Review | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Anya Taylor-Joy takes over the main role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Chris Hemsworth co-stars as Dementus. But can the film survive the Wasteland?

It has taken nine years but we have finally been allowed to return to the Wasteland. After 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, we now step back in time for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The prequel, once again directed by George Miller in his fifth time in the Wasteland, stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the Imperator Furiosa, taking over from Charlize Theron. Chris Hemsworth co-stars as the villainous Warlord Dementus in a performance that needs to be seen to be believed. The first spinoff from the main franchise, the trailers have promised us more vehicular mayhem and the levels of violence we are accustomed to. But can this (virtually) Max-less entry continue to have us roaring through the Wasteland at high speed? Or does it get buried under the sand, bogged down by the lack of Max, becoming a drawn-out waste of gasoline?

PREMISE

Set 15 to 20 years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road. As the world falls apart, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers. And into the hands of a Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. While two Tyrants war for dominance over the Citadel, Furiosa survives many trials as she plots a way back home through the Wasteland.

THOUGHTS

Despite the absence of Mad Max (apart from a cameo appearance from behind by stuntman Jacob Tomuri, no Tom Hardy here), the film is still a rip-roaring spectacular. Moving away from the main saga is noticeable but doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of the film. There is more than enough to keep fans entertained while also moving the franchise forward. There is plenty of fuel left in the tank to propel not only the main franchise but any other potential spinoffs that George Miller can conceive. While the film does contain a few flaws, some of them pretty big, it doesn’t take anything away from the quality that’s on show here. Once again, the Wasteland looks wonderful.

ANYA TAYLOR-JOY

Anya Taylor-Joy toplines the film as Furiosa. Any fears that she isn’t up to the task of filling the shoes of Charlize Theron are dispelled from the second she appears on screen. Here’s the thing though. Anya Taylor-Joy doesn’t appear as Furiosa until an hour into the film. For the first hour, the character is played by a young Australian actress Alyla Browne (who is destined for a great career, based on her performance here.) Considering the film runs for just under two and a half hours, there is a sizable chunk where the adult Furiosa isn’t in the film. But when Anya Taylor-Joy appears, the film picks up pace.

The actress is terrific in the role. Despite a lack of dialogue, the actress’ facial expressions and mannerisms speak volumes. She fits into Furiosa’s metal arm (we discover what happened during the film) with ease. She looks, acts and performs in the role exactly as Charlize Theron did nine years ago. We can actually believe that we are seeing a younger version of the character. Throw in her willingness to perform some pretty intense action along the way and we all get a kick out of her performance.

TOM BURKE

Tom Burke appears in the film as Praetorian Jack, principal commander of the Citadel’s military forces. At first, we are wary of him, thinking he is just another hard-headed member of Immortan Joe’s crew. But after an action sequence that has to be seen to be believed, he becomes a kind of mentor to Furiosa. From this point on, we start to like his character and the friendship Jack and Furiosa share. Although the role isn’t a big one, the English actor drags out the inner core of his character, making him someone we want to cheer for during proceedings. Ultimately, he provides the flame that lights the fuse on Furiosa’s final push for revenge on those who have wronged her.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

Chris Hemsworth completely steals the show from under everyone as Dementus, the warlord leader of the Biker Horde which abducted Furiosa. From the second we first see him, we are torn about the character. One minute, he is charming, friendly, even fatherly. The next, he is a complete psychopath, someone whose grip on his mental faculties seems to come and go with every gust of the Wasteland’s winds. At times, we could even imagine him twirling his moustache like one of the villains from a 1920s black-and-white silent movie. Hemsworth is completely off the chain here. It is a villainous turn that is almost indescribable.

PANTOMIME VILLAIN

The makeup and the voice that Hemsworth provides here will have people laughing one minute and worried the next. To describe him as a pantomime villain wouldn’t do him justice. He will go down in history for his portrayal here. Sadly, the character isn’t the best villain in the franchise (that honour still goes to Kjell Nilsson as Lord Humungus and Vernon Wells as Wez in Mad Max 2). But he provides someone that we can’t help but enjoy, despite his bad deeds here. Again, the problem with him is he disappears from the film for around an hour, only to resurface again at a vital point. When he isn’t on screen, the same as Anya Taylor-Joy, we miss him. Once he reappears though, we are thrust back into the thick of things pretty quickly.

