A Mad Max Saga is another singular and stunning action film

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga isn’t Mad Max: Fury Road, but that’s not a bad thing. It seems obvious, however some fans might have expected more of the same.

Retreading the same path seems anathema to George Miller, so for his prequel to one of the greatest action films of all time, he went epic. Gone is the relentless drive of Fury Road, and in its place is a character study that spans 15 years.

Sure, it’s still the kind of movie that features a giant war rig with a set of swinging balls known as the Bommy Knocker, but that’s Miller for you. There is no one who does it like him and you will often be glad that his quirky mind is there for us to enjoy.

Comparing the two films almost misses the point. Furiosa might be better seen as a worthy companion piece to Fury Road, an epic odyssey that, when viewed together, will deepen your appreciation for what Miller accomplished in both films.

Over the course of five chapters, we follow Furiosa as she is taken from the Green Place of the Many Mothers through time with the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and eventually her place at the Citadel, led by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, replacing the late Hugh Keays). -Byrne).

What might surprise you going in is that Anya Taylor-Joy doesn’t make her appearance as Furiosa until the third chapter. Alyla Browne takes on the original role and impresses just as much as her older counterpart. From the start, you can see the intensity and fury bubbling beneath the surface from the Furiosa we knew in Fury Road.

It’s a credit to casting director Nikki Barrett that as the film switches to the older Furiosa, it’s a seamless transition. Taylor-Joy takes over for the third chapter of The Stowaway, a stunning 15-minute action sequence detailing an attack on the war rig led by Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke).

The sequence is the closest Furiosa feels to Fury Road. It’s a relentless set piece that mixes Miller’s signature visual flourishes with extraordinary stunts, often leaving you wondering how the hell they did it. Most impressively, you’ll really believe that Furiosa is in danger, even though she knows she’s surviving – it’s that intense.

It’s far from the only action set piece in Furiosa, and they all have moments of wonder – Dementus’ first attack on the Citadel goes hilariously wrong thanks to the hook-wielding War Boys – but they’re not as common as Fury Road. Often the film even resists them in favor of the central conflict between Furiosa and Dementus.

In every way, Dementus is Furiosa’s opposite. He is verbose, flashy and a complete dirtbag, brilliantly compared by one character to “anus pus”. Crucially, Chris Hemsworth imbues him with a charisma that makes his moments of brutal savagery all the more impactful. It’s one of his best performances.

The same could be said of Anya Taylor-Joy. Her riveting performance continues to show why she is one of the most exciting talents around, saying so much about Furiosa often with her eyes alone. When Furiosa has her moments to vent her fury, much like Charlize Theron did in Fury Road, Taylor-Joy captures the moment for all it’s worth.

Miller teases the eventual confrontation between Furiosa and Dementus in a few moments before finally giving it to us in the final chapter. Even here, however, it plays on the unexpected, with a more intimate nature. It’s not the pinnacle of Fury Road, but it’s no less compelling and moving.

If there’s a flaw in Furiosa, it’s that it can feel both rather slow and too rushed at times. The chapter structure means that the story frequently jumps forward, especially during the final chapter, which Miller said leads directly into Fury Road. You felt like you didn’t see the whole story.

It’s probably more a reflection that this world that Miller has created is so captivating that you just want to see it all. Gas Town and Bullet Farm, glimpsed only in Fury Road, are seen in all their glory and we are introduced to even more colorful characters such as Rizzdale Pell (Lachy Hulme in a double role) and Scrotus (Josh Helman, who also played War. Boy Slit in Fury Road).

Hopefully, if Miller ends up making The Wasteland, set to tell Mad Max’s story before Fury Road, we’ll see these characters again. As it is, you’ll be a little disappointed that Furiosa is rushing to get to Fury Road, when we’d happily watch another Furiosa movie during our time at the Citadel.

So yes, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is not Mad Max: Fury Road. But it is another singular cinematic experience that must be witnessed.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters now.

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