Jungian psychology in MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR - film analysis / review by Rob Ager
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2024
- The Road Warrior taught me important lessons about people and society when I saw it as a child. This video explores the film's deep psychology in terms of Carl Jung's concept of The Shadow.
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0:00 Intro
4:26 Animal Instincts
10:43 Men and Machines
17:58 The Enemy Is Us
25:42 Why the Hero Must Leave
I swear, I dont know how the all of the stuntmen survived making this movie. They were so good. What a classic!
Yeah, the action still scream real danger ... because it was.
@@collativelearning if I remember correctly the main stunt man and stunt coordinator was a guy called Max Aspin -the real Mad Max!
I've yet to watch Fury Road, for various reasons, it's on my shelf for a rainy day that never seems to come. But one thing that irks me is the fact that on the latest outing they were using safety wires and CGI for stuntwork. If there's no danger to the humans making the film, there's no sense of danger, ai reality, for us the viewers. I'm not saying I want people to die for their art, but at least be willing to risk it.
They retired to stud after it. 😂
@@johngoras73 Probably insurance reasons..?
Max's dog is a Blue Heeler aka Australian Cattle Dog. It's an actual dog breed. Not a mix and quite different from a dingo.
It’s interesting that most people think that the ACD and Australian kelpie are part dingo still. My Australian kelpie is sleeping in my lap right now as I write this comment.
@@michaelluciano1980 I had a friend who had a dingo. You could see it thinking.
Yes true
@@michaelluciano1980 They are part dingo.....
Dingo that's a silly name I would've called it a chadwozzer personality 🤣
Rob isn't just a Road Warrior, he is also a Road Scholar.
A Colossus of Roads, perhaps.
I would say a Roads Scholar 😂
Another interesting comparison of the drivers and their vehicles is Max and his own car. Max is the last of the good guys being an ex MFP police officer and also being the best driver of his squad unit. His car is the very best the MFP had. It's the last of the V8 interceptors designed as a high speed pursuit special car. Even the mechanic is surprised to see the Interceptor as him being a car guy would know what it is and would be amazed seeing one as if he saw a dinosaur. Max is like his car too as he is a relic of a bygone era.
The Falcon XB
TOYOTA COROLLA FOREVA!!!!
I drive a Nissan Note - I'd like to think that Max would drive one too.
Mini Metro for the win.
Yes the car is a representative of Max Subconscious for violence and be "above the law" in the first one, they seduce him to stay in the force with the V8. And after they kill his family, he "uses" the car for vengeance and for Justice, the most notice feature of this car is that he is not Yellow an Blue like others MFP cars, its Black, even the name of the car is Black on Black. Its a shadow of his inner desires for violence, he uses his cars as a weapon. killing most of the guys with his awesome driving skills.
Pappagallo: Max, what is that hanging off your jacket?
Max: A wrench, mate.
Pappagallo: Where'd you get it?
Max: I don't remember.
Pappagallo: What is that holstered on your side?
Max: A shotgun, mate.
Pappagallo: You carry a tool of destruction and a tool of construction. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?
Max: No, mate.
Pappagallo: You'd better get your head and your ass wired together, or I will take a giant shit on you.
Max: Yes, mate.
Pappagallo: Now answer my question or you'll be standing tall before the Humungus.
Max: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, mate.
Pappagallo: The what?
Max: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, mate.
Bravo (slow clap.gif)
What a puny comment
I see what you did there.
Fan-tastic! XD
Hahahaha ,beautifully blended.
The thing about the Mad Max films, at least the first 2 is how quintessentially Australian it is due to the car element. Aussies love their cars, we are a massive car culture which inspired the film. I mean its not land, food or water everyone is fighting for but oil, petrol. For their cars. Aside from a tin of dog food no one even seems to care about eating!
Apart from the Gyro Captain's snakes. Then again he trained 'em, so he's gonna eat 'em!
Obviously canned food is ok, but on the compound they are raising pigs and chickens. Eggs and bacon are an implied staple diet. Max goes out to get the truck without water (unless one of the 4 tanks is a water jug, since he only needed 5 gall of diesel, and “some” high octane). So WATER is certainly missing from the film, and gets emphasized in Fury Road.
I also love the parallel between Max and “Dog”. Not only does he not name it out of fear of losing the animal like he did his family but over the course of Max’s evolution his own name becomes less and less used to the point he’s only known by titles.
In Thunderdome Dr. Dealgood introduces him as, "The Man with No Name."
