While the subtitle “A Mad Max Saga” might seem like corny studio branding as a way to make the film an easier sell, the film truly is a saga in every sense of the word. Comparing this to Fury Road is a fruitless endeavor, as it sings to a tune that wholly its own. It’s a different beast entirely. Fury Road was a full throttle adrenaline rush, an almost silent movie-esque exercise of utilizing propulsive action as a means to tell its story. Visual storytelling in its most pure and primal. Meanwhile, Furiosa is a patient film, it’s a more expansive film, almost literary, and it’s also a much harsher film.
In a strange way, this film – which sees the return of director George Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris – feels like a marriage between the hyper stylized aesthetics of Fury Road with the more mean-spiritedness, methodical pacing, and moodiness of the original Mad Max. Like the classic 1979 exploitation film, Furiosa is also a revenge narrative where we follow the titular character from her young years (Alyla Browne) to her as an adult (Anya Taylor-Joy) aiming to take down the scavenging war lord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), after he orders the death of a loved one, while also dealing with the eventual rivalry that happens between Dementus and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme).
If you were one of those folks who maybe couldn’t get into the hype with Fury Road because you felt it’s narrative was thin – which I vehemently disagree with – I think you will find Furiosa to be a more fulfilling narrative overall. Told in a series of chapters, the film brings you in the Wasteland, exploring the dangers that lurk in every corner, and the challenges that Furiosa has to face – which isn’t expressed through much dialogue, once again letting the character’s actions speak louder than words. Both performers do a terrific job at expressing the turmoil, the rage, and determination that swims in her veins. But Anya Taylor-Joy in particular has one of those faces made for cinema, with the kind of eyes that speak volumes with the most minor of glances.
But this isn’t just Furiosa’s show. Chris Hemsworth nearly steals the show as Dementus, a villain that is Shakespearean in his extravagance and in his downfall. He’s a brute with a past of his own that isn’t too far off from our heroine, but his path is one of death and destruction. And over the course of the film, he becomes so convinced of his own ego, which is equal to his lack of competency as a leader, that he practically creates his own fall from something I wouldn’t even call “grace.” He’s a ranting and mumbling lunatic by the time the film reaches its climax, a far cry from the unquestioned boss of an army of bikers we first see him as. It’s truly a phenomenal performance that is easy to overlook the nuances of because it is presented in a way that is big and broad, but it’s truly impressive.
As one would expect, the action is terrific. But like with the storytelling as a whole, the action sequences take more time in their buildup. It’s not one beat after another in rapid formation, there’s lots of setups and payoffs that take their time to grow and sustain tension. Guy Norris, who is the film’s action designer, still delivers the goods when it comes to the carnage of cars. The stunt teams do wonders yet again. You watch these scenes where people are being thrown all over the place and you’re wondering how on Earth they did all this without getting anyone killed. Even when not as constructed with the momentum of Fury Road, the action still has great impact.
If I had to pick on something that maybe didn’t work as strongly, it would mostly be in some aspects of the script. Unlike the other Mad Max films, this is one where characters do have a tendency to express things that would’ve otherwise been left implied and unsaid in the other films. But this is really only in comparison to the other films in the franchise, compared to other films in general, I still think this puts a greater emphasis on visual storytelling overall. And while the cinematography from Simon Duggan is very strong, the choice to use top of the line, super crystal clear cameras emphasize some of the inherent artifice of some of the design choices, and thus, the computer generated elements stand out more, slightly lessening the overall grit of the film. But in the grand scheme of things, these issues didn’t bother me as I was taking in the overall experience.
Mad Max: Fury Road is obviously an incredibly tough act to follow, it’s a legacy sequel that went through a hellish production that managed to not only be acclaimed, but considered an instant classic that got numerous awards recognition, which is unheard of for an action film. So, sure, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is not quite the breath of fresh air that Fury Road was, but it never could be cause…you know, that’s just how time works. It doesn’t take away the fact that the film is still an absolute masterclass in genre filmmaking that furthers the world building we only got glimpses of in Fury Road, and expands them in ways that enhance and enrich the story and characters as opposed to being used as a crutch. After Fury Road, I was left breathless and euphoric, after Furiosa, I felt contemplative and haunted, thinking long after the film about its ideas of revenge, hope, the price we pay for survival, and the fury inside us that forces us to keep going, even when it seems like it’s not all worth it. But it is worth it because you’ll always have the chance to do some good. George Miller, you magnificent bastard, you’ve done it again.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now out in theaters.