Against a $150 million budget, Mad Max: Fury Road grossed $380 million worldwide, becoming the 21st highest-grossing film that year. The movie also earned widespread acclaim, winning six Academy Awards and being nominated for Best Director and Best Picture. Director George Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris planned to film a back-to-back prequel but chose to wait. Despite the 2015 film’s critical and commercial success, production on the prequel got delayed over a lawsuit with Warner Bros. Thankfully, Miller and Warner settled the lawsuit in 2020, and casting began after 2022’s Three Thousand Years of Longing wrapped. Rather than bringing back Charlize Theron and using de-aging technology, Miller cast Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead alongside Chris Hemsworth. With a $168 million budget, filming started in June 2022 around New South Wales and wrapped that October. After premiering at Cannes, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hit theaters in May 2024.
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Synopsis
A young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) gets kidnapped by a marauder group and brought to their leader, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Dementus adopts Furiosa as his daughter and raises her as he leads his Biker Horde across the wasteland. He leads an assault on The Citadel but is swiftly forced into retreat by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). In retaliation, Dementus takes over Gastown, an oil refinery connected to The Citadel, and forces his way into Joe’s circle. Years pass, and Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) makes her way to copiloting The War Rig alongside Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). Meanwhile, Dementus has made himself an enemy of Immortan Joe for running Gastown into the ground and plans a counteroffensive. While gathering supplies, Furiosa and Jack get ambushed by Dementus’ horde, resulting in Jack’s death and Furiosa losing an arm. After a shave and an arm replacement, Furiosa readies herself for revenge.
Review
I was conflicted when it was announced that the next Mad Max movie would be a prequel focused on Furiosa. While I loved the Furiosa character and wanted to see more of her, I’d prefer a sequel over a prequel. That said, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is fantastic, but I found it somewhat underwhelming compared to Fury Road. For one, despite being listed first in the credits, Anya Taylor-Joy doesn’t show up until an hour in. The first hour centers on Alyla Browne as the young Furiosa, who’s good in the role, but it feels odd. The sequence should’ve been shortened to no more than 30 minutes, but that also ties into my issue with the runtime. While the other installments were between 90 minutes and two hours, this one is nearly two and a half hours. Half an hour could’ve been cut, and it wouldn’t have hurt things.
To get into the positives, Anya Taylor-Joy does a great job as Furiosa, though she lacks Charlize Theron’s commanding presence. She brings a quiet intensity to the role, where she’s strong and confident but vulnerable at the same time. As other reviewers have pointed out, Chris Hemsworth steals the show as Dementus, chewing up the scenery and having fun. His performance channels a mix of Hugh Keays-Byrne’s Toecutter and Tina Turner’s Aunty Entity while having some intense moments. There’s a particularly noteworthy scene where Furiosa confronts Dementus in the desert towards the end that perfectly encapsulates their conflict. Tom Burke also stands out as Praetorian Jack, who mentors Furiosa and fights alongside her until the end. Also, Lachy Hulme is a great stand-in for the late Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe and fits the role nicely. Plus, it’s nice seeing some of the cast from Fury Road returning.
Like any good Mad Max movie, this one delivers on the action sequences, some of which stand out. The scenes of Furiosa trying to escape from Dementus and the battle at The Bullet Farm are easily the highlights. Of course, you get the usual car chases and crashes, but they lack the impact of the ones from before. I might’ve set my expectations for this film too high since it would never live up to them. While it’s a solidly entertaining and well-made standalone action film, it falls flat as a follow-up to the 2015 film. I feel conflicted about this movie because I wanted to love it, but part of me found it underwhelming. Trust me, I want more Mad Max movies and wouldn’t mind Furiosa returning, but I’d rather we get another sequel. Overall, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga feels lacking despite its many good qualities.
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