The claim that Max is secondary -- though not unimporant! -- is... I think the case can be made that it's an oversimplification of something real.
At the end of the day, Fury Road is Furiosa's fight. Her story. Max aids it, and he is no mere hanger-on or warm body: that aid, and his skills, are vital to her success. But Max is a drifter b…
The claim that Max is secondary -- though not unimporant! -- is... I think the case can be made that it's an oversimplification of something real.
At the end of the day, Fury Road is Furiosa's fight. Her story. Max aids it, and he is no mere hanger-on or warm body: that aid, and his skills, are vital to her success. But Max is a drifter by nature. He finds himself in stories, and he helps those who need help (often reluctantly), but has no inclination for standing in the spotlight. Once his business is done, he's off to the next adventure, while his allies celebrate and rebuild.
Is he a hero? Yes. But being a part of others' stories is part and parcel of the kind of hero he is.
I would only add that the franchise itself has never had an iteration where Max was not being the hero (or anti-hero), albeit of the drifter variety. Even in the first one, before he goes 'mad', he's already sort of a lone wolf within the MFP itself...despite Goose's friendship. While what you say about him only being a part of other people's stories is true (apart from the original of course), fans have always approached the Mad Max franchise with...well...Mad Max in mind. He's not just the quiet lone samurai who helps out random struggling communities, he's also the lens through which we've typically viewed all of the films. He's sort of the PC, despite being an outsider in almost everything. And fans have come to expect that in perpetuity.
Furiosa seems to be the first one that is completely devoid of Mad Max...in a Mad Max movie. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't be sure. But if so, it's at least understandable why some would find that off-putting.
Logically George could have avoided all of this had he named the first movie not after Max, but something else entirely. Like simply 'Road Warrior' or something. Can't un-ring that bell now though.
The claim that Max is secondary -- though not unimporant! -- is... I think the case can be made that it's an oversimplification of something real.
At the end of the day, Fury Road is Furiosa's fight. Her story. Max aids it, and he is no mere hanger-on or warm body: that aid, and his skills, are vital to her success. But Max is a drifter by nature. He finds himself in stories, and he helps those who need help (often reluctantly), but has no inclination for standing in the spotlight. Once his business is done, he's off to the next adventure, while his allies celebrate and rebuild.
Is he a hero? Yes. But being a part of others' stories is part and parcel of the kind of hero he is.
Well done.
Very true.
I would only add that the franchise itself has never had an iteration where Max was not being the hero (or anti-hero), albeit of the drifter variety. Even in the first one, before he goes 'mad', he's already sort of a lone wolf within the MFP itself...despite Goose's friendship. While what you say about him only being a part of other people's stories is true (apart from the original of course), fans have always approached the Mad Max franchise with...well...Mad Max in mind. He's not just the quiet lone samurai who helps out random struggling communities, he's also the lens through which we've typically viewed all of the films. He's sort of the PC, despite being an outsider in almost everything. And fans have come to expect that in perpetuity.
Furiosa seems to be the first one that is completely devoid of Mad Max...in a Mad Max movie. I haven't seen it yet, so I can't be sure. But if so, it's at least understandable why some would find that off-putting.
Logically George could have avoided all of this had he named the first movie not after Max, but something else entirely. Like simply 'Road Warrior' or something. Can't un-ring that bell now though.