Five reasons ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is the girlboss movie we actually DO need
Nearly ten years ago, "Mad Max: Fury Road," featuring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, dazzled audiences across the globe with its post-apocalyptic, dystopian narrative. The film was a success, scoring 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and winning six Oscars.
Now the franchise is back with a new film, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, but does the movie live up to its predecessor?
Many have been skeptical of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” given that most modern female-centric films tend to come with a progressive agenda.
“Leading up to its release, a lot of people were rolling their eyes thinking that this is going to be just another tale of a woke feminist girlboss,” says Lauren Chen, who's BlazeTV's guru when it comes to exposing woke cinema.
Surprisingly, however, “almost nobody – especially those who've actually seen the movie – are calling it woke, feminist, or implying that Furiosa is a girlboss in any type of way.”
“Even though Furiosa is a woman and she is strong and a main character, she is far, far from the Mary Sue likes of Rey or Captain Marvel that people are so keen to hate on,” Lauren explains, adding that “Furiosa is a good case study of how a character can be strong and a woman and competent but also not be a feminist Mary Sue wet dream.”
What makes Furiosa a real girlboss?
For starters, “she actually makes mistakes,” unlike the Mary Sue archetype, who is practically perfect in every way.
Further, “she actually has to learn, grow, and rise through the ranks in order to be successful,” says Lauren, who condemns Rey and Captain Marvel as examples of modern-day Mary Sues who’ve “gotten everything that they want right away without ever having to work.”
“[Furiosa] really starts from nothing – a little girl with no skills … and it's only after years and years and years that she eventually gains not only a title that is worthy of respect but also skills to go along with that.”
“Reason number three why Furiosa is not a Mary Sue,” according to Lauren, “is that she does not have magical superpowers that make her better and stronger than everybody.”
In fact, “she gets her own a** handed to her many, many times throughout the film. She even loses an arm because she gets outsmarted,” Lauren explains. “She’s a character who goes through hell, which makes her interesting.”
Additionally, Furiosa’s character diverges from the typical female lead role in that she actually “depends on other people” – unlike the trendy goddess archetype whose strength and independence transcend any need for support or community.
“Furiosa herself is not perfect, and that actually allows for other characters to, you know, do things in the movie that are meaningful,” says Lauren.
The last reason for why "Furiosa" is not a Mary Sue film has to do with the male characters in the movie. To hear the final point, watch the clip below.
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