By 
“THIS IS HER ODYSSEY”
Back in 2015, the cinematic world was treated to the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, the long awaited fourth entry in the Mad Max film franchise; bringing forth a new visual style of both intense action scenes and a new dramatic filmmaking for moviegoers everywhere. Directed by George Miller, the film, which starred Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and Nicholas Hoult, is set in post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where petrol and water scarce commodities and follows lone road warrior Max Rockatansky, who joins with Imperator Furiosa against her cult leader Immortan Joe and his army, leading to a lengthy road battle of survival and dominance. Mad Max: Fury Road went onto gross $380 million at the worldwide box office, which made it the highest-grossing Mad max film in the series, as well as receiving positive reviews from both critics and moviegoers alike, with special praise from Miller’s direction, the action scenes, visual presentation, and the cast (i.e. Hardy, Theron, and Hoult). In addition, the movie was even nominated for numerous awards during the award season, including ten nominations at the 88th Academy Awards (winning six), snagging the Best Film from the National Board of Review that year, and was also named one of the top ten films of 2015 by the AFI (American Film Institute). Moreover, Mad Max: Fury Road went on to be called “one of the greatest action films of all time” and considered to be one of the several films to be hailed as the best of the 2010s era of motion picture releases. Now, nine years after the film’s initial release, Warner Bros. Studios and director George Miller returns to the dystopian wasteland of marauder scoundrels and brutish road warriors with the spin-off project Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Does this movie race to the finish line with its stunning action and spectacle thrills or has moviegoers simply moved on from this cinematic universe of this anti-utopian look into the Earth’s future?
THE STORY
As a young child, Furiosa (Alyla Browne) felt safe and secure by living in the lush sanctuary known as the Green Place, but such a tranquil existence is broken when scavengers are sighted in their haven, looking to plunder the location’s natural riches. Kidnapped by the bandits, Furiosa carried away by them as her mother, Mary Jo (Charlee Fraser) chases after them, only to be killed by the enemy during a rescue attempt, with their leader, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) demanding knowledge of the Green Place. Refusing speak and remaining silent, Furiosa is forced to join Dementus’s clan, while the warlord grows obsessed with power, learning about the Citadel, where Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) rules, and desiring to claim the powerful fortress city for himself. Unable to overwhelm Joe’s War Boys by force, Dementus elects to outmaneuver the Citadel’s warlord, invading the nearby Gas Town, forcing Immortan’s hand into a negotiation with him, while Furiosa becomes a pawn amongst the two brutish men. As the years pass, Furiosa (Anya Talyor-Joy), who now calls thee Citadel home, maintains a vision to return home by honing her skills and survival instincts as she rises among the ranks of Immortan Joe’s warriors, which sets her on a collision course path in seeking revenge against Dementus, who continues to plot and scheme to take the Citadel by any means necessary.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
Oh, Fury Road. I remember when this movie came out. In truth, prior to its release, I only knew of Mad Max titles by name only. Yes, it is true…. before seeing Fury Road. I had never seen any of the Mad Max features. So, of course, I did watch all three films (i.e. Mad Max, Mad Max: Road Warrior, and Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome), so that I could get a better understanding of Miller’s vision for this franchise, who Max Rockatansky was (his journey), and what to possibly expect from the upcoming 2015 film. What we got was an explosive and wildly entertaining film that was an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Yes, Fury Road was worth all the hype and anticipation that brought with it. I still remember seeing it on opening night (seeing it right after I saw Pitch Perfect 2) and was completely blown away by how much I enjoy it. Naturally, much praised should be given to George Miller, who captured such a wild and vivid world of the Wastelands desert and how much society has falling from modern day. In addition, the film’s action scenes were nonstop and breathtaking to behold, especially with all the cinematic bolstering to height it all as well as bombastic score. Plus, let’s not forget the film’s two central characters (Max and Furiosa), who are played by actor Tom Hardy and actress Charlize Theron. I know that there’s a lot of rumors and history with these two being infamously “combative” while onset during Fury Road (look it up), but, for their respective parts, each one was equally fantastic. Hardy easily slid into the boots of Max Rockatansky (a role that has only been played by actor Mel Gibson) and shows that he has enough theatrical gumption and skilled with actions scenes to handle such a lively (yet not really talkative) character. Likewise, Theron demonstrated she definitely can handle herself in the lead role of an action movie and really mad the character her own. In the end, Mad Max: Fury Road stands tall and proud for its cinematic achievements and deservingly wears its crown with grace as an enticing and exciting action feature that’s worthy of the name.
