Narrative Analysis: Mad Max: Fury Road

Image: Furiosa, (c) Ikac Cass, used with permission. Source: Deviant Art.

(This post contains spoilers for the film Mad Max: Fury Road – I recommend watching the film first before you read it. If you’re quick, you might still catch it at the cinema 🙂 It really is worth seeing on the big screen.)

Audience: 16+ (It discusses elements of the film that might not be suitable for some readers.)

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Introduction

Mad Max: Fury Road has captivated me. Undoubtedly the spectacle of choreographed action and sound has a lot to do with that, but I believe much of its strength also comes from the narrative at the heart of this dystopian tour de force. So in the interests of furthering my knowledge and understanding, here is my analysis of how the narrative achieves its power.

Genre

The film is a post-apocalyptic road movie, realised vividly by the action and setting. But it goes deeper than that. The plot almost solely focuses on the struggle of Imperator Furiosa and Immortan Joe’s five wives, to escape the bondage imposed by Joe and his War Boys. So drama becomes a constant subversion of the action, keeping the viewer hooked as much as the action keeps them awed.

Characters

Characters are the most important part of any narrative. Engaging characters are well-realised, with complex and sometimes contradicting layers to their personalities and motivations. Evocative characters often change in some significant way over the course of a journey; they also have fleshed out backstories, which are drawn from during the narrative to support who they are. All of the main characters in Fury Road adhere to some or all of these points, as shown below.

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