Mad Max: Feminism Road

Let's be frank. I'm a guy. When I heard Mad Max was coming out and saw the trailer for it, there was no way I was going to not see this movie; especially in pursuit of Imax 3D, because let's face it, if this movie was made to be visually appealing as a priority, you don't want to skimp on the cinematic. Suddenly Facebook feed was littered with pro fesminist Mad Max. 


It started with the tumblr blog. I rolled my eyes on the pro feminist Mad Max "hey girl" memes on "Hey Girl" tumblr. Point taken. Women are strong and this movie supports it, not that I was thinking that at all watching the movie, nor any gender equality statements for that matter. However, when I read the article produced by CNN about men's rights activists boycotting Mad Max, they made men look really bad. The opening paragaph writes

 "A well-known "men's right activist" blog is calling for the boycott of the postapocalyptic film"Mad Max: Fury Road" for being a "feminist piece of propoganda posing as a guy flick." 

Quick search on Google pulled up the full piece titled: Why you should not go see Mad Max: Feminism Road written by Aaron Clarey. Eye balls are rolling around all over. And so are the rhetorical questions:

• Why should men put down women who are praising themselves? Isn't awesome that they love themselves and show that they can be strong? 
• Don't you want a strong independent woman in your life that can not only take care of herself, but you also? 
• Are you so machoistic you're going to hate on a film that glorifies women's abilities to fight? You were beat up by a girl when you were younger weren't you?
• Even though there is a targetting demograph for certain movies, anyone can watch any movie and who cares if chicks are strong independent women in a "guy flick"? Isn't that even better? 
• So you're telling me, you don't like scantily clad women in fight scenes? I'm sorry to hear you're impotent and enjoy watching ripped men humping ripped men in other movies (though there's nothing wrong with that either - just ironic for a men's rights activist group to hate on objectifying women).
• Don't you want a Furiosa who can handle herself and kick ass when she's out and about with her friends and a group of shady sex-depraved men hound them down?
• Aren't you sick of the "femme fatale" characters? 
• Don't you love your mother? Don't you want her to be strong?

In hindsight, the visual aspect of amazingly attractive women in the movie scantily clad can also be seen as objectification of women. The fact that they were sex slaves. The "vulnerable woman" motif was sprinkled here and there in the movie. And the fact that Mad Max still saves Furiosa in the end by donating blood showing how much of man he is. Wait, that could be seen as gender equal as Furiosa did kill Immortal Joe; and thus feminism.

Infact, here's listicle of why Mad Max isn't really feminist at all.

I don't know if this was the intention, though probably not, of George Miller to incorporate these ideas into the movie. However he did want to make the cinematics a priority of the movie over the dialogue. 

When it comes down to it though, beyond all the feminist hype and mens' activist group, the movie itself is a amped up rock and roll movie that just has 2 hours of visually appealing car explosions, fire tornadoes, incredibly well directed cinematography, visual humour - especially the guitar guy rocking out dangled by strings infront of the speakers is just probably the best thing ever. If you haven't seen it yet, pay the extra money for the eye candy.