At what point does the credit you give a film for being progressive and different override a thin story and themes that feel on the surface? If you are like me and you have just seen Mad Max: Fury Road this is a question you feel yourself wrestling with.
To be quite honest, Mad Max: Fury Road isn’t a bad film. It’s an action film with some fun stunts, a loud score and a good sound mix. George Miller has a unique mind and brings this interesting spin on the world to this film. However, I have to say that outside of the performances from Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult and the final action set piece, the movie didn’t really engage me in a visceral way that the technical aspects of the film wish it had. Furthermore, what struck me about Mad Max: Fury Road is that it is a movie that wants to make statements and deal with ideas, but the movie doesn’t really dig into them. And while it can be explained that because this movie is basically one big car chase and simplicity is king, the meat that I needed to really be invested in the film wasn’t there.
It’s a hard thing to get into just why I felt this way about the film, because all the elements seemed to be there. This was really a case of a movie just not coming together for me (and the reasoning this review will be pretty short).
Much has been made of the film being a feminist action picture, and indeed the movie has kick ass women who know what they want and are driven to get it. In a way, the men are literally only there to support the women’s quest. However, by the end, I found myself wondering why they were needed at all. Max (Tom Hardy) and Nux are two entire expendable characters, except for the one or two times they are needed to fix something or do some bit of action. And while one can say this is a role reversal and maybe even a critique of those types of characters, it doesn’t make them detract from the movie or the female plight any less. Imperator Furiosa and the girls she’s trying to save are wonderful characters and yet, I felt moments were taken away from them by virtue of Max and Nux. Particularly, in what sets up the thrilling final action set piece, the decision to pursue a particular course of action is made not by the women figuring it out, but Max entering back in. The plot of the story would perfectly enable its female characters to come to this decision but yet Max is hanging around so I guess he needed something to do. If you want to commit to an idea, commit all the way.
But despite my misgivings and general lack of enthusiasm for the picture, I cannot say not to see the film. The performances are strong enough to carry you through the movie and there is some amazing action to behold. Hopefully it will stick with you more than me.