Raggedy man
Max is a pretty traditional dog name as well. It's almost like he himself is named something clichely common, just one step away from being named just "Man" or something
@@AAllen-br8it I never even put that together with Mad Max aka Mad “Dog”
@Robert Durant the more you think about it, the more clever it is. And it's all probably completely accidental lol isn't fiction weird?
It's interesting to hear George Miller mention people's reaction to limited gas as a inspiration for the movie.
In 2005 hurricane Rita hit right on the heels of Katrina. There was a mandated mass exodus from Houston where I lived. Two million people all leaving at the same time.
Gas stations were a nightmare. Supplies were low, people were freaked over the approaching storm and you could see the mask slip off. That little but unmistakable flash of a scared animal in their eyes and I remember thinking, civilization is fragile.
it is very fragile. in times of chaos we easily become feral.
6:29 I think it's also very interesting that he says "nothing can escape" instead of "nobody" even though he's actually talking about humans. It shows how brutalized / dehumanized they are.
Sure, he was addressing the people in the compound but it would have been a little strange if he had referred to the bunny as a somebody.
I have been a fan of Rob's since day one... I can't say anyone else has had the same influence on me, when it comes to appreciating and analyzing film to the utmost degree..
He is amazing
Yeah I've been subbed for years, through different accounts and whatnot, and I always come back to this channel to sub after TH-cam bans another of my accounts.
Nobody 'reviews' a movie like Rob does. When he dissects a movie, he does it down to the micro level.
It's inspiring.
@YTsux100pct._of-the-time. he is also getting deeper in his analysis, he is perfecting the craft
We are lucky to have him.
This is probably my desert island film. Seen it dozens of times and still gets such a thrill out every aspect of it.
Tough choice between this and Bloodsport.
In Humungous' pistol case there's a photo of a soldier and his wife, hinting at what he's been through. Also presumably that he is an experienced warrior who once knew honour, love and decency, but has now fallen so far from what he was with no hope of redemption. His car represents him as an unrecognizable skeletal monstrosity, the most powerful of them all.
It seems more probable it's a gun his grandfather owned, hence his almost ceremonial use of it. In the wasteland, having any connection to the ideal past would be worth more than gold. He has meniries, a lineage. There is no future, only today. To own a piece of the past is valuable.
*memories
Either that or he's an out of the closet homosexual with a bondage fetish.
Ammo is scarce, and we get the feeling that he's pretty sparing with the use of the remaining rounds.
I heard the humungous was meant to be Max's friend who got burnt from the first film I was to take his mask off show max who he was would be interesting film if would gone that way love dog 🐕 and max chemistry was gutted when he died heard dog will make come back in couple of tom Hardys films
I LOVE this movie. Even as a kid, the deaths of the camp occupants hit me so hard. As a child, I saw their pure (ish, it is a post-apocalyptic movie after all!) white costumes and moral code and knew I wanted them to win the conflict. Amazing analysis as ever Rob. Shedding a new light on a deceptively complex movie.
I watched this movie after Fury Road and I liked it better because it had more story structure and was less cartoony.
I respect your opinion but I'd say they're as cartoonish as each other seeing everyone in road warrior are making crazy noises and super weird clothes and stuff not that that's a bad thing I love all the mad Max movies
That's why i watch this movie once a year, for like 30 yrs now, everything is so well crafted, and the soundtrack gives that stab in your lungs sometimes, especially in the end, when max goes back to the darkness...
Rob, how exactly was that shot of the guy somersaulting through the air for several yards achieved?
@@stevenfunderburg1623 It was a mistake. The stuntman broke his legs for that shot. But it looked so brutal and spectacular they kept it in the film.
@@MSWMSW1 wow it's an amazing shot, yes a brutal outcome but so perfect it looked rigged. 🍻
@@MSWMSW1 Woah! I knew that the answer would be interesting, but I didn't anticipate that! So, do you know what the actual mechanism was which propelled him in a manner indistinguishable from being tossed by the Hulk?
@@Jaysonbc1234 Right! I guess the fact that the film shows what it shows almost 2 decades prior to live action CGI should have alerted me that something unique and terribly dangerous was captured there😳😲😯
THIS is always, consistently the best channel for film analysis, and I greatly appreciate Rob's hard work and keen insights.
Mel Gibson pulls off a memorable performance with a minimum of dialog. The chase sequence is one of the greatest ever filmed. A true classic!
