Mad Max Fury Road
The plot structure is a wild medley of mythological tales
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$113–139MM V $154MM
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
4.20 – 5.13%
Script Score
0.15
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. The invisible plot structure of Mad Max Fury Road
1A. The script of Mad Max Fury Road borrows 93% of its events 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.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 10,992
Tales interweaved
Krishn, Kans & Hanuman
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of Mad Max Fury Road’s plot structure: $113 – 139MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Mad Max Fury Road
- 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 have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. 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. Box office revenue estimation of Mad Max Fury Road
Mad Max Fury Road’s plot structure reveals the inconsistent quests of Furiosa & Max.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.15
Audience appeal
4.20 – 5.13%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of Mad Max Fury Road
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Mad Max Fury Road’s plot structure reveals the inconsistencies in the quests of both Furiosa & Max.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
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.
Contact us for Mad Max Fury Road’s plot structure # 10,992.
Tags: Ram, Kans, Jason, Valmiki, Hanuman, Order, Accumulation, Preservation, Expedition, Honour, George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris, Roadshow Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2015