Movie Review: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) co-written and directed by George Miller

This prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road shows the origin of Imperator Furiosa (played here as a pre-teen by Alyla Browne and as a post-teen by Anya Taylor-Joy). She grows up in a paradisiacal (though post-nuclear holocaust) community dominated by women called the Land of Many Mothers. They have plenty of food and water, lush green vegetation and peace. That peace is shattered when some bikers spot Furiosa and a friend on the edge of their paradise. The bikers kidnap Furiosa and take her back to Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), leader of a biker horde who adopts the girl as his own child. He's interested in her paradise but she refuses to talk, especially after Dementus kills her mother (who had chased after them through the desert). Dementus hears about another source of water and food, a fortress called The Citadel. It is run by Immorten Joe (Lachy Hulme), a sadistic but competent ruler. Dementus fails to take over The Citadel, losing Furiosa in a deal that puts Dementus in charge of Gastown, the source of gas in the wastelands. The Citadel and Gastown have a bartering relationship that includes The Bullet Farm (where they make weapons and ammunition). Furiosa cuts her hair and pretends to be a man. She grows up to become a fierce warrior. She still wants to return to her home but she is not quite free to leave for a long time.

The movie follows Furiosa as she travels through this imaginative and chaotic world. Miller's great strengths are the creative world building and amazing actions sequences. The initial chase, across the desert from the Land of Many Mothers, is lackluster. The first third of the movie is a slow set-up of the action to come. After Furiosa grows up, the movie picks up the pace. Hemsworth is a bit over-the-top in this, but it is a Mad Max film (even if Max is virtually absent). I found Anya Taylor-Joy's performance a bit flat--she's good in the action sequences but her character seems to mostly be pulled along the rest of the story without real agency. She's just an observer for too long. The whole movie feels too long, like parts could have been pared down to get it to the action where Furiosa's character comes out more.

Barely recommended--I love the bat-poop crazy action and visuals but the story is not so interesting.