MOVIE REVIEW: FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (R)
– By Adam Mast –
There are few action movies of the last 20 years that have been quite as celebrated as “Fury Road” so it was always going to be an uphill battle for “Furiosa,”the latest entry in the “Mad Max Saga.” Of course, in that regard, this is nothing new for the series. Back in 1985, “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” had the daunting task of following up the much beloved “The Road Warrior” and we all saw how that turned out. While we’re on that topic, I know I’m in the minority here, but I will continue to profess my undying adoration for that most underappreciated gem. Of course, we’re not here to discuss the hotly debated merits of the only PG-13 rated entry in this stunning (and often brutal) saga, so we can save that thoughtful conversation for another day.
The epic “Furiosa” strays from the traditional “Mad Max” format in a couple of ways. Aside from the fact that Max’s character doesn’t really play into the plot in any way here, it should also be noted that this film takes a look “back” rather than “forward.” This is to say that the action that takes place in “Furiosa” predates the events of “Fury Road” by several years.
“Furiosa” weaves its sprawling tale around the origins of the title character, tracing her life from childhood (the younger version is played by an effective Alyla Browne) to adulthood (an outstanding Anya Taylor-Joy steps in to take on a role originated by a spectacular Charlize Theron.) At the center of this movie is a timeless theme of vengeance as Furiosa seeks retribution following her abduction as a young girl, and what she achieves by the end of this movie is as poetic as it is unexpected. As for Furiosa’s abductor, he’s a shifty sort of Wasteland-residing messiah known as Dementus (played gleefully by a bigger-than-life Chris Hemsworth), a loose cannon of an individual with hefty aspirations.
It should be noted that even though “Furiosa” is technically a prequel to “Fury Road,” it’s a movie that still lives and breathes as a singular vision because that’s simply how its creator, the legendary George Miller, rolls. Yes, there are a few callbacks here and yes, there are moments of the familiar, but by focusing on a theme of vengeance and digging deep to tell a story that spans nearly 15 years, “Furiosa” takes on a weighty if sometimes messy life of its own. Translation; This isn’t a “Fury Road” rehash.
Anya Taylor-Joy is the personification of “badass” in this movie. While it would have been great to have Theron back in the saddle (at the very least, a brief final act appearance would have been nice), there is no doubt that Joy has risen to the challenge in more ways than one. There’s certainly the physicality part of the proceedings which is always going to be front and center in a movie of this nature but perhaps the thing that’s most impressive about “The Witch” star here is that she very seldom says a word. The majority of her turn in “Furiosa” comes across by way of effective facial expressions that speak more than a thousand words; Fiery glances, teary-eyed passion, that tough-as-nails bravado, etc. It all comes through loud and clear.
Meanwhile, you’ve never seen Thor quite like this! As the titular antagonist at the heart of a world gone to hell, a colorful and high energy Hemsworth hits all the right notes as the ultimate Wasteland baddie and it goes well beyond the facial prosthetics. His Dementus is unhinged, menacing, hilarious, and charismatic in equal measure.
From a story standpoint, there’s much more pontificating than one might expect in “Furiosa.” This isn’t to say the film is short on the prerequisite car chases and post apocalyptic carnage. There’s plenty of that stuff, too. Additionally, there’s a great stretch at the center of the film in which Furiosa bonds with a sort of Max surrogate named Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke.) Their bond is a surprisingly poignant one even though this particular portion of the film isn’t quite as developed as one might have hoped. I actually wanted more of it but still, this subplot does lend the movie a surprising amount of emotional weight and that’s a real testament to the exceptional way that Joy and Burke play the proceedings.
As for the visual effects, as expected, there are a lot of them but gone are the days of practical effects. When the original 3 “Max” entries were unleashed upon the world, we had yet to enter the CG era. Miller and his team had to do a great deal of what you saw on the screen for real. Sure, there was still plenty of trickery going on to get the job done but there was something far more tactile about the proceedings. “Furiosa,” by comparison, relies on a great deal of CG and at times, it’s so noticeable that it’s distracting, lending more of a comic-booky/video game feel to this particular incarnation of the Wasteland. That said, there are plenty of moments throughout this movie that probably couldn’t have been done any other way. At the end of the day, as distracting as the CG tends to be, for my money, the reason a movie like “Furiosa” gets away with an overabundance of this kind of effects work where a movie like “Transformers” doesn’t, is that “Furiosa” still feels grounded emotionally speaking. Further still, “Furiosa” offers characters worth rooting for and against.
In the end, Dementus is blessed with what is, perhaps, the single most prophetic line of dialogue in this entire movie;
“The question is, do you have what it takes to make it epic?”
Where writer/director George Miller is concerned, the answer to that question is a resounding yes! This latest entry in the “Mad Max Saga” is indeed epic. It’s also bloated, overstuffed, and often all over the place but at the same time, there’s no doubt that this is a bonkers swing-for-the-fences effort crafted by a man who, even at nearly 80 years of age, is still making films with the energy of an individual a third his age. “Furiosa ” is certainly flawed and it isn’t the relentless actioneer that “Fury Road” was but in my estimation, it’s still well worth seeing. And when you do go to see it, see it on the largest screen possible!
