We know the story–a wasteland badass with one mechanical hand searches for her lost home, accompanied by a burned-out ex-cop and a bevy of women fleeing their cruel “husband.” But what we didn’t know was how the badass got there in the first place.
This is that story.
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA is Furiosa’s backstory. Growing up in the Green Place, a sheltered community with vestiges of pre-collapse tech, Furiosa (the spectacular Alyla Browne) and her sister Valkyrie (Dylan Adonis) are out picking fruit when they spy a small group of bikers. Knowing they pose a threat to their refuge, Furiosa tells Valkyrie to hide while she tries to disable their motorcycles–only to be caught and taken away. Her mother Mary (Charlee Fraser) goes after her, to rescue Furiosa and keep their secret home safe.
Ultimately, however, Furiosa ends up in the hands of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), a charismatic but unhinged warlord who aims to take over the Citadel ruled by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). Treating the girl with a mix of kindness and cruelty, he only hardens her resolve to survive, escape, and get revenge. Her plans are overturned, though, when Joe demands Furiosa as the price of an alliance with Dementus, forcing her to evade Joe’s horrible son Rectus (Nathan Jones) and hide among his many slaves.
Years pass. Now grown, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a skilled mechanic partnered on the Fury Road run with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who appreciates her obsession and aims to help her–if they can escape the twin threats of Dementus and Immortan Joe both…
Prequels are tricky things. An argument could be made that this movie is unnecessary. Charlize Theron, in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, gave audiences as much as they would need to know about who Furiosa is, what she wants, and what she’ll do to get it. By that measure, this new movie is superfluous.
However…
FURIOSA gives us more than the highlights of this woman’s story. By seeing her mother and sister, getting to know the horrors she lived among in Dementus’ camp and in the Citadel, and what she had to do to gain her freedom–well, it’s a compelling story nonetheless.
Taylor-Joy has never been better, for all that she doesn’t talk much. She’s a very credible action hero, upholding the standard set by Theron, but she also delivers an incredible amount of emotion using little more than her large, wide-spaced eyes and elfin delicacy. Although she’s done amazing work previously, this may be the movie that launches her into the A-list.
Someone who’s already there–Chris Hemsworth–delivers a banquet of a performance as Dementus. By turns hilarious and horrific, this bearded monster utters pragmatic, even wise words while committing atrocities and contemplating monstrous betrayals. Hemsworth seems to be having the time of his life in this role, unrestrained by the heroism of Thor or the blank cluelessness of Kevin from GHOSTBUSTERS (to name but two of his roles). He’s rarely been funnier or more menacing.
Writing and directing, George Miller brings everything he’s learned in his decades of making movies to bear on this film. The setting–as with all Mad Max films–is the unforgiving and pitiless Australian desert, a post-apocalyptic nightmare where cruelty reigns. It’s stark oranges, yellows and browns under a cloudless blue sky is a panoramic setting for dazzling, bone-crushing action pieces that surely gave insurance companies massive indigestion. But even so, amid all the zoom-in on faces, the explosions, and bombast of some incredible running fights, he’s also self-assured enough to let the camera rest on his actors and let them really dig into their characters. This isn’t the “characterization on the run” we saw in MAD MAX or even ROAD WARRIOR–this is a refreshing change of pace, letting the characters breathe and settle with the audience a bit. It gives a chance to round out what might otherwise be stereotypes and is truly well done.
If you are a fan of MAD MAX or violent post-apocalyptic movies generally, this is surely right up your alley. But if not–well, you might want to watch it anyway, as it provides an intriguing spotlight on an enigmatic, deeply wounded woman who will not let anything stand in her way.
Oh, and don’t worry–a certain road warrior does make an exceptionally brief appearance.
Grade: B+.
Recommended.
