In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, following a global catastrophe which has caused humanity to turn on itself, a young Furiosa lives with her family in a quiet oasis known as The Green Place. Surrounded by vegetation and with natural resources in plentiful supply, Furiosa has a good and seemingly peaceful life.
However, things quickly change when a group of marauders arrive and kidnap Furiosa. They take her far away from her home, to a desert settlement overseen by the warlord, Dementus.
Furiosa’s mother tracks down her daughter and attempts a rescue, but she is ultimately overwhelmed and killed. Furiosa is then taken into Dementus’ camp, where she is to remain by his side.
As time passes, Furiosa parts ways with Dementus, but she never forgets about her mother. As she grows to adulthood Furiosa vows revenge, and is determined to see Dementus pay for what he has taken from her.
Directed and co-written by George Miller, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the fifth entry in the Mad Max movie series. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, and Lachy Hulme, and is new to UK and US cinemas from today.
For those wondering where Furiosa sits in the Mad Max timeline, the film is a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Furiosa takes place before the events of that movie, and centres its story around the titular Furiosa, who was previously played by Charlize Theron, but is now played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
Essentially this is a side-story which is part of the Mad Max movie series, but it is not about Max Rockatansky. The focus here is very much on Furiosa, and her encounters with the warlords Dementus and Immortan Joe.
So, without Max as the key player this time around, is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga any good? Well, yes, it’s very good indeed.
While it’s not quite on par with Fury Road, and does suffer from pacing issues, Furiosa is an accomplished picture with a lot to like. The film features some great performances, superb stunts, and it keeps up that all-important Mad Max tradition: It’s not shit.
The general rule of thumb across the Mad Max movie series is that all the Mad Max films are either ‘good’ or ‘great’. Furiosa sits comfortably within this parameter, so if you’re considering booking a movie ticket, you won’t feel short-changed.
And on the subject of short-change, there’s very little chance of this in Furiosa. Director/co-writer George Miller throws so much into this movie, it is positively filled to the brim and I don’t imagine much was left on the cutting room floor.
Too full? Kind of.
I only have one issue with Furiosa, so I’ll get this out of the way now: The movie would benefit from some editing. While all of the material in the film is good, there’s just a bit too much of everything, and this becomes an issue.
To put things into perspective, Furiosa is two-and-a-half-hours long, which is 30-minutes longer than Fury Road, and around an hour longer than the three Mad Max movies which came out between 1979 and 1985. For my money, Furiosa would be a stronger film if it was closer in length to its predecessors, rather than the length it is.
It seems as if Miller shot everything he could, liked what he had on his hands, and simply didn’t want to cut any scenes. Fair enough, it’s his film and his prerogative, but there are sections of this movie which could have been trimmed to quicken the pace and ensure the focus remains on Furiosa.
OK, grumble aside, this is another interesting and imaginative jaunt back into the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the Mad Max universe. Miller has a knack for combining action with spectacle, and imagination, and Furiosa is another fine example of this.
The battles are exciting, the stunt sequences are thrilling, and there is a great deal of creativity on display. The director takes what he previously established in Fury Road, picks it apart a little, and finds a new way to knit it all back together, while telling a captivating tale.
Generally speaking, prequels are a bit pants as we know how they are going to play out, but Miller manages to keep this prequel firing on all cylinders. He does so with a good story, strong characters, and excellent visuals.
Miller also has an ace in the hole. That ace is Chris Hemsworth.
Hemsworth takes on the role of chief bad guy, Dementus, and he is absolutely fantastic in the film. Despite his muscles and long hair, which instantly conjure up the image of Marvel’s Thor, Hemsworth becomes almost unrecognisable in the role.
Leaning into his Aussie accent, and bringing a superb bit of swagger to the part, Hemsworth steals every scene he is in. Not only does he make Dementus one of the best villains in the entire Mad Max movie series, but he is easily one of the best characters full stop.
Hemsworth is so good in Furiosa, it kind of makes sense why the film is longer than it needs to be. When you’ve got an actor like him putting on a great turn like this, it must be almost impossible not to use every frame.
Outside of Hemsworth, Anya Taylor-Joy is on fine form as Furiosa, and while I’m not entirely convinced she’s as strong as Theron was in Fury Road, this is still a great performance. Taylor-Joy is brilliant in everything she does and she certainly doesn’t drop the ball here.
She plays the part with guts and gusto, leaving no one in any doubt that Furiosa is one tough cookie. I imagine this is a one-and-done kind of performance, but I’d happily sit through another Mad Max movie with Taylor-Joy as the lead.
In fact, Mr. Miller, if you’re reading this, perhaps a Fury Road sequel with flashbacks could be nice for us loyal fans. A sequel with Theron and Taylor-Joy both involved, so that we get both actresses next time around.
Just a thought.
Although it’s not quite as strong as Fury Road, Furiosa is an excellent film. The movie expands the Mad Max mythology without having to concern itself with Max, and it delivers on all fronts.
The length and pacing stops the film from getting ‘five’ stars, but be in no doubt this is A-grade material. If you’re a fan of the series you will enjoy what is on offer, and I hope we get much more from this universe in the years to come.
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