A whole nine years after George Miller revived his iconic franchise with the masterpiece that was Mad Max: Fury Road, we have ourselves a prequel. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga follows the early years of Furiosa (Anya Taylor Joy), showcasing her growth from fearless child into ruthless warrior.
This movie could be seen as both an accompaniment to Fury Road and an antithesis in the way it approaches narrative. While Fury Road had a simple, barebones narrative and focused instead on action, Furiosa is jam-packed with story and character development… to the point of being overstuffed. Broken up into chapters, it covers multiple years of Furiosa’s life as she fights to survive in a wasteland controlled by ruthless tyrants. Each chapter has its own focus that ultimately feeds into the wider arc, but I can’t help but feel all these ideas would’ve been better served in a series. Give each chapter an episode or two to explore all its ideas and I feel you’d have a much more cohesive story. What we have instead is still a thoroughly engaging character journey, but there are moments where it feels like some of the connective tissue is missing between sequences. Some story beats are implied, asking the audience to fill in the gaps, and while it wasn’t difficult to assume what was happening and catch up, it was admittedly a little jarring. These narrative missteps are short lived, and despite packing in too much, it’s still a riveting ride.
George Miller understands this universe like the back of his hand, and has once again crafted a thrilling story that enhances the scope of the world. With new locations, new factions and a greater insight into the laws of the wasteland, it’s just a fun world to be immersed in. Furiosa’s revenge- and survival-fuelled journey goes in all sorts of unexpected directions, effectively keeping you on your toes as her allegiances shift and she finds herself in increasingly unhinged company. The constant pivoting in locations allows each chapter to have a fresh feel with different accompanying characters at the forefront. It can get a little convoluted, but that doesn’t detract from the intense action and light layers of cheesy fun that are spread throughout.
Mad Max: Fury Road set a precedent for the franchise to highlight balls-to-the-wall action sequences, and Furiosa delivers on that. It’s not two hours of explosions like Fury Road, but there’s a lot of awesome, chaotic, high-stakes action to go around. The high-speed chase sequences are a blast, especially the huge sequence centred around the signature War Rig, which could have even been longer. Each action sequence brings something new to the film, eliminating any chance of being repetitive and maintaining a sense of fun. There’s one perplexing creative decision late in the film to not show what would have been an epic war sequence, and instead reflect it with an ethereal montage that’s as unexciting as it sounds. It’s my one gripe in regards to the action, which is otherwise stellar.
When it comes to the cinematography, visuals and editing, it’s hard to imagine this doesn’t get nominated come awards season. While not quite as crisp as what Fury Road managed to deliver, it’s undeniably breathtaking to look at. I don’t know exactly where they opted to use CGI amongst all of the practical effects, but the additions are so seamless it’s near-impossible to tell. The sweeping wasteland shots are stunning and they capture the grand scope of the chase sequences brilliantly. The rapid editing lends itself to the chaotic nature of the action and story, coupled with fantastic sound design that creates an even more immersive experience.
The character of Furiosa was made famous by Charlize Theron, but it’s Anya Taylor-Joy who steps into this younger version of the character. Taylor-Joy plays the character with a fierce attitude that largely channels what Theron managed to bring to the role. There’s still an edge to her personality that’s missing in key moments, but that could be chalked up to this being a younger Furiosa. While she doesn’t have a tonne of dialogue, Taylor-Joy does well to sell the driven and determined personality. Chris Hemsworth is the casting choice I was most apprehensive about, mainly due to his star power and whether he’d be able to blend in to the world. At first it was hard to look past Hemsworth and see Dementus, even with the prosthetic nose. Over time he settled into the role and became one with the world, sharing some great scenes alongside Taylor-Joy throughout. I also want to highlight Alyla Brown, who plays an even younger Furiosa for nearly half the movie. For such a young actress, she’s very strong, selling the danger and brutality the character is having to endure in some big moments.
In the end, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga had big shoes to fill being the newest franchise addition following Fury Road. While it’s not quite as polished and well-crafted, it’s more story driven and harbours some compelling character development as it follows Furiosa’s revenge-fuelled journey. The thrilling action sequences are a joy to watch, accompanied by spectacular visuals and a great sense of scale. The biggest downside to the story is that George Miller tried to cram so many story ideas into the film that it’s a little convoluted and tricky to follow in some areas. I maintain it would’ve worked better as a series, but then you get into whether it would’ve been financially viable. And based on how much this movie has made at the box office, that’s a hard no. For fans of Mad Max, this is a great spinoff that’s sure to quench your thirst for another visit to the wasteland.
8.2/10
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