The most memorable part of Gibson's career was the Mad Max 2 chase scene with Gibson driving the Big Rig. When Mel Gibson secured his role in Lethal Weapon, his character was named, "Riggs."
Good catch.
Riggs also have a Mad Max fearless near psychotic tendency.
Gibson characters ever since are driven by the dead wife.
Amazing video well done. Words from this film stick with me "you think your the only one that's suffered? We've all been through it in here, but we haven't given up, we still have our lives with dignity, but you, your out there with the garbage, your nothing". I lost both my parents within a year of each other, everything that I was has left me, I'm pretty much at survival level now, the movie has so many messages it's both heartbreaking and beautiful to watch, also the normal like entertainment and excitement.
I'm here.
Great video, The Road Warrior is one of my all time favorites as well. Can we take a moment to note just how great 1982 was for movies? Three of the movies you mentioned were from that year: Road Warrior, The Thing, and Blade Runner. There was also Star Trek 2, E.T., and Poltergeist, all of them classics that hold up, I could go on. Just an incredible year, the best of my lifetime.
Oh yes, 1982 was the best ever year for movies in my view. As farr as I know RW was 1981, but that whole late 70's to early 80's period was an incredible time for movie making. Nothing like it since.
@@collativelearning Yes, the Road Warrior was 1981, my mistake. It may have been released in America in 82, maybe that was just the year I first saw it.
Let me try... The Thing, Blade Runner, E.T., Poltergeist, First Blood, Creepshow, Star Trek 2, Death Wish 2, The Beastmaster, The King of Comedy, Rocky 3, Night Shift, The Challenge, Halloween 3 Season of the Witch, Deathtrap, World According to Garp, Tron, The Verdict, The Dark Crystal... Whoa, that miracle of a movie year came and went like a meteor shower.
@@moviearchaeologist9655 Don't forget Conan the Barbarian
@@chrisbenavides3176
Or Officer And A Gentleman
The multiple masked members of Humongous' crew was most likely a matter of convenience -- it would allow the same extras/stunt men to easily appear in multiple scenes as different characters -- that by happy subconscious accident took on thematic meaning.
I never think enough is said about the film's score. It would have been so easy to slap some electronic soundtrack onto this like so many genre films at the time did. Which would have instantly dated the film and robbed it of some of its grandeur and impact. Brian May's sweeping orchestral score makes this instantly timeless; close your eyes and this could be a wandering medieval knight coming across a beseiged castle, or a lone cowboy riding up to a cavalry fort.
Yes. A cheap score would have made this a B Movie.
The last shot and the monologue " as for the riad warrior, we never saw him again, he exists now only in my dreams" is the best ending shot/ tracking shot ive ever seen, it's the sun on the horizon in the background
Only in my memories. * just saying 😮
thank you for your coverage of Pappagallo, I always thought he was underappreciated
My favorite movie too, Rob. Saw it first at a drive-in with my parents when I was four years old. Up until that point, my whole life was a lie.
lol
Never picked up on the mirroring of Humongous and Pappagallo, even with papagallo’s helmet. The clips where the are giving the same advice to Max and Wez struck me like lightning. Thanks for sharing.
I always found it intriguing to consider that the barbarian like villains have a prison culture S&M hierarchy. I imagined that Humungous and his gang were incarcerated in a maximum security prison that was emptied out during mass riots sometime between the films. The psychos spilled out into a world gone crazy and went wild but maintained their prison culture.
I like that.
Checks out
There’s actually a theory that the villain and his gang in Mad Max 2 are the remnants of the police force max is a part of in the first movie.
@@esyphillis101 Aside from a few guys in police leathers and helmets that doesn’t make much sense.
Go to the beginning and pause the video on the tanker and read the graffiti written on it
A small detail which has always amused me is that the leg brace Max wears, is actually backwards- in real life, the bands made of steel or aluminum covered with padding an leather are worn behind the upper leg. I used to wonder why whoever did the designs, missed something like that. OH and about the hero leaving in the end... how about "Shane! Come back, Shane!" and of course, the last scene of another remake of a Japanese theme, Blind Fury- wherein the late Rutger Hauer fades and disappears after his mission seems complete
I have noticed this also - it was always my take that they have literally been out there in the desert for so long that they no longer know how to correctly orient things like that.
The tiny detail that impressed me is when the paralyzed mechanic is on fire, the water bags he tries to put out the fire with are urine collection bags from his catheter.
