George Miller is an ecology minded director with an eye on the concerns of the future of mankind, its treatment of animals and lastly but most importantly, the value of women not just for decoration but for everything that matters. That must be why he gave over his Mad Max reboot to Charlize Theron who, with Fury Road, becomes one of the screen’s great icons — male or female — to inhabit the entire film, leaving her co-stars mostly in the dust. Literally. Theron’s Imperator Furiosa is not ass-kicking eye candy meant to aid the hero in his quest to save the world. This film is her quest to change the messed up the world and fix what’s wrong. Who killed the world? Well, Fury Road makes that quite clear.
With one arm cgi-d off, Theron cuts a tall, lean, mean figure — part Ripley in the Alien series, part Mad Max in the Mel Gibson incarnations. For once she knows the weaponry better than any dude, is a better shot, and will fight the thing to the death not to delight the fancy of male viewers but she is, at last, a human being beyond even her sex.
To that end, I personally don’t see Mad Max: Fury Road as a “feminist” film because I see the women as human beings fighting for the salvation of the planet and the right to be free. They are all oppressed but it’s the women, led by Theron, who ultimately take a righteous and bloody stand. A feminist argument could easily made, one that talks about sex trafficking, Hollywood sexism, but the brilliant thing about this film and why it’s such a giant step forward is that the women are treated equally — they are fighters, they are eye candy, they are nurturers, they are making decisions. Fury Road would have been a great movie without the women playing an equal part but it is an exceptional one with them. Leave it to George Miller to wipe clean the recent trend of “move over honey I’ll drive” casting. Those who make the decisions in Hollywood that led to this sorry-ass state of affairs should get schooled from the wise and experienced Miller.
Fury Road is loud, all up in your grill, non-stop, blaring, jarring action for most of it. It does calm down eventually as it sets itself up for its unforgettably thrilling, applause-inducing finale. The theater here in Cannes burst into spontaneous applause many times but especially after that sequence. Half of it seems cinematically impossible, let alone physically. But Miller’s camera just doesn’t want to stop and breathe. It flies about, following hands reaching for guns, feet jamming on pedals, nails ramming into foreheads, people climbing underneath speeding vehicles and then there’s that barren landscape, the end of the world where everything turned to dust.
Fury Road is so much spectacle. Theron gives the film its beating heart. That might sound like the role women are often given but in this case, she has no love interest but is on a mission to save the “breeders,” a group of the prettiest, freshest, youngest women being held as sex slaves. This group includes a surprisingly talented Rose Huntington Whitely. Surprising because she’s a model, like the rest of them, who can act. She’s mostly known as Jason Statham’s girlfriend but in this film she shows that she’s got something beyond her very pretty face.
Miller casts women of all types and varieties but I was particularly thrilled seeing older women as warriors. Of course, they have all types of men playing fighters and warriors too but it’s not often you get to see any woman over the age of sixty lobbing spears and bullets in the name of righteousness.
Tom Hardy makes for a marvelous Mad Max, though he does take a slight backseat to Theron. This is her story mostly and he reluctantly helps. Still, the moments he does prove why he’s one of the best of his generation. What a versatile actor he’s proving to be, with the help of many opportunities available to him. Not so with Ms. Theron, who once seemed to have peaked with Monster. Too many actresses show us what they can really do, win an Oscar, then disappear. She’s turned up a few times but nothing on this scale. Theron has sweetened with age and might go on to have a much richer career because of this shaved head, road warrior moment she’s been given.
Some men seem to feel resentment at the use of the word feminist. All it really means is equal rights for women. Yet the word has become so loaded it almost seems to lug around a parenthetical that also says (man-hater). Fury Road shows us a world where women are given equal opportunities to defend themselves and fight for justice. In rescuing the “breeders” Theron is changing the way men in power view women. That counts as fighting for equal rights so you would be well within the realm of reality to call her a feminist. That isn’t how I saw the movie, though, I must admit. We’ve become so dry in how women are portrayed anymore that any leading role a woman gets automatically seems to make it fodder for feminist writers or critics.
But I grew up in a different time where women did star in movies. Just as Theron and her crew were searching for green things, fresh water and life to return to, Miller has returned the role of women to the big screen as people. Fury Road is a cinematic experience like no other — not just because 80% of the effects are practical — non-cgi — and not just because he treats women as people, but because it is a thrill a minute, one of the most breathtaking action films I’ve ever seen. It’s a work of art on a grand scale. The only thing left is the bottom line.