This brings me back to talking about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a 2024 action film a prequel film to Mad Max: Fury Road, and the fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise. As stated above, Fury Road displayed the character of Furiosa quite heavily, with a lot of people speculating that there was enough interest and possible story substance to sort of “flesh out” of her backstory adventure prior to the events of the 2015 picture. And indeed, that seemed to be the case with Miller, who stated that he wanted to further explore Furiosa as a character and (after many years) official announced his latest film would be about her as a sort of “spin-off” prequel adventure that was still very much set in the Mad Max world. I then remember reading that both actress Anya-Taylor Joy and actor Chris Hemsworth were cast in the movie as the younger version of Furiosa and the film’s villain (Dementus) respectfully, which got me even more interested in seeing this upcoming project. Of course, the film’s movie trailers started to appear (both online and in theaters) and really showcased the movie’s premise and visual style, which seemed to be very close to how Fury Road was….and that got me really excited. My personal big question was to how this movie would connect Fury Road? Would Max be featured in it? Would Theron’s Furiosa be shown at the end? How does Dementus meet his demise? There were a lot of these questions that I asked myself about the upcoming film, but I was indeed really interested to see what the film had to offer. So, I decided to check out the movie a few weeks after its initial theatrical release (I was on vacation and out of the country when it came out) and had to wait a few weeks more to get my review done for this movie due to my work commitments. Now that I am free of those, I am ready to share my personal thoughts on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. And what did I think of it? Well, in truth, I actually really liked it. Despite a few minor criticisms, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a wild and cinematic viewing experience that is great companion piece to both Fury Road as well as to the Mad Max film franchise. It may fall slightly short when comparing itself to its 2015 counterpart, but the feature itself is still an engaging, exciting, and visually entertaining from onset to conclusion….and that’s a great thing.
As mentioned, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is directed by George Miller, who previously directed the past Mad Max films as well as The Witches of Eastwick and Happy Feet. Given his familiarity with the series since its beginning, Miller seems like the most suitable choice to helm such a project like this; approaching the project the almost the exact same type of cinematic integrity and visual flair of what he did with Fury Road. This, of course, is to be expected from Miller, especially when considering that Furiosa is to be a spin-off prequel to the 2015 film. While Fury Road did present a new timeline era for the Mad Max storyline, there was a lot that was left unsaid or not fully showcased within the movie’s world-building aspects. For all tense and purposes, Fury Road was a road movie, following the main heroes and villains along a singular trajectory. Miller (of course) probably did that by design and kept the momentum going. So, given the opportunity to back and revisit this movie’s world, without the usage of the franchise’s title character, Miller and his team delve deep into the background of certain places and characters that were featured in 2015 picture, but never getting the proper “fleshing out” nuances. There are some narrative mechanics that makes the feature different from its 2015 predecessor (more on that below), but, for the positives, Furiosa shines in generating a good dose of world-building in shedding light on the Wasteland with new areas as well as new locations within already previous established places. Such is the case within The Citadel, Immortan Joe’s home base, with plenty of new scenes that showcases both the dirt and grime and new places to explore as well as Gas Town, a place that was briefly shown off in the distance in Fury Road, but never fully shown as well as The Bullet Farm. There is no denying the fact that fans of the 2015 film will definitely love the feature for a lot of his nods, winks, and reference to what was previously mentioned / shown in Fury Road, with Miller gain momentum in broadening the film’s Wasteland landscape and making the connections between the two films. It’s definitely a little bit of fan services, especially when some acting talents and characters are shown, but it’s handle in the correct way, which doesn’t distract from the movie’s overall ebb and flow of things. Overall, the lore and world-building in Furiosa was great and definitely gave a better understanding and context to what was first brought to the table in 2015.
