When filming the first Mad Max movie with Mel Gibson in 1979, it wasn’t hard for George Miller to predict that more than 30 years later he would be sitting in the director’s chair again, directing “Mad Max: Fury Road” with Tom Hardy in 2015. What’s more, he could not have known that in 2024 he would be filming a prequel to this story, casting one of the most talented actresses of the younger generation in the lead role.
The titular Furiosa is a character well known to fans of the universe, after all, having previously been brilliantly created by Charlize Theron, drawing attention away from the star of the previous installment of the film – the aforementioned Tom Hardy. Miller strongly considered letting the famous actress reprise her iconic role, using technology to rejuvenate her character, but she ultimately abandoned that idea and chose Anya Taylor-Joy, star of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit.
The famous director risked a lot, especially since after the first trailers, Taylor-Joy’s participation was received very coldly. There’s a lot that could be written about Furiosa, but Anya certainly wasn’t able to cope. she gave. This is one of the show’s strongest points, although before the viewer has a chance to appreciate it, some sand flies into the wasteland.
Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga (2024) – review and opinion about the film [Warner Bros.]. Young and angry
While the events of “Mad Max: Fury Road” took place in just 3 days, in “Furiosa” they span nearly 15 years, dividing the story into several chapters. The story begins with the childhood of the main character (played by Alila Brown), who was kidnapped by a gang of savages on motorcycles from a green oasis hidden from the world. Her mother (Charlie Fraser) follows the child, but she eventually falls into the trap of a crazy pseudo-messiah and warlord at the same time – Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
Anya Taylor-Joy speaks very little throughout the film, and acts mainly nonverbally, with facial expressions and body movements. However, the transition from the young Furiosa to a mature character with a drive for revenge is presented smoothly and tastefully, and the transformation of the girl into a killing machine who must not only confront her demons and traumas, but above all adapt to life in the wasteland, is crucial. . Simply believable. This is also helped by Furiosa’s close and genuine relationship with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), a raw materials truck driver who in many ways resembles Mad Max himself.
Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga (2024) – review and opinion about the film [Warner Bros.]. Christ in the head
On the other side, we have the main villain – Chris Hemsworth – with a rustling head, a teddy bear, and dialogue that verges on parody. If the actor wanted to escape the image of Marvel’s Thor, his specific pose, long hair, and comic relief didn’t really help. He is undoubtedly a charismatic character, but I had the impression that the film sometimes went too far into caricature. To be clear, all of this still works well, expanding the universe’s mythology in a satisfying way. It’s still a post-nuclear world where people fight over water, food and gas, and form gangs that compete on the road to the accompaniment of V8 engines, but unlike “Mad Max: Fury Road” it’s much closer to pushing the boundaries of self-parody.
In the background of the story written by Furiosa, for almost the entire film, there is a war between two tyrants trying to control the wastelands – the aforementioned Dementus and a younger version of Immortal Joe (Lachey Holm), who leads the local psychos and gathers women in order to produce good offspring. The story throws the heroes into different atmospheric locations, such as a rock castle armed with huge cranes, a gas city refinery or a weapons factory – Bullet Farm. And you can simply fall in love with these atmospheric and surreal desert structures all over again.
Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga (2024) – review and opinion about the film [Warner Bros.]. In V8 fumes
Especially since the action scenes and the amount of junk left in the wastelands once again defy common sense. The camera works perfectly, showing the viewer a breathtaking, high-octane crash, with every crash, explosion and throttle tap clearly visible. The production can please with camera shots and dynamics, although I must honestly admit that in the previous part the editing was sometimes more “sloppy” and even more often it is clear that it is not only the work of stuntmen and the characteristic acceleration in stops Movement for shots, but also CGI effects, this time less subtly hidden. This is confirmed by the end credits, with Miller inserting parts of scenes from “Mad Max: Fury Road” afterward. All told, Furiosa’s story eventually leads us to the events that took place in the 2015 film.
It’s just that it’s still one of those movies you’ll want to watch again and again for this massive tanker that, as it makes its way through the sandy valleys of death, will have to face off against robotic forces armed with grenades and parachutes (don’t do that). Don’t even ask) or Monster Trucks. And it’s all backed by Tom Holkenborg’s stunning cinematography and soundtrack. It’s worth noting that the filmmakers once again pushed the limits in terms of brutality. It’s more stark, bloody, and stubborn, as if Miller wanted to emphasize more forcefully that the wasteland is a sand that knows no mercy and takes no prisoners.
After the screening, I felt like firing up Avalanche Studios’ Mad Max movie again and figuratively filling my lungs with exhaust fumes. George Miller has delivered again, presenting an unconventional view of the world that continues to fascinate. Even if the direct Tolkien motifs are too risky and the conceptual decisions border on overkill. However, there is still plenty of fuel in that tank and I hope our adventure in the wasteland doesn’t end with a ‘Furiosa’.