George Miller was a doctor before turning to film. I’m sure the leg brace thing was a conscious choice. Luciano has a great idea in this regard.
Just a guess, but maybe they put the metal in the front so it would look like armor.
Power went out in my city today. Hottest day ever, and my fridge was getting warm. And I couldn't charge my phone that just died. Realized my phone is the only way to pay for the bus that takes me to a store with food and drink. It only took two hours until it felt like I was in a Mad Max movie and was ready to do whatever it took to survive.
Now imagine how you'll feel, when someone claims that you have a wrong opinion and your Amazon Smart Home gets deactivated like it happened a few days ago. Or the full-digital super market does not allow you to buy anything.
Aldi by me won't let you in unless you scan your phone first.
I'm hoping a smash-a-thon is around the corner!
I love the way there is so much development put into maxs shotgun. Teased a number of times throughout, when he finally uses it, the shell is a dud, delaying things even further. When he finally uses it at the end with live ammo its absolutely epic. The first shell kills like 3 guys lol
Papagallow's car was captured from the bad guys. In the scene where Max brings the big rig to camp, several bad guys follow Max thru the gate while it's open. It's an easily overlooked moment, Papagallow claims the car to go on the offensive. The good guys dont have anything that can outrun the bad guys hence they are trapped in their camp. There's an arms race with the bad guys building faster, deadlier cars so no one can escape and the good guys building defenses and digging in.
Some of the best film analysis I've seen. I always thought RW was more than just a dystopian sci-fi adventure story. Thanks Rob!!
Great work - I was obsessed by the first two MM films in the early 80s and Rob has very neatly explained why.Thank you
I think max
Having a dog
As a companion
An not as food
Is the greatest
Example that max
Maintains his
Humanity in thr
Midst of worlwide
Barbarianism.
" i am a human
Being not an animal!"
Yeah, good luck with that. Max only survived human stupidity. He's no match for the animal kingdom.
Dont type like that
@@mordymountains1096 My thoughts too!
I can still recall the first time I saw this at the cinema back in 1981. I was walking past the Warner West End in Leicester Square one cold Saturday afternoon in December when I saw the poster and colourful lobby cards for Mad Max 2. I knew nothing about this movie, but I was so enraptured by the British quad poster (not the same one used in this video) and gladiatorial photos that I took a chance and bought a ticket. All I can say is I fell in love with this movie within the first few minutes. You have to remember, this was incredibly violent and visual for the early Eighties. Of course I could write a full essay on how I felt when I first saw this movie, just as I could Alien, and the majority of Clint Eastwood 70s movies. That's the magic of cinema.
Here's my story. Went to another movie that a female friend wanted to see. Don't remember what it was but got bored halfway through so walked out to see what else was playing. "Road Warrior", that sounds cool. Only caught like the last 15 minutes, the final chase scene. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!!! Went back and watched the end of the other movie with my friend then told her I was gonna stay to watch this other movie again and I'd walk home. Yeah been one of my absolute favorites ever since.
An excellent essay on a woefully underrated movie. By far, the best in the Mad Max/Road Warrior series.
Underrated😂
Rob and Mad Max?! Yes please. 👌
It's so wild to me-- I too saw this at 8 or 9 and felt the profundity in the movie but couldn't articulate it. Over the years I'd come to interpret many of the same signs and signifiers that you mention in this video and interpreted them in essentially Christian terms-- heaven/hell, death/resurrection etc. I've never seen another video that explains so much of how I feel about the film even if its using a different explanatory framework.
Something the film never followed up on was the identity of The Humungus. When he restrains Wez, the camera shows his burn scars on his scalp while he opens up to his underling, metaphorically showing him behind his mask. It seemed to me that his mask would come off in the movie and his identity would be revealed, but it never happened. Seemed like a missed opportunity, especially since I heard the original idea was that The Humungus would turn out to be Goose from the first movie.
Now that would have been a good and interesting twist!
Something I havent seen mentioned is how humongus and the goose actors bear some kind of resemblance
Maybe it was a lot closer to happening or purely coincidental
Goose was completely destroyed. His wife was partially alive before the end also, but physically destroyed as well. Simply put, miller likes “reboot” concepts that hurt the continuity of the different stories. Only the fact they are all narrated saves them from contradictions.
When I saw this video I just SMILED. Haven’t even watched it yet and I’m happy. The Best of TH-cam. Why it exists in the first place. Cheers.