Of course, there is no denying the fact that Furiosa is mainly focused on shedding more light on the chief leading lady character of Furiosa herself. In essence, Miller makes the film have a sort of “revenge tale”, which is broken up into the five episodic chapters, with the title character taking centerstage for literally almost every scene. The connection to such events is paramount, with Miller, while exploring more about the movie’s setting and the marauding hierarchy of the land, never loses sight of Furiosa’s journey from child to adult and how she survives through such hostile adversity and the men that play a part in it. Miller definitely brings a sense of quality to the feature in both its visual presentation (more on that below), but also in how he depicts the dramatic parts of the movie, which helps build upon the gravitas feeling that permeates the picture.
Of course, there’s no denying the fact that the Mad Max movies have always been centered around action scenes of crazy, tension-filled moments of car chases and knuckle-biting fights. Furiosa, even though not a main line entry in the franchise, still carries the same type of bravado and action pedigree that was presented in Fury Road, with Miller reengaging viewers with some wild and crazy stunt work for these moments. Extended sequences of chase scenes, explosive gun shootouts, and close quarter combats is spread throughout the movie and Miller continues to impress me with his finesse of staging such scenes out in a cinematic and visual way. The execution of it all definitely works in the feature’s favor as Miller and his team wonderfully make an impact on the movie, with Furiosa having some slick and stylish action frenzy depictions that will excite, enthrall, and amaze viewers. Another great positive for Miller and for this film.
Within its presentation, Furiosa is quite the visual feat for Miller’s production, which continues the style and flair over from Fury Road and gives newer depictions of these dystopian wasteland. With new areas and location that were either weren’t in the last movie or only brief shown (or even just talked about, but never shown), Miller and his team get to create new locales and places for the movie’s story and characters to visit, expanding on what previous establish in the 2015 and enhancing the environment with more background and setting detail where Fury Road didn’t go. As mentioned above, there is more time spent at the Citadel with places to see therein as well as Gas Town and the Bullet Farm; all of which look quite great and help build upon the film’s post-apoplectic world. Naturally, this production design and imagery that the movie evokes and it’s quite a layered depiction of Australia’s Wasteland setting. Intricate detail of sets, props, and costumes really bring out the appeal of the movie’s background and almost acts like a nameless character unto itself, which (in my book) is a really great thing. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” team, including Colin Gibson (production design), Katie Sharrock (set decorations), Eliot Knapman and Maragret Sixel (editing), and both the entire art direction team and the hair / make-up department for their efforts on Furiosa and how much of the visual style and flair that had brought to the cinematic proceedings.
Of course, I do have to mention that the costume design by Jenny Beavan, who previously did the costumes on Fury Road, returns to Miller’s Mad Max dystopian future and continues to demonstrate a very unique and visual style within her various outfits and attires for the film’s characters. Grungy and tattered clothes, worn and old leather, and some fantastic usage of outlaw-esque depictions definitely adds a new type of layer to the variety of wardrobes to the characters, with Beavan’s designs beautifully complimenting that movie’s setting. It’s just so amazing to see her work, especially since her recent past endeavors (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Cruella) are a vastly different from her Mad Max “Wasteland” costumes for Miller’s vision. Sheer brilliance.
