Movie Review, Female Solidarity in Mad Max: Fury Road (Movie Review Sample)

Female Solidarity in Mad Max: Fury Road
In 2015, George Miller managed to produce Mad Max: Fury Road, a film that that went against the unsaid rules of the movie industry CITATION AOS15 \l 2057 (A.O Scott, 2015) to showcase feminine heroism. Set in a foreseen desert land that is wasted and abandoned and where gasoline and water are two commodities that a man could kill for, Mad Max: Fury Road gives Charlize Theron the opportunity to bring the character of Imperator Furiosa to life. Imperator Furiosa is a strong-willed and resourceful soldier under Immortan Joe and is trusted with transporting oil from the gas town to the Citadel.
The film highlights political leadership. The Citadel, led by Immortan Joe is in chaos for the most part. There is cruelty and barbarism in his leadership. He denies the people water and gives it to them in poor rations. In the citadel, there are distinct social groups. There are those who are close to Immortan Joe like his son and his five wives who are like royalty. Then there are the War Boys and the lieutenant Imperator Furiosa who are soldiers meant to serve under Immortan Joe. The rest live below Immortan Joe’s palace and are emaciated and depend on the cult leader for water provisions. Then finally there are people considered as resources like blood bags where Max Rockatansky falls and those that are milked to provide milk for Immortan Joe and few of his elites. The film shows what could happen if the irrational and iron-hand male rule goes on bringing chaos and devastation.
Imperator Furiosa comes out as the true main character and heroine of the film. Born of the Vuvalini clan, Furiosa was kidnaped when she was still a young baby. She was kidnapped because the Citadel needed her as a sex slave. She was meant to have babies for Immortan Joe. This however was not possible as Furiosa was found to be infertile. To the Citadel, females were primarily meant for the purpose of recreation and Furiosa though female was incapable of fulfilling this expectation. She is then cast out but thrives as other males on the outside to an extent that some even forget that she is female.
Female solidarity is the unity of sympathies and interest of the female population. In Mad Max: Fury Road, female solidarity is shown by the alliances between the main heroine, Imperator Furiosa, the Vuvalini of many mothers and the five wives of Immortan Joe: The Dag, The Splendid Angharad, Capable, Toast the Knowing and Cheedo the Fragile. Furiosa and the five wives are motivated by the common interest to get away from the toxic masculinity in the Citadel; sex slavery and lack of water by escaping to the “Green Place” to obtain solace. Furiosa again allies herself with the five wives and the Vuvalini of many mothers. This alliance is meant to relinquish the evil leadership of Immortan Joe and reclaim the Citadel which is the only place known to them that has water; something that was very valuable in the desert.
The first count of female solidarity is shown just after the sandstorm in the encounter between Max and Furiosa and the five wives. Max shows up holding a shot gun to them. At this time, they are convinced that Max wants to take them back to the Citadel and one of the wives voices their shared sentiment “We are not going back” CITATION Geo15 \l 2057 (Miller, 2015). Another of the wives then distracts him as to cutting his chain link to the war boy to enable Furiosa to attack. Even though one of the wives is pregnant, all of them take part in subduing Max and the now awakened war boy. When Max tries to run away, he realises that he needs Furiosa to drive the rig, he wants only Furiosa to get on board. However Furiosa shows solidarity insisting that she was with the five wives.
The second count of female solidarity is shown in the fight when Immortan Joe and the rest of his War Boys catch up to the War Rig that Max and Furiosa are driving. In this scene, Furiosa and the five wives have the shared interest of keeping away the war boys who might recapture them back to Citadel. There is a time when Furiosa climbs to the roof of the vehicle to ward off bikers who were attacking them and when she runs out of bullets she gives the gun to the pregnant wife to reload it who is helped by another one of Joe’s wives. Again when Immortan Joe’s rig catches up to the war rig that Furiosa, Max and the wives are in, Joe attempts to shoot Furiosa by the side of the rig. Reacting to this, the pregnant wife comes to Furiosa’s rescue by putting h...