Max Max: Fury Road was released in 2015. Since then, some ideas and themes of the movie have become more prescient than ever. This crazy, adventurous, and unique film showed the movie industry how you could do 120 minutes of pure adrenaline.

This film was different. It surprised everyone. These days, it’s hard to find movies where you don’t see the direction. That wasn’t the case for this film. It surpassed expectations every step of the way. From the action, colors, and sound design (when was the last time your heart was pounding, to the beat of the soundtrack?), to the scenery, the incredible set pieces, and great performances at its center. Mad Max: Fury Road was the word “unconventional”, made into a movie.

In the last seven years, some ideas of this movie have been used over and over, and are now accepted as part of our culture (unfortunately, fire-spitting guitars are not one of them). Let’s get to Valhalla and find the most relevant:

Charlize Theron: Action Star

Charlize Theron entered Hollywood as a dramatic actor in movies like The Devil’s Advocate or The Cider House Rules. As the years continued, and once she became part of the industry, she began to take on more fearless roles that changed her looks, and how Hollywood thought of her. After having lunch in L.A. with George Miller, he decided, right there and then, that she would be Furiosa.

This movie made Hollywood remember that when you look for the word “charisma” in the dictionary, it shows an image of Charlize Theron. With her acting in Mad Max: Fury Road, her perception in the industry changed again, creating a new phase for her: action star Theron. She nails Furiosa’s intensity constantly during the film, and since then, action has become her middle name. She’s been an Atomic Blonde, a thousand-year-old fighter in The Old Guard, and the bad gal in the last few Fast & Furious movies.

Related:

These are Charlize Theron’s Best Performances, Ranked

Real stunts, Less CGI

Because it’s safer and cheaper, CGI has been involved in most of the action movies in the last 20 years. Sometimes it works seamlessly, and other times, the explosions and fire still feel a bit fake and empty. Stunts, on the other hand, are some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in Hollywood, and without them, many movies would be very boring. It might be time to give them their own Oscar Category.

Mad Max: Fury Road decided that they would do most of the action with real stunts, and it shows. You can feel the weight, the adrenaline, and the danger in every scene and fight, raising the movie to incredibly dramatic heights. It was not easy, but it was worth it. As the movie-stunt coordinator, Guy Norris said in Rolling Stone, “It was literally like going to war.”

The Ecological Collapse

We don’t want to get grim, but this movie shows how ecological collapse could affect all of us. In this post-climate failed future, there are fights for gasoline, extreme temperatures, water hoarding (as money and to prove power), hunger, and even a destroyed oasis.

Mad Max: Fury Road is not the first (nor it will be the last) to show us a post-apocalyptic future. The thing that made this one feel a lot more real, was George Miller’s great eye for detail, and how he had thought of that world for decades, as everything looked lived in, tactile, and real. All that realism made us believe that this is a possible and scary future.

The Future is Female

Many people think Mad Max: Fury Road is a feminist movie, and we agree. Although most female characters start out as not having any control over their lives and being slaves, this changes for the better as the movie continues. The wives start out as a fragile group without power, but with the help of Furiosa, they get feisty and decide that together, they can fight for what they want. These women seek to change the system, fighting to the death if needed, while protecting each other and showing how women (and feminism) can survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where men decide everything.

Since this movie, there have been many female empowerment films. Some are maligned, some celebrated, but all of them are looking to explain a feeling that’s been going on in the world for a long time.

Related: 11 Most Iconic Action Heroines in Movie History

Sequels After Decades of Waiting

Mad Max: Fury Road release 30 years after the first film. Even though Hollywood now consistently releases sequels, not many were made from movies that old. After this film, there have been many more. There have been legacy sequels like Creed, Top Gun: Maverick, or Blade Runner 2049, and others that still use the original cast, like Bridget Jones Baby, T2: Trainspotting, or Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Mad Max: Fury Road did it both ways, as it used the original character (although with a new actor) and also served as the launch for a new world of characters that will bring the Furiosa prequel. Many people were disappointed when they announced that the new Furiosa movie won’t star Theron. We love Anya Taylor-Joy, but seeing Theron again in the role, “What a day, what a lovely day” that would be.

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