Taking place 15 years before the acclaimed 2015 movie Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga by Director George Miller serves as a prequel and spin-off. The storyline focuses on Imperator Furiosa (portrayed by Charlize Theron in Fury Road), depicting her younger self in Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy. See what we thought of Miller’s latest adventure through the apocalyptic Wasteland, debuting this Memorial Day weekend on May 24, 2024.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — A riveting exploration of the lead’s past
Furiosa had been long in development, as Miller first shared the script with Charlize Theron during Fury Road to provide her character’s backstory. The film underwent various stages, including the idea of it potentially becoming an anime companion to Fury Road. The film portrays a young Furiosa snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, plunging into the clutches of a brutal biker horde led by the warlord Dementus (portrayed by Chris Hemsworth). Journeying through the Wasteland, they chance upon the Citadel governed by the ruthless Immortan Joe. Amidst the power struggle between the two tyrants, Furiosa is embroiled in a gripping quest to find her way back home.
Silent strength: Astonishing physicality and compelling characters
Arguably, the greatest strength of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga lies in its stark departure from the typical action-heavy sequences found in Fury Road and previous films of the series. Instead, this film embraces a more expansive odyssey, unafraid to slow down at necessary moments. That’s not to say that there weren’t any incredible action sequences, because there definitely were (the Bullet Farm sequence, in particular, comes to mind), but the pacing of this film was so well crafted in expanding upon the world-building that was evident in the other films while bringing a greater focus to the narratives of the main cast.
For a film where the main protagonist is largely mute, Anya Taylor-Joy is astonishing in the physicality that she brings to the performance. Even though she didn’t have a whole lot of dialogue herself, she still brought an immense presence to every scene that she was in and played to what Theron had set up as the older version of the character extremely well. It should also be noted that Alyla Browne who played the even younger version of Furiosa for the earlier portions of the film was also a standout and quite impressive in her ability to control the focus of the scenes for such a young actor. The other noteworthy performance, outside of Furiosa, was Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of the zany and villainous Dementus. His portrayal struck a delicate balance of intense dramatics and quirky zingers that kept the character interesting and engaging continuously throughout the film.
Revving up the Mad Max universe: Furiosa shines as a powerful prequel
A few other topics to mention would be the film’s costume design that contributed to the world-building aspect as well as the fantastic practical stunt work, which should be expected given the sheer amount of impressive practical stunts shown in Fury Road. Recent movies such as The Fall Guy and 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick have brought practical stunt work to the forefront, and I’m here for it. Conversely, one of the drawbacks for me was the noticeable use of CGI and visual effects in the film, which stood out compared to whenever practical effects were effectively used throughout the movie.
Overall, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stands out as a prequel that surpassed expectations and further solidified the Mad Max universe as a cornerstone of Hollywood franchises.
Buckle up and experience the journey for yourself when Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga debuts in theaters on Friday, May 24, 2024!
Ben Ahrens is a versatile Silicon Valley-based writer, content marketer, photographer, and graphic designer. His passion lies in crafting engaging stories for the entertainment industry and embracing the tech culture of the Bay Area to uncover the next ground-breaking innovations. When not weaving words, you’ll find him curating the perfect playlist for every occasion or exploring the diverse landscapes of Northern California.
