Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Considering George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is arguably be the greatest film of the 2010s, it would be safe to assume his return to a franchise (and genre) he spawned with the spinoff prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), might be a tough act to follow. That thought rings true after seeing it. There's plenty to like about Miller's latest work; in fact, it's a highly impressive film, but it does fall short of its predecessor.
Cutting to the chase, the most obvious fault with the film is its run time. Quoting Chris Hemsworth's film-stealing villain, Dementus, "the question is, do you have it in you to make it epic?" Clocking in at a whopping two and a half hours, I'd say yes, but indulgently so. Pacing issues make it a downgrade to Fury Road's actions speak louder than words mantra. Structurely, Furiosa... is split into several chapters set over many years, with Anya Taylor Joy only making her appearance around the one hour mark as the titular heroine. Granted, Alyla Browne as child Furiosa is very good, and the continuous world building and lore of Miller's dystopian vision will never cease to be fascinating, but it's a stark contrast to the kinetic flow and narrative which Mad Max: Fury Road employed, which made it a masterpiece. Furiosa... is a distinct change.
Anya Taylor Joy does a sterling effort as an earlier incarnation of Charlize Theron's vengeful Vuvalini. In this current era of film making, it's a pleasant relief she wasn't turned into another boring girlboss. Her path of revenge isn't an easy road in the least. Her victories are earned. However, as previously noted, the real star is Chris Hemsworth relishing the opportunity as the villainous antagonist. Going completely against typecasting, it's fun to watch him being so charmingly over the top. Tasting Furiosa's tears and uttering "Sorrow is more piquant, zesty," as she's forced to watch her crucified mother being tortured, is so cartoonishly evil, it’s entertaining.
Much like its predecessor, it's a stunning looking film. The world of Mad Max is probably the most beautiful post-apocalyptic hellscape I've witnessed. The arid and desolate horizons are like twisted John Constable paintings. Of course, it wouldn't be Mad Max related without the freakishly insane looking vehicles. Dementus's chariot pulled by three choppers is another memorable entry that's on par with the Gigahorse and the iconic V8 Interceptor. Last, but not least, you really can't avoid how surreal the various tribal factions and folk look in these films. A minor complaint, but it's a real shame some visual FX shots look a bit shoddy. Composites, particularly near the beginning of the film, look very noticeable and are jarring at times. Flaws which were nowhere as immersion breaking as its predecessor.
The climax really exemplifies George Miller's steadfast portrayal of his road warriors over the decades. The final scenes between Furiosa and Dementus are reminiscent of vintage spaghetti westerns. The hunter stalking the prey amongst the sand dunes from afar. Picking off the pack until the big showdown, It's highly stylish and lends to an outcome which fuels the legends of the Wasteland.
In summary, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a great film. Prolonged, but great. One of the best motion pictures released so far this year. Too bad the film flopped as we'll probably never get Miller's next planned Mad Max film. Maybe if he helmed that first instead of a spinoff, then both projects would have stood a greater chance. Regardless of this, Miller's auteur actioners have been far superior to the usual blockbuster dross we're constantly bombarded with, and for that I'm grateful.
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