the audience to also understand Max as a strong
character as we see during Maxs daring escape attempt, we find out the
fact that this character is fully capable and wont need a mentor
character. He has all the knowledge he needs before the introduction and
shows us the story is fast paced and not reliant on pushing forward using
action as its main plot device . We can see that George Miller is very
comfortable with this story and d oes not want to just remake the films he
made before but make the film he wanted to the first time round .
There are other scenes which can be seen as Max s heros journey stages ,
but this opening sequence fits the act structure the best an d sets up the
fast pacing of this film. D ue to there being two central characte rs, we get
two possible sets of the opening acts . These opening credits acts should be

taken into consideration due to the films multiple protagonist s and story
lines which end up linking together. After the first couple of acts , this
time taken to set up his characters means, as an audience we have more of
an emotional investment in the story.

As we enter the kingdom of immortal Joe , we are shown a fully realized

world filled with mythology a nd strong foundations. We can see the
thought that went into this film by the production designer Colin Gibson
and art directors Shira Hockmen and Jacinta Leong .
This strong visual isations of the production team give us a fully
immersive world which we are shown by the talented director of
photography John Seale. Due to this power house of a production team we
truly get the full strength of their vision and thought taken on style and
aesthetics, which does nothing more than make Mad Max a visually
stunning and visually cohesive world. This helps tell the story in ways
that most other action films tend to neglect.
As the film has already set itself up to have a fast pacing , we are quickly
introduced to the other key characters who have been cast extremely well.
All the actors in this film seem to have brought the ir A game to this film
along with their amazing costumes designed by Jenny Beavon. They all
deliver iconic character s who are probably going to be around for ages to
come.
Especially Immortal Joe played by Hugh Keays -Byrne who is the only
cast member from t he original Mad Max films when he p layed Toe
Cutter, but this new performance as Immortal Joe will probably be what
hes remembered for instead , as he brings such a strong presence in his
opening scene. W e truly get to understand the plight of the people u nder
his rule just by his acting and appearance alone.

( Fig 3 ) sti ll o f i mmo rta l jo e

As we are given a quick look at the world in which Immortal Joe rules,
we are introduced to the second main heroin - Imperator Furiosa played
by Charlize Theron from Prometheus films . She plays one of the
strongest on-screen female heroines since Sigourney Weavers role as
Ripley in Aliens and is remembered as much as a pop culture icon as well.
This leads the director George Miller to give us a postmodern first act as
the actions of Furiosa are just as important as M axs and is why Max
technically has two sets of first acts in the heros journey .
When Furiosa goes off track it cause s them both to have to a call to
adventure. The act of going off her original mission is her call to action
and her moment of deciding w hether or not to go ahead with her plan is
also her refusal of the call to action.

( Fig 4 ) sti ll fro m c ha se

This sudden plot development shows us that she is also a hero in this
world and brings us back to Max. This action creates a chain reaction
which starts the main adventur e.
When Immortal Joe orders his war boys after Furiosa , we are given a
belly of the whale act as well as a call to action as Max is hanging in a
prison being used as a blood bag for Nux , played by Nicholas Hoult . We
could argue this is literally the belly of the whale as Max is stuck in a
situation which seems impossible for him to escape but this is also why it
leads us to be able to say that this is a call to action and a refusal of
the call as Nux argues his right to die in battle . Max ends up being
brought into the adventure against his will but this also gets him involved
in the action , making it possible to see this as multiple points.
This also happens again after the amazing set piece , which is just the
convoy trying to catch up with Furio sa. The battle that issues with the
rival faction this whole scene is a beautiful example of good film making ,

where the director has used both practical and CGI in a perfect
combination that delivers a breath-taking car chase.

( f ig 5 ) M a ki ng o f st il l o f cha se

This whole chase can be seen as one big refusal of the call to adventure
just from Tom Hardys acting in this scene. He delivers the pure feeling
of some one who does not want to be in this situation all the way up until
the supernatural aid and the crossing the threshold moment. As this
film is one big chase, most of the acts happen simultaneous ly with no let
up to the supernatural aid as well as the little girl . The flash backs can
also be seen, as the storm which Furiosa drives head-on through, with
Nux driving Max through this decision is wha t brings all the characters
together without any great adventure or escape pieces . This is why you
can argue with the fact that both M ax and Furiosa are the heroes. When
they meet, they both have their own journey and goals which are
completely different. They both meet due to the goddess , which are
literally shown as being goddesses , when Max comes across T he Splendid
Angharad played b Rosie Hntington -Whiteley. Alongside which were
Capable, played by Riley Keough , The Dag Played by Ab bey Lee Cheedo,
The Fragile Played by Courtney Eaton and finally Toast the K nowing.
Toast is shot as if she is a mirage, alo ng with the other girls , and is
literally covered in the life force of this world (clean water) and are all
dressed in white like the goddesses they are supposed to be.

