Mad Max in the original movie (1979), was a cop-turned-vigilante riding his modified Kawa Z1000 bike across the wasteland fighting criminals, looking for food and ‘guzzolene’? The success of that film brought even more successful sequels: Mad Max 2, Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome (where you fell in love with Tina Turner again!), and Mad Max Fury Road.
This film in the Mad Max series is a prequel, the origin story of a female warrior character Furiosa. The movie was released in the middle of the week everywhere in the world and you must enjoy it in full glory in an IMAX theatre.
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In a post-apocalyptic world, aptly called the Wasteland, there is one little secret, protected patch of green where little Furiosa lives. They’re a matriarchal society, living with solar panels, windmills and other green lifestyle choices… Furiosa encounters bikers who have intruded and in trying to stop them gets caught. She grows up with the biker gang led by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and this is her story of rebellion and revenge and her attempt to return home.
Here are three hidden money lessons can you learn from this revenge saga:
Only those with a green lifestyle will survive
The film is a grim reminder to us about how wars will turn our earth into a wasteland. People will become vicious in order to survive and societies will break down into what Darwin had predicted: only the fittest will survive. And the gangs will do anything for food and bullets and gasolene. As Dementus says,’We cannot be soft.’
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Even though it’s fun to watch Chris Hemsworth – our favourite superhero – as a cruel gang leader in this film, dear investor, the larger lesson that the film teaches us that we must realise that climate change is real, and that we will be fighting not just over water in the future, but everything we hold dear. Is it time to invest in green initiatives? Choose eco-friendly lifestyle options, reduce your carbon footprint. And most of all, remember to take a break from the rat race and enjoy the green on our planet before the horrendous future creeps on us.
Never lose sight of your goals
Little Furiosa spends fifteen years away from home, surviving by her wits among degenerates, gangsters who use brute force and savagely try to get ahead of one another by any means necessary. She acquires skills and toughens up to survive in that world. But she never loses sight of her goal: to kill Dementus who killed her mother and took her away from her home, and to find her way back home someday and plant the seed her mother has given her to remind her of her green home.
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The people in the Wasteland remind you of your corporate office, isn’t it? People vying to get into that corner office, taking credit for work you did and more. But you have to be that survivor at work. Invest in new skills that will come in handy. And to paraphrase Bill Gates: learn to work smart, not long and hard. Anya Taylor-Joy, whom you saw in the excellent Netflix show ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, plays Furiosa beautifully. Her eyes will tell you that her goal of revenge is never further from her mind.
Your skills will save you
Even Dementus who leads the horde of motorbike riding rogues – some of whom are named Toe Jam, Fang, Squint and Black Thumb – knows the value of education. He keeps the History Man in chains and captive. A man called the Organic Mechanic is treated with respect in the Wasteland world because of his skills. In another part of the Wasteland, people kill and collect parts of vehicles to build a big war machine. Furiosa learns to survive too.
Dear smart investor, let this be a lesson to you, you need to stay one step ahead of the others to win, and at least be in step with the best of them to survive. As always, before investing your money in anything, educate yourself. Whether it is the latest tech developments like AI or industry trends, learn everything.
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George Miller has created an unforgettable, believable post-apocalyptic world. But there’s lots of humour as well. And not just incorrect references to Darwin, but you will grin into your coffee when you hear baddies being called, ‘Mr. Harley’ and ‘Mr. Davidson’ as well. The film connects to the Fury Road film where Furiosa is played by Charlize Theron! Watch this cautionary tale told wonderfully on film!
Manisha Lakhe is a poet, film critic, traveller, founder of Caferati — an online writer’s forum, hosts Mumbai’s oldest open mic, and teaches advertising, films and communication. She can be reached on Twitter at @manishalakhe.
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Published: 25 May 2024, 11:24 AM IST