Similarly, the cinematography work by Simon Duggan, definitely heightens the feature’s visual flair throughout the entire feature, bringing Miller’s cinematic world with plenty of imagery that evokes dramatic usage within a hellish landscape of marauders and warlords. Taking what was previously done in Fury Road by John Seale’s work, Duggan cultivates and captures some beautiful (almost haunting) images for the movie, with such dramatic flair of style and design. To be sure, various camera shots of lightening and shadowing as well as angling certain scenes that are quite captivating. Aagin, just wonder and cinematic shots (both subtle and explosive) are mesmerizing throughout Furiosa and Duggan’s efforts definitely make a statement and greatly enhance the powerful theatric moments that the picture has to offer. Aiding in that endeavor, I must also have to bring attention to the sound editing and mix department, which has some incredible sound effects in Furiosa. Gun shots are loud and heavy, engines of motorcycles and vehicles are roaring with mechanical glee, and everything else comes together with plenty of cinematic vigor. Such usage of sound design help bolster the feature’s actions sequences and carries plenty of weight to the feature’s proceedings. So, big kudos to the whole team. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Tom Holkenborg, delivers another hair-raising and pulse-pounding soundtrack composition, with plenty of bombastic action and dramatic flair. I still think that his score for Fury Road was a little bit better, but his work on Furiosa is still quite effective and any fan of Holkenberg’s work will love it.
Unfortunately, Furiosa does fall prey to a few minor points of criticism that, while not derailing from Miller’s grand vision for this titular character (and the story being told), doesn’t outpace nor outshine what was presented back in 2015 with Fury Road. What do I mean? Well, for starters, the big component to this is in how the movie is presented to be when comparing “apples to apples” to Fury Road. As mentioned, the 2015 Mad Max film was thrilling and highly entertaining, fueled by relentless and nonstop depiction of actions that was kept up its staging of breakneck stunt work. Furiosa, while still is very much a spiritual successor / companion piece to that film, takes a different approach and is more story / world building elements rather than continuous feature of action sequences. While I did outline the many positive of fleshing out Miller’s depiction of the Wasteland for this spin-off film above, the truth is that the movie does slow down to explain more about the current state of land as well as the intricate dealings of society, its people, and various characters. Of course, the movie isn’t considered a Mad Max movie, but rather a spin-off, so that might be the scapegoat for presenting the feature the way it is. Yet, there feels like the movie is both crammed and too elongated at the same time. Let me explain that….
There is no doubt that Furiosa has a lot to unpack within its five episodic chapter style narratives, exploring the two younger versions of Furiosa as well as examining the rise of (and ultimate fall) Dementus and his dealing with Immortan Joe’s associates and army. Thus, to squeeze all of that into 148 minutes (two hours and twenty-eight minutes) is sometimes a lot to take in and (by doing so) had to be condensed in a several times in the main narrative. Time lapsed moments of years passing and montages sequences significant storytelling pieces and even a few off-stage scenes are scattered throughout Furiosa’s narrative and feel like the script for the film is missing these chunks of the plot. Furthermore, this feels like the story for the movie was meant to be longer than what was presented, with a lot of material reduce and left on the cutting room to keep the runtime down, despite the project being almost two and half hours in length. It almost seems like the movie needed to be longer (almost a three-hour cut), or divided into a two-part feature film endeavor, or even maybe a limited TV series (five or six episodes) to fully encompass all the story, plot, and characters.
Coinciding with that, the movie does feel (at times) at too long in a few portions. This is most notable during the feature’s third act (the fifth chapter of the narration), with Miller indulging too much in character long-winded monologues and drawn out pauses for dramatic effect. I definitely get it where he (Miller) was going with it, especially within both the protagonist and antagonist confronting each other in their moments of revenge. It’s a bit too long, especially during the film’s home reach to the finish line and could’ve been easily cut down for a tighter editing and for a better final product during the climax / resolution portion. There are several other moments in the movie where Miller and his team linger too much on some scenes, which are meant for cinematic purpose (and within its cinematography) and could’ve edited down in favor of additional scenes (new ones) or give better context to certain storytelling elements and character-built sequences.
