CINEMA
It’s ‘FuriOsa’, Not ‘FuriosA’
The fall and rise and fall and rise of Mad Max
The following overview contains no spoilers for the recent Mad Max film. It might have some spoilers for parts one and three, but they came out more than 40 years ago, so I am not the one to blame.
My failed attempt to scribble down a film review on the new Mad Max addition ended up with me rewatching all the films in one sitting.
Strangely enough, I still possess a useless ability to bull through hours of films without feeling guilty for wasting a tremendous amount of time.
Ever since I watched the first three films as a child, a question has been bugging me all the time — why is the first Mad Max film so different from the rest of the franchise? Now I have a new one.
Do we even need Mad Max in it?
What was supposed to be a detailed breakdown of a flamethrower blockbuster turned into a quick franchise analysis. On the plus side, it can save you two days of post-apocalyptic sandy wasteland time.
Mad Max hit the screens in 1979. Mel Gibson portrays a cop who chases gangs on wheels in what seems to be a low-budget depiction of a collapsing society. Eventually, he gets tired and tries to retire, but a ruthless biker gang finds him and takes revenge.
A basic but solid origin story.
Yet when Mad Max 2 came out in 1981, it felt like at least a hundred years had passed. Australia turned into a deserted wasteland, and those who remained were now fighting for the last drops of precious gasoline. Biker gangs became tyrannies on wheels, and their leaders got funny names.
Picking hilarious names for villains is a trademark of the Mad Max franchise.
Still, Max resembles his former self, although in a very ghostly way, which is acceptable considering the circumstances.
It’s the world around him that drives the first and second parts far apart, creating a feeling of two completely different and unrelated films.
The third part, Beyond Thunderdome, arrived four years later in 1985. Although much closer to the second one in terms of social decay, it already features some form of government — an entity that requires a few more decades to form. Mel Gibson, still a rogue lone ranger, fights his way to freedom in the city of “Bartertown” — a rather self-explanatory title.
Once again, goofy villain names are bestowed upon us by the quill of George Miller and Terry Hayes — The Aunty Entity and Master-Blaster.
When Max finally escapes, he ends up in a mild version of the Lord of the Flies, surrounded by kids who await their mysterious savior. This part broke a couple of circuits in my brain.
Why would you turn what was a post-apocalyptic action-adventure into a family-friendly comedy with a jolly train chase?
Despite the unimpressive ending, the film turned out to be fairly well-crafted. However, it took Hollywood thirty years to pick up the dusty franchise that was burning in a tire fire of development hell.
Once again, George Miller took matters into his own hands. This time the plan was to cut all the complex layers of dystopian social downfalls and create a pure benzine-infused nitro road movie.
And it came out just great.
In fact, so great that Fury Road was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2015, grossing a worldwide total of $380.4 million and bringing home six Academy Awards.
World-wise, it was aligned with the third film, looking like it was set at least a hundred years later than the first one. However, this time it was Max who changed the most.
If the first three movies were somehow glued together by Max Rockatansky, a former policeman who lost his wife and child and is now wandering the wasteland with no past and future, the new reboot showed Max as an almost feral baboon, with little to no dialogue, barely able to communicate with the far more educated Furiosa.
It has nothing to do with Tom Hardy’s acting game — the part I enjoyed — but rather the desire to create a completely renewed Max. This time Max wasn’t a gloomy know-it-all survivor, but a part of the wasteland — someone who grew up in this post-apocalyptic nightmare and managed to adapt.
Nothing from the first and second parts was left in him. His memory of his murdered loved ones seemed so far-fetched I thought someone forgot to edit this scene out.
Mad Max became just a title, a mere reason to create a new postapocalyptic playground.
And now, nine long years later, Furiosa finally sees the light of a projector.
Furiosa is well-written, the title character is complex, battles mixed emotions, and is not just a victim of the circumstances but the very cause of her troubles.
The downside of the movie for me is Chris Hemsworth, specifically his character, who looks more like a comic relief than a serious threat.
Overall, although the world still requires some building and the continuity of events in the film feels broken, Furiosa holds up to the task of igniting the Mad Max cinematic universe.
There’s but one tiny hiccup.
If the second and third parts made the first film look insignificant, thus undermining the protagonist’s origin story, this new addition to the world of dystopian Australia goes even further.
It makes Mad Max as a character obsolete.
Max Rockatansky, as seen in Fury Road, fades into the abyss compared to the story seeds planted in Furiosa. From the mystery of Citadels to captivating side characters, Furiosa opens the door to a whole new storytelling world. And Mad Max is just another name in it.
A rare situation occurred — the main character has been cast out of his cinematic universe. And Fury Road is to blame for making Max a confused dweller with no backstory and shallow communication skills.
Alas, even though poor Max is struggling to crawl back onto the throne of his own franchise, I am confident we will see more additions in the near future (unless, of course, the events of the films begin taking place in real Australia, which is doubtful at best).
One more movie has been announced already, and, who knows, perhaps HBO Max will consider going HBO Mad Max and ordering a season or two.
From my animation-influenced perspective, I would love to see this universe turned into an anime. I even played with AI a little, to see if this concept is alive and I believe it is.
If you enjoyed this story, you can always follow me for more. Maybe somebody will even give you a cookie. Who knows, the world is full of surprises!
Interested in Mad Max's backstory? I suggest reading Mad Max: Fury Road graphic novel. It sheds some light on the characters’ origins and tries to glue all the films together…
Tries.