THE DIRECTION AND THE WRITING

What else is there to say about George Miller and the saga he has created that hasn’t been said many times before? Miller takes the characters he has created alongside the late Byron Kennedy and once more delivers a film that is a marvel. His direction of proceedings is, as always, sublime. The Wasteland has never looked so beautiful, inviting and frightening as it does here. The way Miller allows the action to flow while also fleshing out the characters, giving them meat for their bones is terrific. He again shoots the film in a way we all gawp and can’t help but stare at. He directs the actors to perfection, drawing out performances that fit the film wonderfully.

THE ACTION

And now we come to the action scenes. What we expect, what we want, and what we demand from the film are all here. And then some. The action sequences are extraordinary. The fifteen-minute action sequence that has everyone talking is incredible. It follows on from what we saw at times during Mad Max: Fury Road and amplifies it tenfold. Not only is it exciting and thrilling, but it is also violent, heart-stopping, and something only George Miller could devise. Ok, so we know Furiosa won’t die in the film, that much is determined before the film even starts. But at times, we find ourselves fearing for her. That brilliance lies in the script by Miller and Nico Lathouris. Together, they have crafted a tale that resonates at every turn.

PROBLEMS

Sadly, the film isn’t without its flaws at times. By removing Furiosa and Dementus from the film for long periods, we find ourselves waiting for their reappearance. And that takes us out of the film slightly. We can understand why this happens. The film needs to go down this route to establish everything that it needs to. It isn’t the all bluster that we expect. It takes time to establish the characters, to tell the story, to set everything up. The path is laid out, we just have to follow it. But it isn’t what we are used to, making the film a slog at times. Once we get going again, the film doesn’t stop.

VISUAL EFFECTS

The biggest problem is the visual effects. 75% of the time, they are fine. But the other 25% is pretty shonky. We can see where the greenscreen work has been done, we can see it is nothing more than computer-generated imagery. And that is a flaw that almost derails the film at times. For every great visual effect, we get a really poor one to follow. Considering the film contains a fair amount of visual effects during its run time, it sometimes takes us out of the film. Instead of being wowed by what we see, we find ourselves thinking about how poor some of the imagery is. Instead of being in awe, we roll our eyes instead.

Chris Hemsworth in Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures’ action adventure “FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Jasin Boland

THE SCORE

The score from the returning Tom Holkenborg fits the film well. Themes and cues we heard in the previous film make their reappearance here at times. It is like a blanket that encompasses us, wrapping us up in a warm feeling, knowing we are on safe ground. Every film in the saga has its own distinct themes and music. Here, it feels like a continuation. It uses certain elements from Holkenborg’s score for Fury Road while forging its own path. It feels like this score is the embryonic stage before Fury Road’s adult bluster. And it works.

VERDICT

The film is a delight from start to finish. It fits into the franchise and the continuing saga like a jigsaw piece slotting into its assigned place. It broadens the scope of what we expect, delivering entertainment that is visually stunning throughout. This is the story of one child/ woman and her rise to the point we first meet her in the previous film. It fills in the blanks while forging its own path. Of course, it does have a Mad Max-sized hole in it but it is filled with characters that we can’t help but follow, filling the hole to a tee.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stands up pretty well to the expectations the fans and non-fans alike have for the film. It isn’t quite as good as Mad Max: Fury Road but it does come close at times. It doesn’t try to surpass the previous film, it tries to accompany it. When the film comes to home entertainment. Or hopefully, in a double bill with Fury Road, the two films should be viewed back to back, making it an almost five-hour-long story. George Miller has once again taken us on an action-packed, furious, gasoline-fuelled ride through the Wasteland in the only way he can. With sheer exhilaration and maximum enjoyment. Fuel up and get ready to ride alongside Furiosa. Her time has come. A cinematic triumph for the ages.