( f ig 6 ) pro mo tio na l p ict ure

This scene helps to meld the two main heros stories . This scene also uses
literal goddesses but in the wasteland world the goddess for M ax is most
likely the rig. The rig holds all the water Max could ever want, and
alongside his freedom, Furiosa shares the same goals. That is why this
scene is considered the final point on the road of trials where Max and
Furiosa battle for the truck . This battle pits them both equally against
each other whilst their true enemy gains ground on them. Whilst they
fight the victor of this battle , Max is then straight away faced with the
women as temptress es, as he has affirmed himself as the greater warrior
and has become a focal point as the hero. He tries to leave and go back to
his ordinary world and when that doesnt work due to the truck being
reprogrammed by Furiosa , he just says he will wait for Immortal J oe.
This point has the best representation of the women as temptress es as it
shows Max trying to abandon his morality just to survival and become a
kind of bad guy. When he realizes this is not an option, the story and
mission gets back on task and Furiosa and Maxs goals become th e same.
After a few more high intensity scene s, we come to the atonement with
the father. This scene is not your typical atonement with the father but
is the point which solidifies M ax and Furiosas partnership, which then
focuses them on their task. In the scene where Rosie Huntington
Whitelys character Angharad saves Max during Immortal Joes attack
on the tanker, this action is the first time that Max comes face to face
with his enemy. This scene also contains the apotheosis.
As Angharad dies, this creates the point of no return as M ax is now fully
embroiled in the mission to get to the Green Place. This scene also creates
an emotional connection with the group he is traveling with , making them
more of a unit.

After this scene the action slows down . This pacing works as it makes the
audience aware of the character -driven side of the s tory. This slowing of
the pacing helps give the viewer a break and also means the director can
set up more of the characters and show more of the in ner-workings of
these characters. We see how Max and Furiosa may be tough as nails but
they are still human beings . This humanization of all the characters is a
beautiful moment and symbolises the contrast between them and
Immortal Joe, who is a monstrous looking character. Though Immortal
Joe does have a moment of humani ty where he mourns over the loss he
has just suffered.

Due to the amazing characte r design in this film, there is always a strong
look to every character , though there is a physical difference in the
character which makes this film easy to read. Immortal Joe and his men
have become physical monsters wi th their power war paint and seemingly
ghoul like appearance . This applies to all the evil characters in the film.
Due to their acceptance of the madness which is the waste land by
showing these people as ghoulish monster s, we can easily read their
greed, insanity and generally evil nature. I think this helps draw a clear
line between g ood and evil in the harsh wasteland, though when you
consider the in which Immortal Joe mourns his lost love, it brings back
the fact that these are all just men , not beasts. This transition can also be
attributed to Nux. We see him going from a demented war boy at the
beginning to a scared child due to his failures. After this, Nux becomes
much more humanized, as do most of the war boys. This helps the viewer
to truly understand the evil nature of I mmortal Joe and the other leaders.

After this scene the director spends some time developing his characters
more. We see the brides as mother-like characters due to Capable and
Nuxs relationship . This stops the brides from just being useless
background characters and more like key allies.
We also get to see a development of a relationship between Furiosa and
Max. This helps humanize these characters and makes them less of
stereotypically action-hero, giving them more depth and reasoning for
their actions. Doing this helps the film lift the narrative away from just
being a constant and mad action film. These developments are needed as
this film is not heavily dialogue-driven and also helps separate the new
Mad Max from the original, more dialogue-driven films. W e see more
emotion and character development which is refreshing for an action film
like this, which could so easily have been a Michael Bay-style teenageboy-dream. Ultimately, this ends up making the film better-rounded .

( Fig 7 ) a cto r co mp a r iso n pict ur e

As we get to meet Thoriosas people, the Vuvalini, we get to the final act
which is well delivered and brings the audience to realise the strong
messages that the film contains, of gender equality anti - sexism and the
need to look after the plant.

The need for us to care for our planet (and each other) ends up being the
ultimate boon as the knowledge and the seeds the Vuvalini give the brides
is as close to an elixir of life as this film can present without jumping
the shark. This is a smart move, although the film has many points which
could be considered surreal and over the top, they never really push it to
the point of being unbelievable and the bag of seeds is a fitting boom.

The plan that comes out of this is what creat es the refusal to return as
all characters except from Max have still not found peace, but this is how
it fits very well as Maxs ordinary world is his freedom to roam the
wasteland. But he chose to go for the David and Goliath battle, then run
like Furiosa and the Vuvalini have chosen to. After the point in which
Furiosa and the brides gain their true freedom, we get an amazing magic
flight rescue without crossing the return threshold and the master of two
worlds and freedom to live which all fit into the last act

The magic flight is literally their charge back to the citadel.

The rescue from without comes from Nux
The crossing the threshold is their actual return to the cit adel, and the
master of two world s is Max as he know s he has a home and is free to go
back to the wasteland. The fact that all these moment s and many of the
act structures happen simultaneously gives this film a good flow and
means it doesnt get stilted at all.
This films use of structure and well fought out scenes makes it a fresh
example of intelligent directing and how a big budget studio film can be
done right with its postmodern concepts but classic story telling and still
be fast paced and adrenaline fuelled .
This film will most likely go down as a cult classic in its own right and
both be regarded as its own franchise and a great example of how an old
franchise can be brought to the modern audience without under mining
the original.

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