Mad Max Fury Road’s plot structure is a wild medley of mythological tales
Estimated vs Actual box office revenue: $113 – 139MM vs $154MM
93% of the events are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller is a spectacular movie set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story follows Furiosa who escapes and establishes order with the help of Max. The movie suffers from the haphazard use of mythological tales. Mythosis uses 5 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.
1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story
1A. 93% of the events are borrowed from 5 mythological tales
Furiosa's quest is driven by the desire to find an elusive place and mirrors the tale of Jason from Greek mythology. Jason’s desire to find The Golden Fleece is shared by Furiosa who wants to find The Green Place.
Furiosa embarks on another quest after discovering that the Green Place has become inhospitable. Furiosa’s second quest is driven by the desire for justice and mirrors the tale of Krishn from Hindu mythology. Both Krishn & Furiosa successfully defeat a malevolent ruler.
Max’s quest is driven by the desire to serve one’s clan or order and mirrors the tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Max loyally serve a person fighting a social evil.
However, in the beginning Max’s quest is driven by the desire of selfishness and mirrors the tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology. Both Valmiki & Max safeguard their self-interest by betraying others, even family and friends.
Joe’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders but mirrors a tale that’s about surviving a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is about hunting down one’s nemesis.
Nux has an under-developed quest of a trusted lieutenant rebelling against exploitation. He mirrors the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology.
Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones
Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.
We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.
Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!
The ideal plot structure of Mad Max Fury Road is # 10,992. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Krishn, Kans & Hanuman. Even without using the tales of Jason & Valmiki this plot structure has blockbuster potential.
2. Plot structure potential of Mad Max Fury Road: $113-139MM
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Mad Max Fury Road
An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Mad Max Fury Road uses 5 universal quests of Expedition, Idealism, Honour, Accumulation & Preservation.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Furiosa mirrors the quest of Expedition & Idealism. Max mirrors the quest of Honour & Accumulation. Joe mirrors the universal quest of Preservation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Furiosa borrows 30% from the universal quest of Expedition & 9% from the quest of Idealism. Max mirrors 32% from the universal quest of Honour & 12% from the quest of Accumulation. Joe borrows 23% of from the universal quest of Preservation.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Mad Max Fury Road has a quest interweaving score of 0.50 and is at par. An example of interweaving the quests of Furiosa & Joe:
2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling
Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.
The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.
Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.
Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.
Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.
2C. Measuring the revenue potential of Mad Max Fury Road
We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Mad Max Fury Road has a script potential score is 0.15 and the movie will appeal to 4.20 – 5.13% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $113 – 139MM in the domestic market.
3. The ideal plot structure of Mad Max Fury Road
We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.
We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.
3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Furiosa mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Furiosa’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive person, place or object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Max mirrors the universal quest for Honour
Max’s desire for Honour stems from the need to serve one’s clan/ order. The tale of Hanuman from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Honour.
Quest 3: Joe mirrors the universal quest for Preservation
Joe’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to overcome a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal unfulfilled quest for Preservation.
Explore the quest of Krishn in The Matrix & Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur. The quest is mirrored by Neo & Arthur.