As far as the Oscar race goes, could Charlize Theron sneak in? Stranger thing have happened, but my initial thoughts on that are there will be more Oscar-y kinds of performances that will be introduced. Follow the money.
I’ve seen it twice, and I can say it’s easily #1 on my list of best of the year so far. It’s editing was flawless, and it’s cinematography was breathtaking. It’s hands down a classic.
most of this high rating madness are from kids under 30yo old, and studios itself, FACT! so for classic mad max fans you will not miss nothing not seeing it. its a polished hollow CRAP!
Just saw that thing. This is art! Perfect.
I saw this film yesterday. I went in with low expectations so it wasn’t going to take much to impress me, and low and behold, it was worse than I thought. I found it hard to find many redeeming things about the film. I don’t know where all this talk is going about Oscars….but, in my opinion, it is not getting anything, unless it is sound…but Theron was very average and wondered why she even took the role except to earn a paycheck. It is not doing anything at Oscars…come on guys! Save your money or go see Ex Machina!!!
Seen it twice yesterday! Warner Bros. has been good pushing for their big budget movies into the Oscar race such as LOTR trilogy, Inception and Gravity. I could see Mad Max Fury Road making it all the way in. Ex Machina and Mad Max Fury Road best movie of the year so far.
So after having seen the movie I will agree that it is not a feminist movie. It surely is one of the most kickass things I’ve ever seen though. And Charlize Theron maybe be the true lead but I think people saying Tom Hardy wasn’t in it as much is an overstatement. They seemed to share about the same amount of screen time since both of their characters are almost never more than a hundred feet apart, even when he’s tied up to the front of the car. I felt this was the story of 3 different characters (Max, Furiosa and Nux). With that I’ll say Nicholas Hoult was very good in his role.
John, I agree. I don’t see the Academy going for Theron. She was great but I highly doubt she’d make it into the final 5. This is the sort of performance in a big action movie that should be considered for a closer look though.
Loved it. Want to see it again in the theaters. What a blast. Nearly perfect from beginning to end. I have to say, this film really should receive nominations across the board. Having said that, as awesome as Theron is … I don’t see the Academy going for her. There isn’t quite enough meat to the performance, even though shes excellent as Furiosa. I expect notations throughout the award season for her, but I thnk the Academy will look elsewhere during the onslaught of prestige films that come out Oct-Dec. still, awards potential aside, Im just glad the movie exists 🙂
Saw it this afternoon, this movie is effing amazing. I find it very hard to believe there will be 5-10 better films than MMFR this year, so sure, it’d be on my Best Picture ballot.
Just saw it – good lord. I counted 9 noms.
Another known as Mad Max: Wacky Races
Also with Sasha here. More of an egalitarian fantasy than feminist.
Film of the year.
This movie has Oscar written all over it. Sorry, but such ecstatic reviews will not be ignored for its chances for best picture. I can easily see 8 nominations, and I am really anxious to hear JunkieXL has been nominated for an Oscar. The score is also getting major buzz.+
“George Miller is an ecology minded director with an eye on the concerns of the future of mankind, its treatment of animals and lastly but most importantly, the value of women not just for decoration but for everything that matters.”
Not only that, which is beyond plenty, but 70 year old Miller puts to rest notions of ageism. The doctor-turned-self-taught director who made the gentle Happy Feet and Babe not only raises the bar, he jams it through the effing ceiling.
Whedon, Bay, Verhoeven, Emmerich and Snyder take note: to paraphrase another Aussie, “You call those action films? Those aren’t action films. THIS is an action film!”
Love the feeling when a film exceeds my already high expectations. What a beauty!
My unquestionable favourite film of the year so far.
Works flawlessly as spectacle (it’s one of the best looking and sounding films of the last 10 years) , as human drama (lots of people crying in my screening) and zeitgeist-y cinema (equality – be it of gender or of resources).
Sasha, I love how you saw Furiosa as a combination of Ripley and Gibson’s Mad Max. That’s a great observation, totally with you there!
As for Best Actress, I can’t see it. The slower, quieter moments of the film often weren’t up to the same standard as the rest of the film, and there just isn’t enough meat there for Theron to garner a nomination barring a truly weak year for the category. Weaver’s performance in Aliens demanded it through her stunning motherly scenes with Newt (among other things). Theron is fantastic, but there isn’t enough there to put together an Oscar campaign.
It might have a sneaky shot at a Best Picture nomination, but I expect it to sweep a lot of tech categories instead, including cinematography and editing. The Bourne Ultimatum in some respects might be a good comparison. Given recent winner trends in Australia’s AACTAs (our Oscars), I do expect it to sweep Picture/Director barring an unforeseen all-timer.