There were a couple of stunt crew injuries of note while filming Mad Max 2: the Road Warrior. Stuntman Guy Norris tried vaulting over an overturned vehicle as he ran a motorcycle into it, but his timing was off. His left leg struck the other vehicle, shattering his femur and sending him into an uncontrolled pinwheel through the air. Nonetheless, Norris returned to the set to film scenes, concealing a cast that went up to his hip. Also, stunt director Max Aspin tried to jump a car over another vehicle, but he hit it and sent his car nosediving into the sand and fracturing his ankle, sidelining Aspin for the rest of the production. Both times, George Miller provided initial medical attention since he had a medical background prior to becoming a filmmaker.
Exactly why I love your channel. Not only do I love your in depth analysis. But just about every film you present are my all time favorites. Plus. I think the whole Mad Max series is essentially a futuristic Western
Great video. Jung is my permanent inspiration and this movie always remains with me. I have watched over 3k films most of them independent movies, I'm done with Hollywood, this movie always haunt me, everything is so perfect so realistic so many questions about the future and moral dilemmas. Regards
When i was a kid in Australia, i saw the ad for Mad Max 2 in the newspaper.. with an "R" next to it. Classified Restricted Exhibition, it meant you COULD NOT see it if you were under 18! When i finally saw it years later, the film was just as good as i could have imagined.
This movie also came back to my mind after watching one of MY all time favorites- The Book of Eli.
Good movie surprised how it felt like it could've been in the same universe Mad Max is Australia while Book of Eli is U.S.A
Fury Road also appears to be heavily informed by Jungian archetypal form, with Max functioning as Furiosa's Animus. They're even chained together at one point after their initial encounter. By the end, Max gives her a knowing nod and disappears back into the collective, presumably showing that she has fully integrated her masculinity.
I like fury Road on first viewing but after a couple more watches it fell to pieces. wouldn't even bother watching it again now. CGI fest with none of the originality or characterization of the first two films. I actually consider FR the worst of all the Max films.
I think you'll find Jungian archetypes can be applied to most films. It's not rocket surgery.
@@happinesstan That's the nature of archetypes. However, Fury Road seems to deliberately hew to them in its structure.
@@collativelearning What fell apart for you? I'd be interested to know what wasn't working in your view.
@@collativelearning I watched it twice and cannot understand the praise. The action is over the top, too many guns, the cars look terrible, there's none of the human qualities of the Gibson films, heroes or villains. There's no cleverness or wit just frenetic action that blurs together. I did like the explosive spears, though, I thought they were a nice touch that worked well for me. Beyond Thunderdome is not a great film, but it does have its moments and I liked the world building aspects but Fury Road is just empty calories.
I don't believe that people can go through life without standing up for themselves at some point, which would entail engaging your inner darkness.
@@davidlean1060 every confrontation I've ever had made me feel miserable, even when it was really not avoidable, but I assume I'm not alone and that is my main comfort in those situations
@@davidlean1060 they're not all entirely bullies though, a lot of times people just assume things about you
The more you watch it?…. The better it gets!…. Watched this movie dozens of times!…. Very rewatchable!…. 💯
Extremely well done! Road Warrior has been my all time favorite movie since I first saw it around 1985. Your video brilliantly showcases the many layers of this extremely intelligent film. Great work!
Always on point. Regarding the Mechanic who has no legs and is reliant on machines. I see him as Hephaestus /Goibniu the smith who both utilizes and is crippled by technology.
Interesting. Both Loki and Caine brought technology (craft) into the world of man and suffered for it. Loki invented the fishing net and was trapped in it by the other gods and sent to his punishment. Sorry, it was the descendents of Caine who taught mankind craft. I think they all carried a version of the mark of Caine (not sure on that one). Also Prometheus, who stole the gift of fire from the gods and brought it to man, was severely punished for it. Eagle breakfasting on his liver every day I believe.
@@HeyMykee i wonder if the mark of Cain is either some form of disability or a “proto-autism”. I.e. he is marked by something that sets him apart from the community and yet is able to establish a higher form of protection (city and then his descendant Tubal-Cain, military technology). A form of self-consciousness pattern recognition and structure.
Decades had passed since I rewatched Road Warrior and what struck me was the bit where Max has fullfilled his part of his deal with the outpost colony. He's got "everything he needs" ai his car back, his dog back, all the fuel he can carry, his solitary freedom. Then instead of heading away from all the trouble, he deliberately, suicidaly in fact, drives straight through Humungous's camp, risking death and losing everything he had formerly earned in his previous bargain.
