Did Furiosa, brilliantly played by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, really need an origin story? Probably not, but we won’t hold that against this one.
Like so many other prequels - Solo: A Star Wars Story immediately comes to mind - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has the daunting task of overcoming an overall air of inevitability that hangs over everything. We already know its protagonist is gonna emerge (mostly) unscathed…
…which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Director/co-writer George Miller revisits his iconic Wasteland with renewed zeal, serving up more wild vehicles, elaborate chases and some stunning production design. Unlike the jaw-dropping practical effects and stunts in Fury Road, this one relies a lot more on CGI, sometimes to a distracting degree. But that ain’t really a deal-breaker…Miller was never gonna top the action in Fury Road anyway.
Besides, the Mad Max franchise was always more than motorized mayhem. As the budgets grew, so did the worlds and characters inhabiting the Wasteland. Furiosa is arguably the series’ most interesting character since we first met Max Rockatansky back in 1979. And since there probably isn’t a hell of a lot left for Miller to do with Max, why not get to know her a little better?
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| Damn tailgaters. |
As in Fury Road, Immortan Joe is a cruel, cold-blooded overlord, but in this movie, Dementus is worse (and played with gusto by Hemsworth). A sadistic, arrogant narcissist, he’s like that guy you know who thinks he’s smartest person in the room, but is actually kind of an idiot. That also makes him dangerous, as he’s obsessed with ruling the entire wasteland. Meanwhile, Furiosa becomes a trusted War Rig runner under the guidance of driver Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who’s sympathetic for her desire to return home (and maybe some payback).
Compared to other films in the series, this one is surprising plot and dialogue heavy (though Furiosa herself speaks even less than Max ever did). The story is still fairly simple, but it takes longer to get rolling and there’s more exposition than usual. Still, there are outstanding action sequences throughout the film, all extremely well executed (the first War Rig must be seen to be believed). Joy displays physical intensity in the title role, but is seldom given much more to do than glower and kick ass. Comparatively speaking, it’s Hemsworth who walks away with the entire film.
Ultimately, Furiosa was never gonna match Fury Road’s kinetic energy, nor should we have expected it to. But for a movie that was never really necessary to begin with, it’s a lot of big, brutal fun that features plenty of the vehicular mayhem and crazy characters we’ve come to expect from the series. Underperforming in theaters, the movie certainly deserves a second life on home video.
EXTRA KIBBLES
FEATURETTES - The best bonus feature by far is Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa, which is an hour-long making-of doc; Darkest Angel focuses on Anya Taylor-Joy’s depiction of the title character; Motorcycle Messiah focuses on Chris Hemsworth as the main villain; Furiosa: Stowaway to Nowhere is about the best action sequence in the film; Metal Beasts and Holy Motors features the film’s wild automobiles.
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