The recent theater release of the movie “Mad Max: Fury Road” has come with a contrast of great critical acclaim and utter revulsion to its unique feminist tropes. The movie certainly excels in both narrative depth (despite there being little to no dialogue) and technical achievement, but its Homeric feel coupled with a triumphant feminist message occupies the mind well after viewing.

The movie takes place in post-apocalypse Australia, where life, especially for Max, is Hobbesian: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” The chrome-obsessed brutes (all are male), a crazed cult following the living god Immortan Joe, lord over vital resources such as water, oil and bullets (one particular faction is named “Bullettown”). The star of the movie, however, is not Mad Max but Furiosa, who steals away Immortan Joe’s only ability to produce healthy offspring: his sex slaves.

Thus begins an extended chase on Fury Road destined for the wasteland Earth has become.

Immortan Joe’s sex slaves along with their rescuer Furiosa are the focus of the story. There is so much depth to the movie, but the real triumph is its portrayal of women. It would be too easy to create a strong female character such as Furiosa, who can hold her own in combat (Eowyn from The Lord of the Rings is a good example). Displaying the actual rape and humiliation of Joe’s slaves would have been lazy too.

Furiosa doesn’t just become another damsel or sidekick to Max. She anchors the entire crew. Every action comes with her approval. Many different scenes creatively play with the typical male hero tropes. In particular, one scene has Furiosa driving her “War Rig,” with Max as her copilot. She confidently says to a frantic looking Max, “I need you…You may have to drive the rig.” In countless movies the gender role is reversed, with a frantic and incapable female copilot forced into a pivotal responsibility.

The sex slaves, Immortan Joe’s most precious commodity, are strong too. The film didn’t show their rape nor did it show their humiliation under the manacles of a patriarchal society. Instead the sex slaves are confident and determined in their bond with one another. One scene shows Immortan Joe with his pistol aimed at Furiosa as she defends the War Rig. The slave wives throw open the door and defiantly body block Joe’s shot. The matriarchs, who combined with Furiosa’s crew to defend the War Rig, are the epitome of female empowerment.

In an earlier shot, the wives leave a message for Joe, which reads: “We are not things!” Mad Max takes place in a world where a healthy woman along with her breast milk is a priceless commodity (a thing). It seems this sort of objectification still exists in the pre-apocalyptic world too, where women are paid less than men, treated as objects, and not trusted for rape claims.

Mad Max: Fury Road is as refreshing as it is thrilling. It entertains, as all action movies ought, but it also dives deeper under the bland surface level tropes. Action is abundant, sure, but its message is a fusion of Homer, Hobbes and even Aristophenes’ “Lysistrata” (the empowerment of women). We’ve seen too many movies where the opposite is true.

The longest line Max says in a movie of scarce dialogue is this: “You know hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken you’ll go insane.” In a world dominated by men, it comes as no surprise that feminism should rise from the ashes to confront gender inequalities. While we hope one day there won’t be any need for feminism, this broken system drives us (yes even men) to insanity. So for those misogynists boycotting this latest Mad Max installment, or perhaps jeering at its central message, try taking a drive down Fury Road where women constantly endure the onslaught of man.