I think he was still punishing himself because he believed he's responsible for the death of his wife and child by not being there to save them.
He didn't have a choice. He couldn't sneak out like he sneaked in because they had the compound surrounded. The chase earlier with the scout vehicles showed there were secondary roads leading off in different directions, but there was only one way to the main road where Max could open it up and run. Head down and straight up to middle was the only chance he had.
he should have escaped if not for the one, rather unbelievable, nitrous pursuit vehicle, that nobody anticipated could go that fast, especially with people in open air/ ie tons of drag. No way Wez could have lifted that exhaust pipe at that speed, but it was an important plot point. As a kid I daydreamed that Max out ran them and his car and dog lived on. Miller never understood the deeper importance of the car to the AUDIENCE. Perhaps gyro could have flown to find him and convince him to help later on, and the car stayed hidden far away, and the ending could be as is. There were many ways to deal with keeping the car “alive”. The biggest mistake was bringing it back for 1.24 minutes in Fury Road only to destroy it TWICE. Miller really did not ever understand the significance IMO. You can’t rebuild that thing, that is ridiculous. It is THE MAIN CHARACTER of the first two films, and the only reason he was able to continue with the other 2 (now 3) films, and he really messed up a simple concept. IMO
This one did not disappoint, you made some excellent points, lots of great things I’ve never thought of before, at least on a conscious level. This makes many things clear, thank you!
Wonderful and insightful analysis.
I was always struck by the power of Max's character over the trilogy.
After being injured in the first, he learns to cooperate again in the second and only in 'Thunderdome' is able to sacrifice himself altruistically (nearly at least)
All of the Mad Max movies are very enjoyable. I was about the same age when I saw Beyond Thunderdome and still have a great love of that one.
Thanks for creating this. I literally watched this over 100 times in my youth to the point that looking back it seems a little weird . it’s nice to know that maybe there is some redeeming value in the story and that it has some jungian residence.
the dead of the dog is because it sacrifices itself for max having him a little time to recover and move, The voice over of the feral kid being an old man at the end with the dark images and max at the distance its one of the amazing things for me of this great movie,
Brilliant review. 😊. Honestly amazing research you did on this. Excellent incite you have as well.
I saw "The Road Warrior" when I was just 4 years old with my father at the drive in theater and we loved it. We later got a copy on Betamax and watched it many times. After falling in love with The Road Warrior we rented Mad Max in hope of getting more of the same experience and I was unfortunately dreadfully bored of it. I tried watching Mad Max again as a teenager later and still couldn't hold my attention. Road Warrior was one of my earliest movie going memories because when "Fury Road" came out my father just happened to be visiting so we went and saw it in the theater together as well. We were blown away how great Fury Road was because we didn't love Beyond Thunderdome the same way as Road Warrior but Fury Road was almost Perfect I only wish we got more Mad Max in it!
Fury Road is the worst of the series for me by a long shot. Liked it on first viewing for having lots of action, but on repeat viewings it utterly fell apart. It's basically a giant CGI cartoon cashing in on the coolery of the early Max films, which were far more intelligent and well made. I wouldn't even bother watching it these days. However, the first Max film, while shot on budget, has a brutality and edginess to it that's worth giving another shot ;)
@@collativelearningit's strange not to be able to grasp the extent to which Fury Road is in itself an absolutely fascinating extension of what he did with Mad Max 2, in terms of staging and above all editing. This way of returning to the cinema of the origins and the films of Buster Keaton. It's also a way of returning to the very essence of the first Mad Max: this delirious plunge into the cult of vehicles, now the very subject of the film. It's also a more mature extension of a theme touched on in the two previous films: the quest for an Eden, a "green place". In 2, 3 and Fury Road, this question is treated with increasing seriousness. And the mythological theme revolving around the 5 wives is insanely rich. Fury Road is first and foremost a lesson in directing, but it is also and above all a fascinating extension of the main themes that the saga has dealt with in the past. In any case, these films deserve so much better than to be watched with a distracted eye, just once or twice...
I didn’t get into max max until later but I really love them and the world it creates. I know a lot of people play favorites but I find a lot of value in each film, and I personally feel every film’s new interpretation of the lore adds new depth to the other entries.
