Film: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

The sadness may have set in, at the news of the box office takings to George Miller’s longtime coming prequel to his acclaimed and revered 2015 action masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road. But one thing is for sure, after watching Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, you will “remember her”.

Requiring no knowledge - though benefitting endlessly from it - of the aforementioned film to enjoy, this rip roaring work of cinema from one of its greatest living craftsman is a rich work of post-apocalyptic big screen fiction.

Set 15 to 20 years prior to the events of Fury Road, Furiosa charts the tragic and violent journey of its titular character, as young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is ripped from her splendid home, and grows up among warlords and madmen, striving to survive and eventually get back home, but also find a measure of revenge against the man who took everything from her, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a completely different beast from Fury Road, not only making this film all the better for it but adding to Fury Road too. This film is like a first act to what we received, and this film does what all prequels strive to but far actually accomplish, it enriches the world and characters we know, while itself being distinctive and spectacular in vision.

The immaculate and flummoxingly assembled action sequences are effectively placed along the journey in this methodical, act-structured tale of rage, revenge and hope amidst a wasteland (both in the literal sense and in the sense of the tattered remnants of the human soul). Miller's film is as much drama as it is action fantasy, if not more so, showing us an artistic epic the likes of which is rare on such a blockbusting scale.

Aesthetically mesmerising, with the practical craft of the sets, costumes and characters feeling authentic and twisted, with another darn good Tom Holkenborg score accompanying it. But this is not just a visual treat, it is a thematic one.

Delving its bloodied hands into the depths of human insanity, depravity and savagery, never shying away from the extent of this world's pain and suffering, which ultimately makes the film's (and its central character's) resolve burn even brighter. This is a film about the weight of vengeance, of hate and of humanity’s cruelty. It’s a challenging, confronting film, that Miller avoids hampering with hollow easy tricks, and instead dares to redefine our expectations, and in the process fills out an incredible backstory that further enhances what he created prior.

Anya Taylor-Joy is utterly fantastic, largely allowing her physicality and emotion to tell the story over her words, and does the character Charlize Theron brought to life true justice. While Chris Hemsworth is a demented revelation as Dementus, in a performance that many will be recalling for decades to come. There are moments here where the man many know as Thor simply disappears into contorted, unhinged, black hole of humanity that is this layered villainous character.

The film is also punctuated with standout supporting players like Lachy Hulme, who is great as a slightly younger immortal Joe (the late great Hugh Keays-Byrne’s villain from Fury Road) whose regime and Citadel hierarchy is further defined. As well as an excellent Tom Burke as war rig commander Praetorian Jack, a new character that makes a deep impact and whose relationship with Furiosa is not just some lazy sub-plot or romantic entanglement, it’s a union built on mutual survival, respect and humanity.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a remarkable piece of cinema, and George Miller once again shows his filmmaking artistry is unparalleled. In other words, to paraphrase Dementus, he had it in him to make it epic.

Go see it!

15
Director: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Lachy Hulme, Tom Burke
Release Date: Out Now (Cinemas)