George Miller’s latest entry into his decades-spanning Mad Max series has finally arrived. While Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga doesn’t overlap the previous entry in the film series, it still manages to cement itself as a worthy successor.
This review will contain mild plot details for Furiosa.
Remember Her (?)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga takes place prior to the events of 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road and chronicles the life of Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, whom in this prequel is now played by both Alyla Browne (Three Thousand Years Of Longing) as a child and Anya Taylor-Joy as a young woman. Following her abduction from her people at the hands of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Furiosa vows to get her revenge on the warlord for the death of her mother, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser).
Do You Have It In You To Make It Epic?
George Miller is working at the top of his game here. Every transition, shot composition, and color choice really reminds you that you are witnessing a master at work. The film can only be described as a post-apocalyptic biblical epic. While the events of the story are enormous and the vistas are just as grand, the emotional core of the film is never lost for a moment.
Furiosa also does a lot of world building for The Wasteland of the Mad Max series as a whole, probably more than any of the films thus far. We get a peek into the political landscape between factions, and get to see what goes on at the Bullet Farm and Gastown (most people probably figured that out though). All of these details make the film feel just that much richer, and in the process elevates Fury Road that much more, which is rare for most prequels to accomplish.
So Full of Hope
Anya Taylor-Joy is a treat here to nobody’s surprise. While her Furiosa hardly ever speaks, you feel every emotion conveyed through the slightest of glances. Whenever she catches a glimpse of Dementus you can feel her hate boiling up inside. Alya Browne is also quite good as young Furiosa and commands the role for a large portion of the film, with Anya Taylor-Joy entering in only around the 40-minute mark. Tom Burke is also quite charming in the film as Praetorian Jack and fills the road warrior role that Max usually plays in the previous movies.
The standout of the film is definitely Chris Hemsworth as Dementus. Hemsworth provides his best performance in years and is very unhinged and perfectly hammy in the role. It is clear that he was having lots of fun while filming this. The final confrontation between Furiosa and Dementus is one for the ages as we get to see these two actors just talk.
The action here also rules, Miller always brings this strong sense of controlled chaos to all his films that are always a treat to experience. We get a War Rig sequence that holds a similar energy to Fury Road that was lots of fun to watch. The chases throughout the rest of the film also will leave you on the edge of your seat, in particular, the one at the very beginning of the movie.
The Darkest of Angels
The film isn’t entirely without faults of course. My only real issue is with the pacing a little bit towards the end of the first act. Two or three minutes felt like they could’ve been lost there to improve the flow of things. On the other hand I would have loved to see a bit more of a certain big event at the beginning of the third act, of course the movie really wasn’t focused on that so I understand the decision to gloss over that aspect.
Some people online might complain about the VFX not being at the level seen in the previous film. Nothing in this is as egregious as in last year’s Warner Bros. summer blockbuster The Flash, which was chalked up to being “purposeful.” This time though, I believe that this may have been a stylistic choice on Miller’s part as it makes everything a little bit larger than life. After all, these are supposed to be stories being passed down through generations and aren’t supposed to entirely capture the reality of the events.
Overall I think Furiosa is one of the best films of the year so far. Between Miller’s spectacular and stylistic direction, the grand scope, and some awesome set pieces. The film certainly makes its mark on the Mad Max series and is a very worthy entry.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now playing in theaters. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular Furiosa, Tom Burke as Praetorian Jack, Alyla Browne as a younger Furiosa, and Chris Hemsworth as Dementus.
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