Mad Max: Fury Road was a chaotic, adrenaline packed thrill ride that had the right amount of horror, action and absolutely insanity. George Miller, who was the mastermind behind the original Mad Max has brought this crazy world back to the big screen. It doesn’t disappoint but this movie has different tones and foundations that fans might not be expecting when they see it this weekend. Fury Road is an action movie driven by feminist ideals.
Miller set out to make an astoundingly intense action movie and he has. This movie is full of skillfully choreographed action sequences, practical effects and over the top explosions. That and even more has been accomplished on screen in Fury Road but it also makes a strong statement when it comes to feminism and women in film.
Yes, Tom Hardy has received top billing and has been promoted as the star of this movie but this is Charlize Theron’s film. Theron plays Imperator Furiosa opposite Hardy’s Max. Hardy and Theron work together as a team during the film and are equals. She commands the screen and is an action star in her own right. Theron moves the plot forward with her subtle character development all while kicking ass. She proves that she is not just a phenomenal actress but is able to embody being a warrior in every shot.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Theron was asked about her thoughts on being in such an action heavy film and how she felt about being a part of a project that had such strong feminist themes. "I felt that very strongly when I left the movie. What really rung very loudly in it was the importance that women have in this world of survival. And, so clearly, the younger generation of women were represented in it; my generation was represented; then this older generation of women were represented in it. I was very happy to be a girl with boobies and be a part of that," explained Theron.
Miller returns to the Mad Max world after thirty years and yet he doesn’t return to typical movie stereotypes. He advances women in film and embraces them. The entire plot of this movie focuses on a group of women (The Mothers) and their survival. The Mothers look to Furiosa to help save them, no one else. What Miller does brilliantly with this story is that Theron feels natural as the lead action star; he didn’t cast a female in this role to be politically correct.
Fury Road embraces women in all of their aspects, from being emotionally and physically strong yet compassionate, it also focuses on many generations of women and the different aspects they offer to this story.
Theron can add her name to actresses who own their physical power and becoming lead action stars in their own right. Gone are the days that we need a male action hero to save the day.
With characters like Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow and Star Wars embracing more female actors, it’s clear that actresses are ushering in a new era for women in film; an era that results in women saving themselves instead of being the damsels in distress waiting for a prince. Sigourney Weaver would be proud.
Watch the trailer for Mad Max: Fury Road here:
Image courtesy of INFphoto.com