Directed By George Miller

Starring – Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke

The Plot – As the world falls, young Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus (Hemsworth). Sweeping through the wasteland, they encounter the citadel presided over by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). The two tyrants wage war for dominance, and Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Rated R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images.

FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA | OFFICIAL TRAILER #1 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Recapturing the lightning in a bottle that was ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is a tall task, but with Miller helming his fifth film in this franchise, at the tender age of 79, there seems to be no time like the present to further etch his irreplaceable legacy, while solidifying this franchise as one of the best and most consistent that the action genre has ever produced. Miller’s impact can once again be felt in the immensity of the scope and scale of the production, with elaborate set pieces and limitless space to the established setting painting a cruel and toxic wasteland among its few unfortunate survivors, all the while using a nearly two-and-a-half hour run time to add improvements and depth to the storytelling, which feels like one of the noteworthy improvements from its predecessor. Not only is ample time served in fleshing out the backstory and battle with hope of our titular protagonist, but also this Civil War of sorts between two unforgiving dictators, with Furiosa caught in the middle of it. In delving into such, we’re given a much deeper consciousness to the trade wars of the detailed world-building, but beyond that a nearly seamless execution in filling in the gaps of uncertainty between the two films, solidifying another entertaining thrill-ride that never runs out of the high octane intensity that, like Miller, has only gotten better with age. Like the previous films, the automobiles once more entail some fascinating means of torture that are a blast to interpret, and essentially as the biggest means of devastation to their opposing enemies, involves a bunch of stomach-churning surprises that are a sheer delight to experience in real time, especially that of a razor slicer to one oil tanker that decimated limitless enemies each time they arrived on-board. Beyond the brilliance of its director, the film’s production values are integral in nearly every element that they’re called upon, helping to further immerse audiences in the urgency and vulnerabilities of the various conflicts that continuously left me on the edge of my seat. Cinematographer Simon Duggan takes the reins from John Seale, but the transition points to many of the same intoxicating color schemes and breathtaking scenery that each of them value tremendously, and when combined with another thunderously triumphant music score Tom Holkenborg and his legion of 808 drums and percussion instruments, gives an unmistakably epic enveloping to much of the movie’s presentation, which effortlessly breeds dramatic entanglement with an abundance of stakes, despite the audience already understanding that Furiosa will inevitably survive this prequel chapter. Likewise, the consistency and timing of the editing plays a vital role in maintaining the focus and detection of the many plunging enemies during these tensely riveting onslaughts, and though the on-the-ground fight choreography to this installment feels far more spontaneous and humanistic than those of ‘Fury Road’, it still attains all of the brutality and intensity of its voracious sound designs, providing ample opportunity in getting its hands dirty while in the confines of a much-required R-rating to express the extent of the ensuing mayhem. In addition to this, I found the performances entirely to my satisfaction, primarily with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, who are highly valuable additions to this franchise. What Anya lacks in visual likeness to Charlize Theron, she more than makes up for with the same elements of ferocity and resiliency that endearingly define the character. In what is easily Taylor-Joy’s most physical performance to date, she continuously rises to the occasion with an unrelenting grit and alluring magnetism in blood-curdling stares that attain believability in the role, with a full-fledged transformation that effectively materializes the stoic savior that we come to know and appreciate during ‘Fury Road’. As for Hemsworth, it’s another charismatic turn for Marvel’s favorite Asgaardian warrior, but this time with maniacal madness that makes Dementus one of the more ruthlessly revolting antagonists of the entire franchise. Hemsworth’s grip on the indulgence of the film can be felt the loudest whenever he’s not depicted on-screen, and while encompassing a character who quite literally serves as the absence of hope, during the animalistic urges of his executions, Chris capably lands on the right side of menacing with a larger-than-life character outline involving a prosthetic nose that could’ve come across as a cartoon without the vulgar balance of his portrayal, which never allows us to forget how deceitfully untrustworthy the character truly can be.

NEGATIVES

One noticeable decline in quality from ‘Fury Road’ pertained to the computer-generated special effects and green-screen backdrops, primarily during the opening act, that stood out as a notable distraction to so much Australian outback indulgence. While ‘Fury Road’ also contained an abundance of artificial backdrops and colorful enhancements, the quality of those used here occasionally feel like the same kind of Netflix quality that I’ve continuously come to call out in reviews like these, which is all the more alarming in a film of this quality, where every other element to the production feels seamlessly perfect with what Miller demands of it. In addition, ‘Furiosa’ earns every minute of its 143 minute run time, with a thorough character exploration and ensuing world-building that maximize the potential of its engagement, but at least initially it does come at the cost of feeling the weight of its wear during the film’s opening hour, which takes longer than expected to reach the pacing of action entanglements of ‘Fury Road’. While Miller is so obviously trying to make this film feel different from its predecessor in nearly every way imaginable, an unnecessary chapter-esque framing device that continuously persists throughout the film abruptly halts the manageable momentum that the storytelling attains during its most urgently uncertain moments, feeling like it’s often overcomplicating the necessities of the sequencing in order to structurally feel so different from any of its predecessors. Finally, without spoiling anything, I can say that the ending left slightly more to be desired with my interpretation, especially with elements of inexplainable convenience and a flat resolution that didn’t feel like the culmination of its many miles traveled, quite literally. While the script does understandably resolve things, the execution of this final conflict didn’t feel like it unloaded the angsty and traumatic elements of this one particular character, instead opting for poetic justice in a metaphorical meaning that, while serviceable as a means of humility towards one character, feels like an easy way out to the carnage and devastation that they frequently unloaded in costing hundreds their lives.

OVERALL
‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is another titanically enthralling engagement made for the biggest screen imaginable, with George Miller putting his foot on the gas for the fifth time in this respected franchise. Though incapable of reaching the heights of Valhalla like its iconic predecessor, it’s still nevertheless a high-octane thrill-ride full of fun performances and devastating set pieces, but this time with the addition of meaningful characters inside of a corresponding story, resulting in a prequel that not only elevates its sequel, but also capably fits in the established lore to warrant future back-to-back watches between them.

My Grade: 8/10 or B