Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters this month, and it’s been 9 years since we’ve seen the last Mad Max film. Before that, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome graced theaters in 1985, blessing us with Tina Turner’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome).” As for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, it was a lovely day it was when it came out in theaters, receiving praise from critics and audiences alike and becoming the highest-grossing Mad Max film ever, with over $380 million at the worldwide box office.
One of the highlights in Mad Max: Fury Road was Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa, an intriguing and kick-ass character who has turned against the main villain, Immortan Joe, to free The Five Wives. It was no surprise to see the character getting her own movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, with Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne as older and younger Furiosa, respectively.
Furiosa’s Origin Story
George Miller is back as the director and writer, who crafts an origin story for Furiosa from her time at the Green Place to being kidnapped by Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, who channels an evil version of Thor with his red cape and Viking-inspired beard. The story takes its time by showing us Furiosa’s transformation from an innocent child to a hardened warrior. There’s even a lengthy vehicle chase sequence that lasts for 15 minutes, taking the filmmakers 78 days to shoot with 200 stunt people. This pivotal scene has little dialogue, but it captures Anya Taylor-Joy’s journey to becoming a valued soldier.
Young Furiosa
Anya Taylor-Joy is in all of the promotional materials, and she is in most of the film’s running time; however, Alyla Browne gets a significant amount of screen time as young Furiosa. This includes her time at the Green Place, being held captive by Dementus, and eventually getting recruited by Immortan Joe, only to escape the center of the Citadel.
As Furiosa becomes a young woman, she meets Praetorian Jack, a road warrior who is reminiscent of Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky. Jack helps train Furiosa to become who she was in Mad Max: Fury Road. Both Browne and Taylor-Joy have done a fine job as the lead protagonist, portraying a lost soul who finds her way.
Although it’s fun to see Hemsworth as an evil and conniving villain with a prosthetic nose, his overall aesthetic felt too similar to Thor, which I couldn’t stop thinking about every time he was on the screen. If he had a different hairstyle, cape and beard, it may not have been as distracting.
The Action
The movie runs for around two and a half hours, and there are plenty of long action sequences, which is a big draw for the film. There were plenty of explosions, minions dying left and right, and vehicles getting destroyed all over the screen, and it was pure mayhem and adrenaline. The pacing does slow down as the movie covers Furiosa’s journey from a young child to a young woman, and the movie could benefit from a tighter cut.
Mad Max: Fury Road is still at the top spot for the best in the series, but Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a solid prequel with epic and lengthy action sequences, sweeping landscapes, and a colorful cast of characters.
Score: 4/5 Atoms
