Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) | REVIEW

Directed by George Miller — Screenplay by George Miller and Nico Lathouris.

Back when the low-budget cult favorite first Mad Max film was released in 1979, no one would have expected it to eventually evolve into a franchise that director George Miller would still be working on when he, himself, was 79 years of age. But here we are, and even though it’s been nine whole years since Miller’s finest hour — the action masterwork that was Mad Max: Fury Road — it is now time to finally get the origin story to the character of Furiosa — who was originally played by Charlize Theron — in the long-awaited prequel film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Though it isn’t the instant genre classic that Fury Road was, it is nevertheless a very good film that builds upon the successes of the previous film through gripping world-building and an extremely entertaining supporting performance.

Set many years prior to the events of Mad Max: Fury Road — though still very much so in the post-apocalyptic global catastrophe caused by a variety of reasons including ecocide — Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga follows the female title character from childhood to early adulthood as she becomes entangled in male-dominated wars in the Australian wasteland. In the film, we witness a young Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne) be kidnapped by a group of raiders from her home known as the ‘Green Place’ and be brought to the temporary wasteland outpost controlled by the biker cult leader known as Dementus (played by Chris Hemsworth). When Dementus’ Biker Horde along with an imprisoned Furiosa eventually come upon Immortan Joe (now played by Lachy Hulme) and his impressive Citadel, Furiosa (later played by Anya Taylor-Joy) becomes entangled in a struggle for power and resources.

Given that this is a film all about the breakout character from Mad Max: Fury Road, it is understandable if audiences would expect something that feels relatively similar — and it is, to a certain extent. However, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a very different film in certain ways. With Fury Road, George Miller put the pedal to the metal with an intense, breathless pace and a structure that almost tells the story in real-time. Furiosa is both a fair bit longer and paced and structured quite differently. It is structurally more similar to Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing, as Furiosa includes carefully selected sequences or set pieces in a number of chapters but with quite a bit of room for mythologizing, world-building, and character study in between them. Though it is paced much slower than Fury Road, it is by no means a slow film, but it is more of an epic story of a character’s difficulties inside of a world high on motor oil and conquest than the instant action classic that gets your blood pumping instantaneously. Miller’s latest film also makes some curious — and, undoubtedly to some, confounding — choices about which events to focus on and which to barely give any time.

As it is a prequel film, it, of course, has some predictable or obvious story beats that you either know are coming or that you know definitely won’t happen. This is a classic prequel film issue, as it lessens one’s emotional involvement in the prequel film’s life-or-death scenarios for characters that we know for certain are alive in the film to which it is a prequel. That said, because of the gender politics and the oil-coated, testosterone-fuelled patriarchy of the wasteland world of Mad Max, how Furiosa survives and what she could be forced to endure to survive does ensure that there are some gripping and uncomfortable edge-of-your-seat moments or sequences that really work.

I think for a lot of people Furiosa will feel like more of the same but without the urgency of the franchise-redefining previous film. Admittedly, it does feel like a stylistic playing of the hits though with a less pronounced score, fewer instantly iconic images, and more noticeable digital effects. Nevertheless, I think the film succeeds when it counts and that its slower pace and different structure aren’t as much of a flaw as it is merely indicative of it being a different film with different aims. Like the previous film, it is a visual feast with outrageously luscious vibrant colors, as well as inventive franchise-specific and character-expressing costume and make-up design details. Whereas Fury Road was built around the action (as it is almost all action), Furiosa is more about character, but, make no mistake, the action that is peppered in is extremely effective.

The film contains, among other things, a super engaging motorcycle chase in the first half of the film that is arguably the best sequence in the entire film, a raid on the war rig reminiscent of scenes in Fury Road, an extremely cool warlord confrontation outside the Citadel, a gloriously exciting extended sequence built around the so-called ‘Bullet Farm,’ and a character confrontation that is as engaging and interesting as any of the film’s action scenes. And through all of these sequences, there is a feeling that the film is enhancing, and in turn being enhanced by, Mad Max: Fury Road.

In addition to the astoundingly good technical elements, the perfectly unhinged character designs, and the awe-inspiring sequences that are more than worth the price of admission, the film also includes some really impressive performances and appearances. People will expect praise for Anya Taylor-Joy as the talented actress has taken over the title role, but while she is good and deserving of praise, I actually think it is the even younger version of the title character that I want to highlight of the two — Alyla Browne is extraordinary in the first half of the film, in which she manages to carry and effortlessly express her character’s emotion and intelligence. Though limited to only a few lines or scenes, actors like Charlee Fraser and Tom Burke also make fast positive impressions. The star performance of the film, though, is the one delivered by Chris Hemsworth, who isn’t just having a ton of fun but also gets to deliver speeches and character beats in a way that maybe makes him instantly one of the best characters in the entire franchise. Whenever he isn’t on-screen, you want more of him. Hemsworth manages to dance on the delicate line between cartoonish and menacing, and the result of that balancing act is a thoroughly intriguing character.

If you have it in you to watch two epic genre films set in a desert this year, then I highly recommend Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, even though I don’t think it is as good as that other 2024 star-studded desert-set blockbuster (i.e. Dune: Part Two) or the masterpiece that Furiosa is a prequel to (i.e. Mad Max: Fury Road). Make no mistake, George Milller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Sags is one of the best films in the franchise. It is a biblical and mythological revenge coming-of-age saga soaked in gasoline that includes intriguing and important politics, gorgeous visuals, great performances, and memorable set-pieces.

8.5 out of 10

– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.