Lastly, as a minor criticism, the film’s visual effects sort of overtake the practical effects usage. While computer generated effects are a common practice in modern day moviemaking, especially ones of the blockbuster variety, it shouldn’t overtake the movie. While the visual effects in Furiosa helps build upon some of the more extravaganza sequences that is too impractical or dangerous, there were a few times that the film’s visual are a bit muddy and look a tad fake. It doesn’t derail the movie at all, but it is a bit distracting, especially since large and significant portions of the movie have more practical scenes of grounded stunt work and real-life filmmaking mechanics to help bring the feature’s action to life.
The cast for Furiosa is quite stacked from its major to minor characters, with the talent assembled for the feature bringing their screen presence to play a major part in the feature in these large-than-life fictional characters. Like before, character themselves might be slightly broad, but that does seem to be by design, with large focus on action scenes as well as their individual bravado on hero and villain side of things. Leading the charge and headlining the feature as the chief main protagonist of iconic Furiosa herself is actress Anya Taylor Joy. Known for her roles in The Queen’s Gambit, Emma., and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Taylor-Joy has certainly been making a name for herself throughout the last half a decade, appearing more and more in prominent productions on both big and small screen variety. Thus, seeing her in a movie like Mad Max spin-off installment was definitely quite interesting and caused a lot of debate as to why she was casted in the role of Furiosa instead of having actress Charlize Theron reprising the character. While there has been speculating as to why Theron didn’t come back, Taylor-Joy certainly does a great job in stepping into the boots of Furiosa, a fan favorite character from the 2015 Mad Max film and does tremendous job in honoring Theron’s portrayal of the role, but also makes a mark on the character to make it her own. Like before, Furiosa, much like the character of Max, isn’t an individual of long-winded dialogue driven moments, and is more of a woman of action, with Taylor-Joy vividly displaying the right amount of action prowess and steely demeanor through her body language and facial expression. She definitely embodied role perfectly and carries the weight of the movie on her shoulders the right way, without feeling overwhelmed by the feature’s blockbuster action premise. The character story arc of Furiosa is another brilliant part of the movie’s likeability, with viewers seeing the rise of her power amongst the ranks of Immortan Joe as well as her early upbringings with Dementus’s kidnapping her and seeing her ultimate revenge plotting of the biker warlord. All in all, Taylor-Joy was quite the powerhouse in the movie, making her portrayal of Furiosa well-deserved and worth watching from beginning to end.
As a sidenote, it should be worth noting that young actress Alyla Browne (Nine Perfect Strangers and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) does quite an amazing job as the younger version of Furiosa. The particular age for the film’s titular characters gets a lot of screen time, which allows Browne to deliver a solid performance whenever she’s on-screen, especially when she’s on-screen with her adult co-stars.
Following Taylor-Joy, actor Chris Hemsworth does a surprisingly fun turn at playing the villain of the movie, with his portrayal of the movie’s antagonist character Dementus, a deranged warlord leader of the Biker Horde and who is Furiosa’s sworn enemy throughout the film. Known for his roles in Thor movies in the MCU as well as 12 Strong and Extraction, Hemsworth has been many recognizable of playing the leading male protagonist throughout much of his endeavors. Although, he does play a bad guy character a few times before (see Bad Times at the El Royale and Spiderhead). Still, it was bit unusual to see Hemsworth playing a bad guy in a major studio tentpole movie, especially one from the Mad Max franchise. To his credit, I think he did a great job, with Hemsworth playing up his Australian accent in a manic (and somewhat nasally) way compared to his more weighed voice. The power-hungry nature of Dementus is something that made him interesting, while he does come across with a few humorous bits, which is a different approach to a Mad Max when comparing him to say the more imposing and terrifying look Immortan Joe. Still, that doesn’t make the character a pushover with Dementus showcasing plenty of villainy, which can be a little bit dramatic and over-the-top at some points, but it definitely works for the individual and Hemsworth definitely is up to the task to give that larger-than-life persona a run for the money. Also, as to be expected, the scenes with him and Furiosa, especially the ending scene, are fantastic to watch.
