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Character Analysis of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome From beginning of the eighties and up until our days, there are more and more apocalyptical motives can be found in science fiction movies. The movie critics used to explain this by the fact that there used to be a lot of tension between USA and Soviet Union at the time, so people instinctively tried to imagine the worst possible future scenarios. This is because of well-known psychological phenomenon people feel uncomfortable, while facing unknown. They subconsciously tend to visualize their worst fears. This largely explains the popularity of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the third part of Mad Max trilogy. This movie was shot in 1985 the time of high hopes and high uncertainty in the field of international politics.
We can say that Mad Max movies have started a new cinematographic genre - a post-apocalyptical fantasy. Some critics say that this genre reflects peoples longing towards creation of new myths. The scenes of post-nuclear world are not meant to shock viewer, they are there to emphasize main characters heroic qualities. Just like in John Million Conan the Barbarian, the plot of this movie is very simple. Mad Max travels throughout the wasteland, when hes being asked by the tyrant-queen of Bartertown Aunty Entity to kill Master-Blaster, the nightmarish creature of pos-nuclear world, who controls underground pig farms the main source of methane in Bartertown.
The methane supplies this town with energy; taking over Master-Blasters pigs would enable Aunty Entity to establish a full-scale dictatorship in Bartertown. In exchange, she offers to give Max back his possessions, which were stolen from him earlier. He agrees, and this leads him to the fight with Master-Blaster in Thunderdom. After refusing to kill his adversary on the demand of spectators, he gets to be expelled from the town. Just like a Jesus Christ, Max is tempted by the feelings of revenge and also, just like him, Max ends up being proclaimed as chosen one by the band of roving children. The combination of courage, madness and extravagancy allows him to go down in history of post-apocalyptic world Gibsons Mad Max is far from being considered a person of good moral character, hes a survivor, whos totally deprived of chimeras of conventional morality.
Hes Nietzschean Zaratusra a man in transition from child to a lion. Hes a sublimation of our subconscious desires to act, as we should, without the fear that our actions might confront a criminal code. One of the reasons for the success of Gibsons character is the fact that Max isnt shown as being special, in the beginning. As a matter of fact, only throughout the movie, his true essence becomes apparent to us and to himself. This corresponds to our subconscious suspicion that our true nature might also be different.
Its the same reason why Terminator movies have also became so popular. If even twenty years ago, the heroic character would inevitably prevail against the odds in the end, nowadays we see him to most likely end up in jail, although public sympathies would still be with him. The tales of contemporary heroes are essentially the tragedies, thats why the concept of possible post-apocalyptic future appeals to people they see them as being rid of countless laws and regulations that consider anyone with outstanding qualities, as being dangerous to society. Mad Max doesnt talk much throughout the movie, yet his silence is meaningful. Mel Gibson managed to incorporate in his character to such a degree that verbal means of communication are not the most important in this movie; he reaches an understanding with other characters, by looking at them in certain way Viewers begin to respect Max even before he starts to crush the skulls of his enemies; they feel that this character is dangerous, because he doesnt talk much Even though this movie is filled with violence, its highly optimistic from the beginning to the end. This is because we see Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest as the main leitmotif of it.
At one point Max says: I will prevail, because Im better. What makes him the fittest is not that he uses an excessive violence; but the fact that hes above of his emotions. Hes rational Max is in full control of his feelings. He doesnt act sporadically - he plans ahead. It comes as a quite surprise that this movie hasnt been accused of racism. The watchdogs of political correctness missed many improper aspects of it.
The post- nuclear world reminds our reality in so many ways. Mad Max is the personification of quality's ultimate victory over the quantity. This implies a certain analogies the history of Western civilization is the history of intelligence and beauty, prevailing over the forces of destruction. According to Nordic tradition, the notion of ultimate evil is attributed to petty human weaknesses. Mad Max is susceptible to them, like any other person, yet in the end, he overcomes them. His victory in the Thunderdome corresponds to the victory over his own weaknesses, within himself.
The biggest virtue in Nordic tradition is attributed to mans ability to do what has to be done, even when there are numerous temptations for the epical hero to act irrationally. Mad Max is a lone wolf, he doesnt have manners or anything that we now associate with Whites Man World. From the looks of him, we can conclude that hes nothing but a healthy barbarian. He probably smells bad, yet hes got idealism in him, which will allow this prophet to become the leader of new purified civilization. I personally think that the history of civilization has spiral form were continuously brought back to what we had already experienced. Barbarians, who never had a notion of manners, sacked Roman Empire, because they possessed vitality this quality enabled them to revive Western civilization.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is nothing but philosophical attempt to apply back to the future concept to our very immediate reality.
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Research essay sample on Character Analysis Of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
