Film Review || Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

fig 1.

Exploitation is a component of film making that seeps into many cult favourites, one of which being the ozploitation of Mad Max Fury Road (2015), set in a post apocalyptic Australia. We follow in the boots of Max, an ex police officer that is captured by a gang of 'war boys' that tie him up, purloin his sparse belongings and hold him prisoner in their bluff fortress. From this point onward we are introduced to a incredible world that sparsely resembles our own, inhabited by people that wouldn't be out of place a thousand years in the past.

Plot wise it is exceptional in the way that the protagonist is directly taken advantage of through plot armour, even as he is strapped to the front of a speeding vehicle headed into battle.

fig 2.

Whilst a sort of story may be more important for a lower budget effort, it is blown out of the water in favour of more awesome, stretched action sequences that build up the entire appeal of the film. With closer examination the plot is bare-bones, maintaining only that which keeps everything cognitive. Professional, well made set design and storytelling with meaning have a balance with each other that may be tipped in either direction, with may result in a less consistent final product.

fig 3.

In retrospect the film has a lot more to do with first impressions than any true value in storytelling. It has a comic book series that goes more in depth with some individuals seen in the movie, clearly catering to broadened interests after its initial splashdown. The facts are people want to be submerged in fantasy, and anything after that is secondary.



Bibliography
fig 1. Miller, G. (2015). Mad Max: Fury Road. [poster]
fig 2. Miller, G. (2015). Mad Max: Fury Road. [film still]
fig 3. Miller, G. (2015). Mad Max: Fury Road. [production storyboard]