As much as it hurts me to admit this, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga was one of the 2024 Movies I missed it on the big screen, a decision I have regretted in recent months. However, George Miller’s prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road recently added to the list of best movies to stream on Maxand I wasted no time in returning to the wasteland. Although I expected to fall in love with Anya Taylor-Joy’s titular heroine and Chris Hemsworth’s Dementus (both of which happened, by the way), I was blown away by how thoroughly the film fleshed out Gas Town and the Bullet Farm.
These two fortresses, which were briefly visited in 2015, Fury Roadwere important factors for the recent expansion of the Mad Max Franchise and were the core of some Furious‘s craziest moments. Come along as I analyze Gas Town and the Bullet Farm and explain how they not only fit into the film’s story, but also raised the stakes and made the wasteland feel like a living, breathing world.
Gas Town and the Bullet Farm were two of the most interesting locations in Mad Max: Fury Road
Although we only saw Gas Town briefly in Mad Max: Fury Roadand the Bullet Farm were only mentioned and never shown, they were two of the most interesting locations in the Oscar-winning action film. Both fortresses, which were crucial parts of the economy and survival in the wasteland alongside the Citadel, had a touch of mystery that made them places I wanted to explore further. Yes, we saw more of Gas Town in the impressive 2015 Mad Max Video gamebut that is not considered part of the canon.
These heavily fortified factories, specializing in one resource—fuel in Gas Town, ammunition in Bullet Farm—helped build the world of Mad Max Franchise and added a strange sense of realism, despite Fury Road a violent post-apocalyptic film that seems detached from what we consider normal life.
The fortresses were portrayed less as travel destinations and more as places of residence in Furiosa
As I watched Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaI couldn’t get enough of the way George Miller and co. managed to turn two plot destinations into locations that felt like living, breathing characters.
Gas Town, with its oil trench, massive towers, and a refinery that operates day and night to turn crude oil into the fuel that keeps the entire wasteland running, was a sight to behold. The workers and residents of this smoke-filled and corrosive fortress looked and acted differently than those in the Citadel, and this decision expanded the wasteland even further.
Although the Bullet Farm had already been taken over by Dementus by the time we spent much time there, it looked very different from Immortan Joe’s castle in the sky. The massive mining facility, with its smokestacks, seemingly endless supply of bullets, and all manner of destruction, felt like a manufacturing facility you’d see in the real world, only more twisted and deadly.
We also learned a lot about the relationship between Immortan Joe, the Bullet Farmer and the People Eater
I don’t know if we ever get one again Mad Max film after Furious performed so poorly at the box office, but the exciting and intense prequel offered a tremendous amount of worldbuilding during its two-and-a-half hour runtime. This is especially true of the relationship between the fearsome Immortan Joe, the Bullet Farmer, and the People Eater, the latter of whom became the new leader of Gas Town when it was all over and done with.
The three heads of the beast that is wasteland farming in Mad Max: Fury Road everyone had their time to shine in the prequel, and through numerous conversations and actions we were shown how the often contentious partnership worked. The scenes where the three plotted their plans and later the war with Dementus were particularly insightful and made the whole wasteland seem more detailed and realistic.
Some of Furiosa’s biggest scenes took place in Gas Town and the Bullet Farm
Although Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action films of all time. All but one or two of its most iconic scenes take place on the Wasteland Highway. Furioushad incredible and powerful action scenes in various locations, including Gas Town and the Bullet Farm. I remember The Furious Trailer Months before the film’s release and excited about a shot of Dementus desperately clinging to a platform as tons of unused bullets rain down on him like a waterfall of black powder.
The invasion of Gas Town at the beginning of the film is a top-notch action sequence, with George Miller’s trademark shots and sense of intensity that sets up much of the rest of the film. The scene where Dementus’ biker horde races through the inhospitable landscape to take control of the walled factory is absolutely wild. The Bullet Farm ambush is honestly one of the best sequences I’ve seen all year, and maybe this decade.
By emphasizing Gas Town and Bullet Farm, some of Fury Road’s iconic scenes were made even better
Not only George Miller’s decision to improve Gas Town and the Bullet Farm contributed to Furious an entertaining and exciting action spectacle, but it also made several sequences Mad Max: Fury Road even better since we had more context for their operations and power players like the Bullet Farmer. Speaking of which…
I have always been obsessed with the “I am the scales of justice, conductor of the choir of death” scene by Bullet Farmer in Fury Roadbut now I appreciate it even more after learning more about the character and everything he’s lost. He’s still a madman, but I can see now how years of trying to build something, lose it, rebuild it, and then lose it again can really mess someone up.
I would honestly watch a Mad Max TV series that was all about wasteland farming
Should Warner Bros. and George Miller ever come together and make a Mad Max TV series, I would honestly be OK with it if it was just about the economy of the wasteland. Seriously, I’m about a week away from watching it Furiousand all I can think of is the trade structure between the Citadel, Gas Town, and Bullet Farm. Hell, you could give me fake historical documentation on this and I’d be happy. That element of the story interests me so much.
If we could spend even more time in Gas Town and the Bullet Farm between the events of Furious And Fury RoadMiller and his colleagues could show how the forts were rebuilt and returned to their former glory. That would be impressive.
In total, Furious is one of those prequels that comes with just the right amount of fan service and a tremendous amount of world building. If you want to watch it (or the rest of the Mad Max Franchise), you can do this with a Max subscription.
