Written by: George Miller & Nico Lathouris
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
Rating: [4/5]
Receiving character-specific prequels from a successful film typically does not fare well given the more context to them usually does not necessarily result in anything more poignant. A risk that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ran into when delving back into this world to tell the story of how the lead character of the incredible 2015 film rose in power. However, despite this risk, it comes as no surprise George Miller does it again in bringing us back into the wasteland in delivering all the thrills one ccould possibly want.
Taken as a young girl by a group of marauders led by their leader Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) finds herself bartered and used as a pawn. When given the chance to prove herself she vows to get revenge on the individual who has caused her so much pain, the aforementioned Dementus.
While generally having an issue with these character-specific prequels, Furiosa had plenty of fertile ground to work with because we do not know much of anything about the titular character from Mad Max: Fury Road other than some crumbs of information. In fact, the one flaw of that film that does not allow me to give it my highest personal score comes from its lack of real characters to connect to, as it solely operates as one long chase movie. Therefore, we can learn plenty more about Furiosa and this film does a splendid job in doing both that, but also bringing us right back into the wild world of this wasteland and its strangely fascinating characters.
As much as this film focuses on Furiosa’s rise, it mostly operates a journey towards revenge propelled by the anger our titular character holds for Dementus. The reasons why she seeks revenge becomes quite clear throughout the film and only continues to get amplified with each new wrong he manages to do to her. Dementus, like his name represents, truly has this distinct evil that somehow makes Immortam Joe (Lachy Hulme) feel more human, which is truly saying something. He operates with this bravado and confidence while also an underlying sense of comedy that makes him so fun to watch on the screen. It serves as a wonderful opportunity for Chris Hemsworth as he gets some great material to work with. The Australian actor has been on a decent run as of late in selecting worthwhile projects to attach his name to and the way he goes all in with his portrayal of Dementus truly impressed in showing the man has the goods as he bought into George Miller’s vision.
Much like with any Fury Road, the main event appears in the action sequences offered throughout the film and unsurprisingly, everything looks fantastic. Each of these action sequences show some of the familiar while also integrating some refreshingly new additions to the type of battle down on this dangerous road. All done as practically as possible, we feel the damage done and the stakes mightily involved. Experiencing the scene with the parachutes alone just mightily took me aback, and I wanted to give Miller a round of applause for continually seeking to innovate in how battle happens in this particular wasteland.
The film however, comes with some nagging issues, which stems with the one I had with the previous film of the story somewhat lacking in moments. Momentous events happen throughout this film with Furiosa and characters she deeply cares for but none of it receives the shine it deserved. This happens especially with the relationship she develops with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). The moments they have together displayed their mutual respect but the important moments where life-altering events transpire just did not land in the way it should if the film wants to continue to build this as a grand revenge tale for the titular character. Miller had more interest in getting back to the action, which I can respect, but it does come at the detriment of telling Furiosa’s story. Also, as much as I love Anya Taylor-Joy, her casting as Furiosa just never felt right. From the moments where she tries to emulate Charlize Theron with her voice and just looking far too fragile out in this dangerous world, it felt like she was miscast in this role. She definitely made the most of it, but never at any point did she convince me of her representing this road warrior.
Even with its issues, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will not disappoint in delivering exactly what people came to see, which is incredible action and set pieces. We learn more about several characters involved in Fury Road and the film nearly leads us right into the events of the film, which certainly adds to the experience. With Hemsworth as Dementus we get a colorfully wicked performance that continues to make this wasteland such a fun experience to continually revisit time and time again.
Films with Josh 