Sasha, for all that you insist that it’s not a feminist film, you sure write a lot about the women. But, then, that’s what it’s about after all. Anyway, since my (correct) interpretation of feminism is the same as yours, that women and men are equal under nature, and since the film so pointedly champions its female characters and largely depicts its men as brainless brutes, I’m going all in on the feminist argument here. I think it’s a beacon among blockbusters for the cause of equality.
Oscar? It’d need gargantuan box office and terrific legs. Charlize has her moments Steven, don’t you worry, but it’s not a showy role, and the actors probably won’t care much for the film overall. Tech nods seem likely though. Any nods would be deserving. It’s pretty fucking awesome.
largely depicts its men as brainless brutes
Every dusty dystopian post-apocalyptic after-bar I’ve ever been to is packed to the rafters with brainless brutes. Brainless brutes and bitchy little twinks. Most all the people I party with are brainless brutes, bitchy little twinks or the kickass women who put up with us.
7:30 tonight! Can’t wait!
Meh. Don’t see this as an Oscar movie outside of techs. It would need a virtual perfect storm to halon: Cannes film fail, fall festival films fail, big studio Christmas films to fail, and then on top of that, the 99% of critics that are giving it positive reviews have to vote for it when no one is looking. So till it gets a PGA/DGA nom, I’m just gonna enjoy this as a summer movie.
I’ll just share my lengthy reflection on the question of Max-as-Oscar-film that I’ve shared elsewhere:
Mad Max Fury Road: Oscar contender?
Once upon a time I’d have thought it a fantasy. A genre film in the tradition of a cult series known as much for its punkish aesthetic as for its action? Not bloody likely.
That was then. This is now.
Now we’re looking at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, an average score of 9/10, and a Metacritic score of 90. The stuff of contenders.
We’re looking at a veteran director with several nominations under his belt for writing and producing, but never for directing. A cast led by a hot new star and a past Oscar winner. Feminist themes prominent enough to earn repeated critical notice–and threats of an MRA boycott.
In short, we’re looking at something special. And we’re also looking at an Academy which, while not free from the weaknesses of old, has stepped outside of their comfort zone more than many have given them credit for.
We’ve seen Michael Haneke, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Nolan, and Spike Jonze all get their first Best Picture nominations. We’ve seen the first Picture winners directed by women and by people of color. Films like Birdman, Gravity, Her, Inception, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Amour, Whiplash, and The Tree of Life, which once would have seemed too small, too strange, too genre, or just too far afield to get nominated have pulled it off.
Even traditional rules, like not winning without Best Director or Best Editing nominations, have been broken. Times are changing, Reb Tevye.
So can it happen, and if so, to what extent? The reviews are there. Even if they drop, 95% is as low as they’re likely to go. And the audiences should be there as well–if this flops, it’d be as baffling as it is tragic. It would need the support of the studio, but why would they not tender it? At this point it’s a little early to say what our contenders will be, but damned if we can’t start building the buzz now.
Let’s go by category and see what might be:
Picture: Who knows? I say if Gravity can be a serious contender, you can’t argue too much against this. No joke, this has more depth than that film. AND it’s more logically believable. (#GhostClooney) Winning is almost certainly out of the question, but a nomination might not be. If it could build grassroots support it might happen. A lot depends on how many nominees we have–five and there’s no way, ten and it’s quite possible, in between and it’s dicey but not off the table.
Director: I say it could happen. Miller is respected, he has nominations (for writing Lorenzo’s Oil and writing and producing Babe–okay, if he can make a talking pig movie a Picture contender, he can make this happen), it’s an enormously impressive directing job, and right now I don’t see a ton of competition. I’m saying it could very well happen.
Actor: No. It might help push Hardy to a nomination for something else–namely Legend–but the role is too archetypal, too monosyllabic. Even given what he does with his facial expressions, he won’t, and shouldn’t be nominated. (He should’ve been up for Locke, but that’s another matter.)
Actress: I actually think Theron could get on. She’s getting really good reviews for the role, and is generally being credited as the true protagonist of the film. I’m still not sure if I think it would be merited, but a lot of other voices emphatically say it would be. And since she hasn’t been up in years…
Supporting Actor: I thought Nicholas Hoult was great here, and he has the kind of arc which makes perfect sense as a nominee. He’s up-and-coming and well-liked. This is usually a tough category, but fuck it, I’m rooting for him. Let him ride in chrome. Hugh Keays-Byrne, however, isn’t going to happen. Joe just doesn’t do quite enough to justify a nomination. Unless they go for it in the biggest way possible, it won’t happen.