On its face you have an oz-sploitation prequel to the apocalypse, watching the collapse of society in real time. As Max loses his family, he loses all reason to adhere to any rules or order. Order is gone, it was his job to maintain order but now survival is all that matters and you can not survive while gangs run rampant. I went through a 70s biker gang movie kick which was part of the same movement and Mad Max very much is one of those films but still holds the seeds for more, something deeper.
Road Warrior is apt, we have our samurai film. Or western. A world of outlaws and a town of innocents in need of protection. The world still has fauna but it’s fading.
Thunderdome has become a full wasteland and the gas apocalypse has given way to a nuclear metaphor. Mad Max(similar to games like Metal Gear Solid) has become a myth or a legend in a fantasy desert world of characters whose identities have been stripped of any modern “civilization”, into cartoonish proportions, it feels to me like Neverending Story or something, in its presentation. Miller reuses actors but they aren’t playing the same characters, which I believe follows with the archetypes they represent, and I even believe Mad Max to a degree may even be an archetype and not necessarily the same human from the same world as the previous film.
I know you said elsewhere you didn’t like Fury Road and that’s fair, but I will say the cgi is extremely minimal. They only used it for compositing and for the sandstorm while a lot of the stunts were all real and I guess there was something like 400 hours of footage they edited down. I understand your issues here because if we continue my evolution of the metaphor, I believe Fury Road has evolved into something akin to Peter Jackson’s the Lord of the Rings, a big budget full-on action film. In this sense I feel that all the subtlety and nuance and subtext have been pushed far back, back behind the action focus of the immediate threats and maguffins and heists and races that ensue throughout.
I really came into the world through the video game, which I highly recommend(if you like 3 or 4), which the director of God of War 4 and George Miller himself did all the pre-production for, and to a degree I think the story mirrors a Fury Road prequel comic that had come out(from my research).
I thought, and others, that it was possible he was the feral kid, which I really loved the thought of but I guess Miller debunked that, I’m not sure if because it is not meant to be known or if he actually feels that way. I personally like the idea of the feral kid’s faint memory leading him to become the next mad max. Either way, it’s very far into the future and max is too young to be the same person, I believe deliberately so, to play off the feeling that Thunderdome gives me(due to the cave paintings and weird tribe), I think it’s playing into that archetype of one steps into that place of the wandering hero, every so many years, when one is needed.
The child in his flashback are of a little girl, not a boy like in the first movie. So there are hints that it’s not the same even if his path and his origin story may be similar. Again I believe more in this idea because of Thunderdome despite that movie starring Mel Gibson, the movies feel different enough to me. Thunderdome starring the new famous Hollywood version of him, which I think is part of the effect of his mythical legend status.
What’s also cool is how immortan joe is played by the actor who played the gang leader in the very first movie, again it’s not the same person but reinforcing archetypes through these character actors. The game sets up the world of Fury Road, with various factions and someone close to joe being killed by Max, putting more perspective on their relationship in the movie.
I do believe it has the least to offer on a raw storytelling level, but LOTR is kind of a perfect comparison as the detail is in the background, the character’s looks, just all the small things while the plot’s focus is just whatever drives the action. There’s less of a journey by anyone but the technical prowess and the way details are planted, to me, brought that world to life and even further removed from society than Thunderdome’s world was. And I guess I’m saying I enjoy that he’s taken those archetypes and applied them to 4 different genres as a way of illustrating the transformation of the world.
It replaced the dystopian corporatism of cyberpunk with an evolving fantasy of a world with no civilized way to live and the new myths and legends that would appear in its place. Of the meaning people give to the random trinkets they find, belonging to the “old ones”. How our world, our buildings and bridges become the lost ruins of the future wasteland.
Anyway, my 2 cents. Not trying to change your mind about Fury Road but I actually do highly recommend the game regardless, it is great to wander the wasteland for scrap and face these gangs that evolved into cults and war factions. And find small hints as you explore, about the world that was because 40 years is still a very short time for everything to transform so much, but that’s to illustrate how fragile and resource-dependent our current society is.
I need to check that game out
@@couchpotato3197 I think it’s the first open-world licensed game. From the Just Cause people but much more grounded. I just like driving around that world, and there’s just a ton of lore and the dialogue is thoroughly mad max weird. I’ve beaten it multiple times, it really does bring that world to life.
Great video. So many nice little details and a thorough understanding of a great film.
Great video thanks so much for putting this together
Jung and Rob? +1 from me
I popped my trouser tent up!
