FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA -- A Demented Fairytale in George Miller's Wasteland

Review by Sean Boelman

Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Few franchises have had such a massive evolution as Mad Max, starting with low-budget Ozploitation flicks in the ‘70s before becoming a blockbuster franchise in the 21st century. Heading into the Fury Road prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the only question many likely had for George Miller was, “Do you have it in ya to make it epic?” While the answer to that question might not be the resounding yes that fans clearly hoped for, Miller delivers an explosive action spectacle in the form of a beautifully demented fairytale.

Set years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, this prequel tells the story of Furiosa's journey from her childhood, when an evil marauder snatched her away from her idyllic home, to becoming an officer in Immortan Joe’s army. This has much more of a narrative than Fury Road, structured almost like a fable telling the story of a legendary heroine.

However, this increased focus on the story also causes the pacing to feel much more lax. There are certainly plenty of action sequences, but this is not the nonstop thrill ride that was Fury Road. Still, Miller does plenty to keep audiences engaged by fully diving into the world-building and immersing viewers into this surreal post-apocalyptic world. 

Part of what makes Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stand out from other origin stories is that it isn’t entirely reliant on goodwill from the other entries. Sure, the film works better if you know who some of the side characters (namely Immortan Joe) are. Still, Furiosa has an incredibly well-developed arc contained in this movie that will get viewers invested, regardless of their familiarity with the franchise.

Anya Taylor-Joy in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance in the lead role is very solid. That being said, she does feel a bit betrayed by the script. The character in this film and the character we see in Fury Road feel like two different people, and the script doesn’t do a good enough job of connecting the arcs. So, while Taylor-Joy is quite good in her own right, it’s impossible not to compare her to Theron, who is arguably much better.

The real scene-stealer in the cast is Chris Hemsworth, whose villainous performance reveals layers that many people probably didn’t know he had in him. It’s like his turn in Bad Times at the El Royale but dialed up to 11. He’s incredibly charismatic, as always, which makes the atrocities he commits all the more harrowing and impactful. Most of the dialogue also falls to him because Furiosa is mute for the majority of the runtime, so he gets some incredible line deliveries.

From a technical standpoint, Furiosa is simultaneously flashier and slightly less effective than Fury Road. Although the action set pieces are obviously excellent, as are the cinematography, production design, make-up, and Holkenborg score, the CGI doesn’t match the level of its predecessor’s Oscar-nominated visual effects, especially when it comes to the use of CGI for the backgrounds. The location work here is phenomenal — that they felt the need to accentuate it so heavily is frustrating.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga isn’t a near-flawless work of action cinema like George Miller’s previous return to the Wasteland, but it’s still a heck of a lot better than most of the blockbusters we see today. Enjoyable action sequences, compelling character arcs, and an unbelievably unhinged performance by Chris Hemsworth ensure that this prequel is a cinematic event you must witness.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters on May 24.

Rating: 4.5/5