Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Movie Review: They Had It In Them to Make It Epic

Director George Miller makes an epic return to the Wasteland for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Through five action-packed vignettes that expand the franchise’s mythology, Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris tell the story of the titular character, who audiences were first introduced to in Mad Max: Fury Road, where she was played by Charlize Theron.

Furiosa opens with a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) captured by a small group of motorcycle-riding marauders. They take her to their leader, the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth in arguably his greatest performance), and to tell of the oasis where her people live. On the journey, Furiosa proves how resourceful she is, such as when she bites through a motorcycle’s fuel line. Her mother pursues them to save her daughter and her people’s secret. Unfortunately, her tenacity and marksmanship only allow her to accomplish one of her goals, which will haunt and shape Furiosa.

Dementus is a ruthless, calculating, charismatic leader. When he learns of the Citadel and its access to fresh water and food, he initially appeals to the people to assist him in overthrowing Immortan Joe, but his War Boys reveal they can’t be swayed. Dementus then takes over Gastown to give him leverage in dealing with Immortan Joe, who agrees to Dementus’s demands but also wants Furiosa to live with him, which she does.

Years later during a supply run, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) sneaks a ride with a plan to escape, but that’s foiled during an attack on the rig driven by Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) in a spectacular stunt sequence that offers new twists on a familiar battle on a tanker truck racing down the road. The two are the only ones to survive. He offers her to be his second in command on rig runs and they form a bond.

Dementus and his men do a poor job of running Gas Town. The leader of the Bullet Farm and Immortan Joe discuss overthrowing Dementus but a run by Praetorian Jack and Furiosa to pick up ammunition is thwarted by Dementus and his men. It’s another stunning sequence of exhilarating mayhem. Furiosa is captured but she exhibits the tenacity of her mother and grows closer to the woman audiences first saw. She becomes solely motivated to seek revenge on Dementus and won’t let anything stand in her way.

Miller and his crew deserve kudos once again because they make movie magic. They create authentic settings in this post-apocalyptic world and the action has to be seen to be believed because no one does it like this. And the camera gets in close, allowing the audience to see the actors’ faces. Do yourself a favor and pay extra for the best audio-visual experience available.

Browne and Taylor-Joy are wonderful playing the range of Furiosa’s emotions, which are usually contained within but do get unleashed. Hemsworth is so good as the villainous Dementus I want another story with this character. A “blink and you’ll miss it” cameo raises questions that go unanswered for now.

George Miller has plans for more Mad Max films. They can’t come soon enough. Hopefully, he and his team have it in them to make it as epic as Furiosa.