As I was driving home from “Mad Max: Fury Road” last week, adrenaline still permeating my every extremity, I had to remind myself central Gainesville was not post-apocalyptic Australia and there would be little to gain from ramming my 2007 Toyota Camry into fellow drivers.
For those who aren’t aware and have somehow managed to avoid the abundance of think pieces, critical acclaim and television ads, “Fury Road,” the first iteration of the “Mad Max” series in 30 years, has thrown down the gauntlet and crowned itself as the film to beat in this year’s blockbuster season.
“Fury Road” harkens back to the blockbusters of old (read: the films of Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg) in being not only a spectacle, but also a film with genuine substance and thematic heft. The film has, whether intentionally or not, found itself in the center of the ongoing “debate” (if you could even call it that) over the “creeping influence” (note the continued use of quotations) of feminist ideology in the larger cultural sphere.
For the sake of clarification, when I refer to feminism in this article, I am referring to the notion that women are equal to men in personhood and ought to be treated as such. What on the surface would appear to be a simple 21st century ideal has unfortunately become a flashpoint of faux-outrage, blatant misogyny and utterly ridiculous debates over the roles women ought to occupy in American society. By virtue of having multiple, substantive roles for women (at least by the standards of Hollywood action films) and possessing a plot that concerns women being used purely for breeding purposes, “Mad Max: Fury Road” has been decried by MRAs — Men’s Rights Activists, for those of you who have somehow managed to avoid the shadiest corners of the internet — as a pernicious instance of feminist propaganda, castrating what was once a proud, testosterone-filled franchise to the point of unrecognizability.
Although the film was initially scripted more than 10 years ago, long before Gamergate or the rise of Queen Bey pushed feminism to the forefront, “Fury Road” not only captures the zeitgeist, but decisively takes a side in the ongoing dialogue over the place of feminism in today’s world. Quite simply, it ought to be treated as a necessity. At one point in the film, a female character, taking stock of the wasteland around her, asks: “Who ruined the world?” It’s a provocative, challenging question, one that elevates “Fury Road” beyond its summer- blockbuster brethren.
Even without the subtext, “Fury Road” is quite possibly the most rousing action film ever made. A labor of love for George Miller, who has written and directed every film in the “Mad Max” saga, the film reflects a certain auteurial vision that has become increasingly rare in the era of mass-produced Marvel Studios cookie cutters. Produced largely without the use of CGI, the film’s action sequences never ring false, with its breathtaking set pieces and intimate hand-to-hand combat scenes inspiring equal shock and awe.
Films as distinct as “Fury Road” only come along once in a while. Speaking for myself, I’d like to see more like it. To whoever is reading this and has yet to see the film, I implore you to vote with your dollar and see it in theaters. If you’re feeling worn out by the onslaught of superhero films and PG-13 horror movies, and if “Pitch Perfect 2” doesn’t fit your idea of a good time, do yourself a favor and catch “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
Zach Schlein is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Thursdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 5/20/15]
