Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Through the fierce car crashes and explosions, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a masterclass in cinematic storytelling and acting. So is this prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road as good as that film or The Road Warrior for that matter? Not quite, but it comes damn close.
Furiosa is an origin story of tanker driving warrior Imperator Furiosa fighting her way through the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The character was played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. Here, she is first portrayed as a child by Alyla Browne then as an adult by Anya Taylor-Joy.
The young Furiosa is kidnapped by a
roving biker gang, led by the insane Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), who has a
Jesus complex. She is soon traded to rival dictator, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme
replacing the late Hugh Keays-Byrne from Fury Road). As she grows up,
Furiosa learns skills to help her survive and to get revenge on Dementus, who
murdered her mother.
The editing of the action isn't as
kinetic as the other Mad Max movies, but that's by design. Creator of
the series George Miller is modifying the style a bit because this is Furiosa's
story, not Max Rockatansky's, so there is a different flow to the action.
Even if the last half hour wanes ever
so slightly, Furiosa has great energy, and Miller's crafting of shots is
just amazing. He uses a good marriage of practical stunts and CG effects.
Taylor-Joy is phenomenal in a mostly
silent performance. She conveys so much with her eyes. Hemsworth is both
sinister and funny at the same time, which is hard to do. Yeah, he chews the
scenery, but only just enough to where it isn't overdone or annoying.
Furiosa is another worthy
chapter in the Mad Max film series, and you should really see this in a
theater. This is spectacular filmmaking that is made for the biggest screen
possible.
