The Mad Max franchise is a series of post-apocalyptic films that revolve around survival, violence, and plenty of road stunts. The original movie starring Mel Gibson was released in 1979 and spawned a total of five related films, including the exceedingly successful Mad Max: Fury Road, which earned itself six Academy Awards. Set after the collapse of civilization, the world is in chaos as Immortan Joe enslaves those who remain in his Citadel, abusing his control over a water source from deep underground. Imperator Furiosa leads Joe’s Five Wives in a secret escape, making an alliance with Max, a former captive and “blood bag” for Joe’s terminally ill War Boys.
The role of Furiosa is played by Charlize Theron, known for her dedicated performances, like her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster. The tough one-armed Furiosa is responsible for driving a war rig, and manages to concoct a plan to help Joe’s wives escape, as she was once a wife until Joe discovered she was barren. Theron’s performance earned her a number of awards, including Best Female Action Star from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie. The popularity of Furiosa’s character and her backstory even led to the character earning her own movie Furiosa, which Theron will not be in. As such, we should enjoy Charlize Theron in her role, especially in her best moments as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
4 The Truth About The Green Place
Probably one of the most emotional moments in the film is when Furiosa discovers that the oasis that she, Max, and the wives are trying to get to is no longer there. Struck with grief and frustration, Furiosa drops to her knees, and rather than express herself through words, she lets out a gut-wrenching scream. Furiosa, a woman who typically shows no weakness, lets out her emotion in the scream — the ultimate display of vulnerability. What makes this moment even better is that it was not in the original storyboard of the scene. The idea to have Furiosa drop to her knees and scream was Charlize Theron’s, who wanted to display Furiosa’s disappointment at working so hard and risking her life to get to a place that no longer exists. Director George Miller liked Theron’s idea and decided to add it to the film, gifting us with Furiosa’s blood-curdling scream.
3 Max vs Furiosa Fight Scene
The audience’s first real introduction to Furiosa’s fighting abilities; as Max holds them at gunpoint, getting one of the wives to cut his chains, Furiosa attacks him. While she may only have one limb to contend with, Furiosa still manages to fight Max off, eventually leading to her revealing the hidden gun on the side of the truck. Nux tries to intervene but is held back by the wives. Not only is this the first time seeing Furiosa fight for her and the Five Wives’ freedom, but we see Furiosa’s bare amputated arm, which makes her even more intimidating because, if she can fight like that with only one arm, she's one tough lady who can kick anybody’s ass when she has to.
2 Return to the Citadel
After Furiosa discovers that the Green Place no longer exists, Max proposes that the group returns to the Citadel. The wives agree that there is plenty of water that Joe is hoarding, so he can get what he wants and that they just need to take the Citadel in order to be free. Furiosa is reluctant at first, not wanting to return to the place and the person that brought her so much suffering. While everyone agrees that this is the best plan for their survival, Furiosa remains silent but agrees to the plan anyway. Here, we see how selfless Furiosa is as she knows that returning to the Citadel is not what she wants, but it is ultimately what is best for the group.
1 "Remember Me?"
Arguably the best scene in the entire film is the standoff between Furiosa and Immortan Joe. As she climbs Joe’s vehicle and fights off his minions, Furiosa pulls up to Joe’s window, looks him in the eye, and asks “Remember me?” before a chain is hooked into his mask and his face is pulled off, along with many innards, under the wheels. Furiosa bringing Joe to a painful end, which he so rightfully deserved, is the best form of revenge for the suffering he put her and so many people through. From kidnapping her as a young child and forcing her to become a wife of his, until tossing her aside when he discovered she was barren, Joe’s wrath finally came to an end, but not without showing Joe who is responsible for his death, giving Furiosa her revenge.