Furiosa :A Mad Max Saga

Sometimes a movie comes along that is cinematic perfection, and in 2015 that was Mad Max: Fury Road. For two hours, your mouth was left agape as words were not easy to come by to describe what you were witnessing. Now, nine years later, we are back on this road with an origin story of Furiosa (played to perfection in Fury Road by Charlize Theron, this time played by the always amazing Anya Taylor-Joy), and while the action isn’t as big, George Miller has still delivered a revenge story with plenty of horsepower.

In a land of abundance, a young girl, Furiosa (Alyla Browne), is picking some fruit with her younger sister. At that moment, they see some men who do not belong there, and Furiosa goes down to make trouble for them. However, things don’t go as planned, and she is instead captured. The men make their escape, but Furiosa’s mom gives chase, taking out most of the men. However, one man, who has Furiosa, gets away and makes it to a camp. Her mother almost rescues her, but instead, a man named Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) captures her and kills her mother in front of Furiosa. Now she is his prisoner, as he tells Furiosa that he is going to protect her. That protection ends when Dementus makes a deal with Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), who wants Furiosa for himself. She has other plans, escaping and blending in with the warboys, winning favor while still trying to get home. The years pass, and the war rig’s driver, Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), takes a shine to Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) after she saves the rig from being taken over. He then teaches her how to drive and survive, but Furiosa isn’t learning this to stay. She wants her revenge against Dementus and to return home to the land of abundance.

Written by Nick Lathouris and George Miller, Furiosa is still about what you see, but the world-building is once again extraordinary. Filled with characters with names like Piss Boy, Organic Mechanic, and People Eater, who are given what feels like free rein to go over the top, it is impossible not to sink deep into the world. Everything is driven by the visuals, and Miller once again proves he is outstanding at letting action almost literally drive the narrative. Everything from the editing to the camera work makes up a cohesive unit. The hallmark of a good Mad Max movie is of course the action, and Furiosa’s big action scenes tell their own big story, all while making your eyes open as wide as they can.

Furiosa is every bit the spectacle cinema as Fury Road, and is a worthy prequel. While I might say this Furiosa is a bit more overinflated, as it clocks in at just under two and a half hours, you almost never feel it, and to be honest, you never want to leave this world once you set foot in it. The runtime makes sense though, when you consider Furiosa is about vengeance and endurance, with a little guilt and hate thrown in, and is much more of a character piece than the other Mad Max films. As for the cast in this one, Hemsworth is fantastic as Dementus, as he really gets into the character, and Taylor-Joy delivers as well. It is easy to want to compare this film to Fury Road, but Furiosa slows down a little and in doing so, lets you take in this insane world more. It is another fascinating piece of work from Miller and will be the wildest ride you will take all summer.