Anthony's Film Review - Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa is a prequel film that fits very nicely in the Mad Max saga...

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the fifth movie of the Mad Max franchise, but it is not necessary to watch any of the previous movies before this one. Not even Mad Max: Fury Road, which is the film that Furiosa is the direct prequel of. Just by itself, Furiosa is the story of a young woman's hard-fought journey to escape captivity in hopes of returning to where she grew up. If that sounds good, then just jump right in, even if it's your first Mad Max movie. Take it from me. I only saw Fury Road before Furiosa.

Let me begin by talking about the storytelling style. First off, the plot is divided into a few discrete chapters. It's not really heavy on narrative to set the scene or directly tell us what is happening. Instead, the audience is informed of what's happening just with the dialogue and actions of the characters. There's the feeling of entering this fictional world with no prior knowledge of it and yet not feeling lost because you know what's going on. To me, that is a big way for a film to be effective.

The story of Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy as the young and older stages of the character, respectively) begins in her childhood. She is kidnapped by a small group of bikers and her mother chases them across the desert in order to save her. What ultimately ensues is a tale of resilience and survival as Furiosa spends her years in captivity. Some of them are spent under the watchful eye of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), the leader of a huge biker gang that longs for a life with better resources and would not hesitate to pillage other human settlements for that. Later, she lives in the Citadel led by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), who oversees a harem of women who are his wives and an army of pale-skinned War Boys. Through it all, Furiosa shows an enduring grit.

Now let's get to the action, which is really the ultimate treat of this movie. Just like Mad Max: Fury Road, the action in this movie appears to be primarily, if not entirely, oriented in practical effects. In other words, the objects you see on the screen are real, not computer-generated. For example, in the film's epic road chase scene, the vehicles moving alongside and around each other are actual ones being filmed, and the characters doing some risky maneuvers are stunt doubles. This makes the movie feel so real, as if you are actually in the scene and fighting for your life. This is the kind of movie you want to watch on a huge theater screen.

This is a very good movie to watch, and if you've seen Mad Max: Fury Road, I would put Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga pretty much at the same level. You gotta give director George Miller credit for delivering a real treat to the audience. He's one of those filmmakers who has an original cinematic vision and is skilled in bringing his imagination to life. If I were to list some of the best action movie directors out there, I can put him on it. You don't want to miss his work.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, visit the Internet Movie Database.