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MOVIE REVIEW
'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' Is A Great Prequel That Expands On The Wasteland From 'Fury Road'
By Sal LoCicero | May 27, 2023
Ten years ago, writer-director George Miller made, what is considered “the greatest action movie of all time”, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. From staggering critical praise to a worldwide box office gross of over $380 million, the fourth installment in the ‘Mad Max’ franchise went on to receive 10 Academy Awards nominations and 6 wins. While ‘Fury Road’ is most known for showcasing the most wild action sequences known to man, there is one specific character - aside from Tom Hardy’s Max - that many found to be one of the greatest aspects included in the feature.
Previously played Charlize Theron, ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ follows the story of Furiosa from when she was a child (Alyla Browne) to an adult (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she plans her way to revenge after Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) murdered her mother and took her in to raise on his own.
If you are going into this movie expecting only a revenge tale, this might not be exactly what you are looking for. While ‘Furiosa’ is here to present both a backstory and revenge story, those are not the only two things that it has to offer. Throughout the first two acts, George Miller spends time expanding on this world of the Wasteland that was presented to us before, but never fully explored. The movie travels to different areas and is filled with characters, both from the previous film as well as those who were only ever mentioned (or teased) instead of revealed.
One could say that Miller uses Furiosa mostly as an excuse to focus more on Fury Road’s Wasteland, he also depicts how this post-apocalyptic world has affected our main protagonist in her own ways. What ‘Better Call Saul' was for ‘Breaking Bad’ is how 'Furiosa’ is to ‘Fury Road’. ‘Fury Road’ was dedicated exclusively to its action, ‘Furiosa’ dedicates itself to characters and expansive world building.
As far as action filmmaking goes, this may be the best of its genre since the 2015 film. Although the use of CGI is more prevalent this time around, it still looks amazing and feels incredibly immersive. At 79 years old, George Miller can still write and direct with such passion, and it is extraordinary. Anya Taylor-Joy only has 30 lines of dialogue, and yet she gives such a fierce performance. Chris Hemsworth as Dementus is amazing. Hemsworth adds so much wit and originality to the role that he (pretty much) is this movie’s scene-stealer. He went from playing the Son of Odin to (now) the Bastard Son of Odin, if you will.
This is the longest feature in the ‘Mad Max’ franchise, with a runtime of 2 hrs and 28 Mins, but don’t let the length keep you hesitant about this because, in all honesty, it feels ten minutes shorter than it is. The movie is explored within five chapters, and if anything, chapter four feels the most long, which is due to so much intensity that hits the screen. If there is anything that ‘Furiosa’ may lack, is a satisfying ending. The outcome of the finale can leave the viewer feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Fans of this long running franchise, and of the genre, should be most definitely pleased with what ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ has to offer. It is exhilarating and is made for the cinemas. Now, all that’s left is a continuation (and hopefully conclusion) to Max’s story.
Grade: A-
What are your thoughts?
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