Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- Is Mad Max: Fury Road a feminist movie? Why or why not?
- In what ways does Mad Max: Fury Road play with road movie and action movie tropes? In other words, in what ways does the movie pay tribute to the movies that came before, and in what ways does it innovate?
- Everyone's got an opinion. What do you make of all the Internet analysis and thinkpieces (feel free to Google a few) that people wrote about Mad Max: Fury Road? Are there any articles in particular that changed your perception of the movie?
- Does Fury Road have an environmentalist bent to it? Why or why not? What do you make of the fact that the world appears to have gone pear shaped because of things like "oil wars" and "water wars" and, presumably, nuclear war?
- Is Max really the star of Mad Max: Fury Road? Does Furiosa steal the show? And would it matter if she did?
- In what ways does Immortan Joe resemble feudal warlords of past history? Does he resemble any historical figures that you can think of?
- Fury Road uses visuals much more than words and dialogue to tell its story. What do you think are some of the more compelling and effective visual elements? Consider the cars, the costumes, the setting—you name it.
- Think about how Immortan Joe's five wives—the breeders—are depicted. Is their depiction feminism friendly? Or are they just your garden-variety damsels in distress, just like in every other action movie? What about the Vuvalini?
- Wait, why is Max crazy? Is it just because he's been wandering alone in the wasteland for far too long, or is there some past trauma that has caused him to go 'round the bend?
- What's your favorite action sequence in Fury Road? The opening chase, the scene in the canyon? The final race? Something else? Why do you like it so much?
- How does Immortan Joe hang onto his power? And how does Fury Road visually represent that power?
- Why is there so little dialogue in this movie? Do you miss it? Do you think the lack of dialogue strengthens or weakens the movie? What makes you say so?
- Fury Road sets itself apart from other contemporary action movies for its minimal use of CGI and maximum use of practical effects. How does that change your experience of the movie, if at all?
- Think about the various actors' work in the movie? How does Charlize Theron depict Furiosa? What about Tom Hardy as Mad Max? What do these actors bring to their roles?
- How does Fury Road fit in with the rest of the Mad Max movies—if you've seen them? Does it fit in chronologically, as far as you can tell? Does it build on the themes that have been set up by the other films?