Supporting Actress: Who would you pick? None of the wives or Vuvalini really stand out enough to qualify. MAYBE they could make a case for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley or Zoë Kravitz, but unless this is an offensively weak year for this category, no dice.
Adapted Screenplay: The thematic elements are hard to ignore, but this series has never really been about the writing. This category tends to be a bit weak, at least recently (Life of Pi got nominated in this category, which is just absurd), but I’m thinking no. (Though it would be AWESOME.)
Cinematography: It’s magnificently shot by an Oscar winner. By rights it SHOULD make it on. And since I’m not seeing a lot of prime contenders for this category at the moment (at least not enough to crowd it out outright), I think it could happen. Those night scenes are pretty incredible.
Editing: It’s practically made for this category. Personally, I wish it were a little tighter overall, but scene-by-scene, they cut the shit out of this movie. Barring some Oscar-bait getting a token nomination here to make it a stronger contender, I could see it. Whiplash won this, after all, and I don’t think we saw that coming more than a couple of weeks out.
Production Design: I don’t see how you don’t. This series basically invented an entire aesthetic, the cars are magnificent, the Citadel nearly as impressive…it’d be a fuck-up if they didn’t.
Costume Design: Nah. The costumes are good, but not THAT good.
Makeup/Hairstyling: Immortan Joe, the Half-Life Boys and War Pups, the blood and burns…how do they NOT?
Score: “Oscar nominee Junkie XL.” I’ll keep an ear out for the score next time around to see if it makes more of an impression. I wouldn’t mind, certainly.
Song: Was there one?
Sound Mixing: If they don’t, they’re fools.
Sound Editing: If they don’t, they don’t know their business.
Visual Effects: They made a big point of not using much CGI, but they clearly enhanced it, and it looks damn good, so…why not?
This has been on my must-see list for a while and the reviews by you and others in the past week have got me even more excited. I am definitely seeing this over the weekend. I don’t know that it will end up being a “follow the money” type movie though, at least not in the U.S. It’s tracking for around $40-45 million, which means it will need excellent word of mouth from audiences to stick around in a crowded summer marketplace. Hopefully, it surprises this weekend and sticks around.
Steven,
I saw that article. HitFlix is basically arguing nominations for Sound, Sound Editing, Editing, Visual Effects, Cinematography, Makeup, Costuming, and Art Direction. You could plausibly think that Picture/Director/Actress are in play.
Studio plays this right you have a Gravity kind of juggernaut.
Seeing it again tonight
Fury Road for all the Oscars bandwagon is still going strong ya’ll
Steven Kane,
I think the thing that work’s potentially in Theron’s favor is that she’s a two time nominee, one time winner, and that the Best Actress category has been appallingly thin for about a decade now.
I still think Miller snagging a Best Director nod is the more interesting question.
Mark, I haven’t seen the movie but it looks like it’s mostly action and little time to slow down. That may work against Theron whereas Weaver’s role in Aliens was PRIME. She got to kick ass, crawl into Newt’s “home” and mother her, talk to Newt about dreams–know what? Anything involving Newt. And Bullock had enough quiet moments to show some good range. I could be wrong and Theron does A LOT while the action goes on.
Sasha, I think Tapley, or somebody at Hitfix, wrote a great article as to why Mad Max can conceivably get something like 8 nominations and it was very convincing. I can’t wait to see this movie!
to legit CAROL clips released today 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqtGajaxZP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtFcgRNQbxU
GoOnNow, thanks for the heads up!
(if you wonder why this took an hour to show up on the page, comments with more than 1 hyperlink get held in the spam-suspicion filter)
Thanks again.
I think they need to make up for that Y/adult snub plus this will get viewers plus Theron is a beauty who always remains classy,if Bullock and Weaver can do it why not Theron,hope the voters don’t think it’s too low brow.
Seeing it tonight!!!
I bet Theron sneaks in given her status as a former winner and the whole Ellen Ripley for the 21st Century angle.
If the movie is a hit, could you have a Gravity type of run where a boatload of tech nominations and Theron propels Miller into the Director’s race?
I have never been this excited for an all-out action film since… don’t know when. A nice take Sasha, read some excellent reviews ever since the embargo was lifted.
Question: Will you watch OUR LITTLE SISTER, Sasha?