With the movie being a prequel endeavor to Fury Road, Furiosa does see the return of some familiar characters from the previous, with several acting talents coming back to reprise their Fury Road characters once again. Of course, the character of Immortan Joe, the formidable warlord ruler of the Citadel and the enemy to Dementus’s Biker Horde as well as the main antagonist from Fury Road, does appear in the movie, but is played by actor Lachy Hulme (Offsprings and Killer Elite) who replaces the late actor Hugh Keays-Byrne, who originally played the role in the 2015 film. Like Keays-Byrne, Hulme does a great job in embodying the character through his sheer physical screen presence as the titular warlord of the Citadel and the character still looks as terrifying and imposing as he did in Fury Road. The voice of Immortan Joe is a bit different from Hulme and Keays-Byrne, with whom I still think has a better sounding voice for the character, but Hulme still does a great job in playing the formidable character. Interestingly, Hulme also plays “double duty” on the movie by also playing Rizzdale Pell, Dementus’s top lieutenant. In similar way, the character of The Bullet Farmer, the guardian provider of the Bullet Farm area, does appear in the film in a minor capacity, but is played actor Lee Perry (Happy Feet and Sando), replacing the late Richard Carter from the previous Mad Max feature.
Other familiar faces who come back for this prequel spin-off includes actor John Howard (All Saints and SeaChange) as Immortan Joe’s advisor / military strategist named The People Eater, actor Nathan Jones (Conan the Barbarian and Mortal Kombat) as Immortan Joe’s muscular yet dim-witted son Rictus Erectus, and actor Angus Sampson (Fargo and The Lincoln Lawyer) as Dementus and later Joe’s personal physician named The Organic Mechanic respectfully. All three actors are still just as effective in their characters roles as they all easily slide back in them with plenty of charisma and touch of theatrical boldness to the proceedings to make them still entertaining once again.
Of this new grouping of old familiar faces and characters appearing throughout the movie, the new character of Scrotus, Immortan Joe’s psychotic and unstable son and who is played by actor Josh Helman (X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Pacific), is an interesting one, especially since he wasn’t featured in Fury Road. Yet, Helman does appear in the 2015 movie, but as the character Slit. Of course, the reason behind his absence from Fury Road is never fully explained, but it does provide a new character in Immortan Joe’s clan of brutish and deformed-looking offspring and Helman does do a good job in showcasing the barbarity and warmongering bravado that Scrotus displays. Overall, a fun new character that fits into the narrative well.
For notable new characters, Furiosa does shine a spotlight on a new player in the story in the character of Praetorian Jack, the commander of the Citadel’s first War Rig and who is played by actor Tom Burke (Mank and The Lazarus Project). I think he was a cool new character, with Burke’s performance (much like Taylor-Joy) is more of a physical presence rather than chatter box of dialogue-driven moments. Still, Burke is the man for the job in this role and delivers a solid work in the role of Praetorian Jack. You almost wish that there was a bit more time of his character to explore more about him than what was presented. Still, for better or worse, he was good in the part and the character was definitely a fine addition. Similarly, the character of The History Man, a sage-like expert in pre-apocalyptic history, science, and technology who serves Dementus, is a small fun addition to the Mad Max saga, with actor George Shevtsov (Three Thousand Years of Longing and Love Serenade) doing a solid job in the role as well as acting as the movie’s narrator, which he does impressively well in auditory deliver of lines with gravitas.