Sam your eye?!? My name it is Sam hall.... It is Sam hall
Wez's exposed buttocks actually reminded me of Tashiro Mufune's character in Seven Samurai. Even with a full set of armour his buttocks were unprotected and were exposed in his death scene. I can't help but think Miller, who is a fan of the genre, was paying homage to Kurosawa.
Or native Americans
I deeply enjoyed this, you putting into words what I sensed for a long time. Thank you!
These analyses videos are unreal, there is nothing else like this on the internet. Thanks Rob!
Any reports of Miller reading Kafka? When you mentioned Max's decision to re-join humanity after his dog's death, I instantly thought of 'Investigations of a Dog'. Admittedly it's one of my personal favourites for which I have a personal interpretation.
Kind of High Plains Drifter vibe.
My fave Clint movie ever and second fave western.
Thanks again for the content Ager. Always appreciated in this continual dearth of thoughtful analysis of everything.
The best essay about Max i have seen. Bravo Sir.
For a desert wasteland they sure do have some well styled hair 😏
I wonder what the UK would look like during these Mad Max times?
Probably very messy.
Right now lots of films look like possible futures I wonder what one we get?
Probably like what Liverpool was like the 80's, rough as hell.
@@collativelearning lol. When I was younger I was kinda wanting some apocalyptic survival scenario, but now i'm getting too old to fight marauders or AI or aliens or demons, I think some slow moving zombies is the most I can hope for :)
@@StineWins I prefer the slow moving zombie movies. Night of the Living Dead is still the best ever zombie for me.
Children of Men ☝️
What a wonderful breakdown, thank you. Keep up the great work!
Top video Rob, nice one dude!
See you on the road SCAG!
Now it's all CGI heavy. They should go back to practical effects and use CGI very sparingly.
Insurance. Alec Baldwin has likely made it impossible to have extensive violent stunts in movies.
Fury Road was practical effects. They used CGI to put, for exemple, two different stunts in the same shot. Or to change the skies... But all the stunts are real.
Only franchise that didn't sink. Four fine films.
I understand Fury Road dis appointed, but I don't compare it to the previous three, I compare it to all the crap made today. It stood out.
Your analysis always gets me excited about story telling, thank you!!!
One of your greatest works yet!
Also, Mel Gibson is extremely based for being one of the verrrrry few Hollywood stars who ever speaks out against the Narrative.
Lol. You do you, nazi boy.
As right wingers we should, just be blunt and not hide behind euphemisns like "the narrative" just say what you want to say.
this new usage of the word 'based' puzzles me.
@@Mitch93euphemisms like woke for instance? Right Wingers love that term.
@@Mitch93They can’t cause TH-cam bans them. And he’s right, Mel rules.
Such a great video. You never disappoint
Excellent analysis. Thank you. Mad Max 2 is one of my all time favourite films too
Another brilliant analysis. Thank you.
Thanks for another great analysis Rob.
I can never get enough when it comes to Mad Mad or The Thing.
@Collative learning Mad Max the Road Warrior is absolutely my favorite movie of all time too. I just found your channel excellent reviews.
Really enjoyed your work analysis and study on the films psychology and human behaviour
That was a great analysis. It solidified a great many concepts and ideas that I've had since I watched the movie in the theater.
Thanks, I enjoyed this study and learnt a few things as well.
CL thanks for this video! It gave new insights into the flick. Cheers.
This was amazing thank you so much for making this!
The scene with his dog being killed was one of sacrifice the dog gave his life so Max could live the way Max would be giving his life so the group of survivors can live.
I really enjoyed this analysis. Thank you.
Nicely done, sir!
Great breakdown Rob on a great film! I'll buy a copy of your older full review once it's on sale.
I hadn't thought of this before, but Rob talking about the two groups and how we all have a darker side. I think one of the huge appeals of this movie (also my personal favorite) is that you can see yourself stuck on either side just by circumstance in this apocalyptic world. A true classic.
Finally got around to seeing this, neat hearing some insight.
One of your very best works!
Not surprised to see so many comments. Terrific video about a terrific movie I first saw at the same age. My brother and I were pretty obsessed with it, holding up as it did to so many repeated watches. Thanks Rob🙏🏻
This is the best film analysis video Ive ever seen
Excellent analyisis!
waking up to this video! what a treat. today gonna b a good day. thanks Rob
Perfect analysis for these interesting times. Thanks.
You are quite correct in once these concepts have been pointed out you can't help but see them everywhere in action, /adventure movies.