Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Another Lovely Day in the Wasteland

 

It's an old joke that movies with sand are popular among Oscar voters. I find it fun that the two best films of 2024 in Dune: Part Two and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga take place in desert environments. But enough about sand (if Anakin Skywalker is reading this review I've lost him already), let's talk about Furiosa.

The Mad Max films are effective at throwing an audience right into the world. Furiosa continues this tradition quite effectively. As a whole this movie shows the brutality of the wasteland more than any of the other movies. This is one of the ways that this film isn't for everyone (just ask my fiancée who looked away from the screen multiple times while I soaked it all up). Admittedly, Furiosa should have come out on the heels of Mad Max: Fury Road since it serves as a prequel. I enjoyed the worldbuilding in Furiosa but can see how there are a lot of factions and locations to keep up with (a fair point brought up by another member of my viewing party). Let's move on to the cast of Furiosa.

I had high expectations for the villain Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) in this movie. Hemsworth does not disappoint. I appreciate when an actor takes on different roles and quite frankly looks a lot different. Hemsworth has some prosthetics on and doesn't look like Thor for instance at all (even though Dementus does also have a cape). Nothing against Thor, but it's good to see Hemsworth in a very different role. You can tell that he is making every second on-screen count. Both actors who play the titular character are very good. It takes some time before Anya Taylor-Joy shows up as Furiosa, but Alyla Browne's performance as Young Furiosa doesn't have you waiting impatiently for Furiosa to grow up. Anya Taylor-Joy always has such a presence and Furiosa is no different. What other aspects of the film stand out?

As you'd expect with a Mad Max film, the action is top-notch. You'll be on the edge of your seat taking in the stunt work, brutality, backdrops, cinematography, and vehicles. One vehicle in particular, the war rig, is a work of art and I was sad to see any damage come to it. Furiosa's journey throughout the film keeps you engaged. You can feel what she's going through even with limited dialogue (like Max in his movies). I like it when protagonists don't speak much, it makes you appreciate the other ways they communicate their motivations and whatnot. Films in this universe also always have such an interesting sense of humor. Dementus especially fits with the humor that we've come to expect in Mad Max movies. In the grand scheme of things does Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga work since as the title suggests it's a saga entry and Max isn't in it (outside of a brief cameo which I promise isn't a major spoiler)?

It's tough to put myself in the shoes of someone who isn't familiar with the Mad Max movies. I've been a fan for some time now and was excited to see Furiosa even without Max in it. I believe this film is pretty accessible to moviegoers and hope that a lot of people give it a shot. There's still CGI in Furiosa, but I appreciate it when modern movies do as much with practical sets and effects as possible. You can just tell with most superhero movies for instance that it was all filmed with a greenscreen backdrop. Furiosa was shot on location in Australia and it shows. In a time when it's difficult to attract people to the cinema, anything that helps a film stand out is appreciated.

Dementus has a line in Furiosa where he says "The question is, do you have what it takes to make it epic?" This could be a question that writer/director George Miller asked himself while developing Furiosa. He's the filmmaker behind all of the Mad Max films and with Furiosa being a new entry in the saga it makes sense how he might ask himself this question. Speaking as an audience member, Miller and the rest of the team made Furiosa epic.

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