The rest of the cast, including actress Elsa Pataky (Interceptor and Fast Five), who is Hemsworth’s wife…in case you didn’t know, plays two characters in the film, with the first being a deformed survivor who joins Dementus’s biker Horde named Mr. Norton and the second being one of Furiosa’s people from the Green Place named Vuvalini General, actress Charlee Fraser (Anyone But You) as Furiosa’s mother Mary Jabassa, actor Goran D. Kleut (Hacksaw Ridge and Alien: Covenant) as the leader of Mortifiers biker gang called The Octoboss, actor David Collins (The Upside Down Show and Three Thousand Years of Longing) as Dementus’s henchmen / dance proclaimer / messenger named Smeg, actor Matuse (The Fall Guy and Last King of the Cross) as Dementus’s henchmen Fang, actor Clarence Ryan (Stateless and Cleverman) as Praetorian Jack’s mechanic on the War Rig named Black Thumb, actor Bryan Probets (Triangle and Daybreakers) as the hunchbacked mechanic at the Citadel named Chumbucket, actor C.J. Bloomfield (Streamline and The Secrets She Keeps) as Big Jilly, actor Rahel Romanhn (Mr. Inbetween and Shantaram) as Vulture, actor David Field (Preacher and No Activity) as Toe Jam, actor Peter Stephens (Three Thousand Years of Longing and Queen City Rocker) as the Guardian of Gastown, actress Dylan Adonis (making her debut with the movie) as Furiosa’s childhood friend Valkyrie, actress Florence Mezzara (Partisan and Slider) as Sad Eyes, actor Tim Burns (Monkey Grip and Mad Max) as Hungry Eyes, stuntman actor Robert Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Squint, actor Ian Roberts (Superman Returns and Fantasy Island) as Mr. Harley, actor Guy Spence (Underbelly and Black Comedy) as Mr. Davidson, and a special appearance from Quaden Bayles (Three Thousand Years of Longing) as the young War Pup, are delegated to playing the film’s minor supporting players in the film. While some get more spotlight than others, the entire cast in this grouping does do a great job in their respective character roles, despite their limited screen time. Definitely adds layers, context, and insight into some of these individuals, which does help with the acting talent behind them giving solid (yet small) roles that work in the feature’s favor.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There will always be war, but to get home…. Furiosa fought the world as a young woman’s bides her time in seeking the revenge on the one who took her mother and her life away from her in the movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Director George Miller latest film returns to his Mad Max movie universe and fleshing out more of the backstory to Fury Road’s Furiosa character and many of the events that led up to the 2015 film. Despite some narrative telling story elements (being too long or too short) as well not being as enthralling as Fury Road was, the movie still excels for a rockin’ good time of summer blockbuster endeavor, with special thanks from Miller’s direction, style and flair, as well as engaging tale of revenge, some fantastic action sequences, a visually stunning presentation (art direction, set decorations, costumes, and hair / make-up), a pounding score from Holkenberg, and a great cast, especially from Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth. Personally, I liked this movie. There were a few gripes I had about it, especially when comparing it to Fury Road, but it was definitely solid companion piece to the action blockbuster of 2015. It did what it was supposed to do by fleshing out Miller’s Wasteland world with incredible detail and visual flair, while also showcasing Furiosa’s backstory that leads up to the opening piece Fury Road. The stunning presentation of the feature (in almost all facets and departments) was top-notch and both Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth were great in their respective roles of hero and villain. There were some minor things I think that would’ve been better if they were changed, but the movie is still fun and entertaining; worthy of being part of Mad Max film series. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a very sounded “highly recommended”, especially action films junkies, fans of summer blockbuster style features, and even longtime viewers of the Mad Max series. With the film’s box office results being considered a “flop” (barely breaking even against its production budget), the idea of true fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise is a bit ambiguous, which is disappointing on both the longevity of the series as well as this movie. Still, regardless of that notion, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still a blast to watch and to experience, exploding onto the cinematic scene with Miller’s visual style and swagger to make for a solid extension in this fictional post-apocalyptic of Max Rockatansky on-going saga.
Also, as a personal side note, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is my 750h movie review since I’ve started blogging. This is truly a huge and celebratory milestone for me! I wanted to give a special thank you to all my readers, followers, and fellow bloggers for reading my movie reviews and giving me this platform to share (with you guys) my views on cinematic tales.
4.4 Out of 5 (Highly Recommended)
Released On: May 24th, 2024
Reviewed On: July 25th, 2024
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is 148 minutes long and is rated R for sequences of strong violence and grisly images
The post Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) Review (750th Review) appeared first on Jason’s Movie Blog.
