Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Let me start off by saying this, if you enjoyed the last movie, you'll probably get a good time out of this one. That being said, it's night and day when you compare the two. I'm a huge fan of the last one, the spectacle and action make it one of the best films of all time imo, and it's clear they tried to recreate that with this movie, but for me it falls flat. Most, if not all, action sequences are all CGI, it's good CGI, but you can absolutely tell it's CG. There are lots of times in the movie where it straight up just looks out of a video game. I get where this comes from, the shots they go for are definitely a bit more ambitious, but it's lacking the chunky and gritty realism of the last film. The action can seem floaty and overly ragdolly at times because of this. Regardless, this isn't my biggest complaint with the movie, my biggest is the story. There are times when things just happen for no good reason at all, in an effort to avoid spoilers, I won't list them, but they are painstakingly obvious. For example, an integral character gets killed and it seems to be of zero consequence to one of the characters, even though the movie spends some time trying this half baked romance. I also just couldn't get into Anya Taylor-Joy as furiousa, maybe it's just a me thing, but she just doesn't really fit the gritty role she's meant to play. Chis Hemsworth is a standout performance though, although I do think, again, the writing for his character is a bit garbage. Regardless, this is a fun movie, lots of cool action shots, and pretty good if you have no preconceptions and expectations stemming from the last movie.

Max Mad fan here, I would rate previous movies: Mad Max around a 6, Road Warrior 8 Thunder Dome 7 Fury Road 9 and speaking of Fury Road....

This is unfortunately a pale comparison to Fury Road. The look is off everything from camerawork to editing to the costumes to vehicles to action scenes. Loads of bad CGI replaces the high octane realistic crazy stunts and motor mayhem from fury road. It all looks shot in a studio with fake everything. Big drop in quality and a sense of realism.

It's sad to see that Miller has settled for the studio instead of real vehicles in real environments with neck breaking stunts. Both clothes and vehicles just looks very designed now as well instead of a somewhat believable mishmash of what can be found in the wastelands. It's also a-lot cleaner in every way, vehicles look shiny and newly made. It just feels more censored and less naked and rough.

The story surprises nobody and is pretty much exactly what you expect. Void from a lot of the epic action scenes you might have to expect after fury road. You get some decent action but Fury Road is the gold standard here and this is not even close. Look and feels more like a cookie cutter action movie set in the Mad Max universe. Had I have to guess without knowing it I would never have guessed that Miller directed this. The world building is cool though and you get more of the cool world of Mad Max so that is a big plus.

Actors do a decent to a good job all around.

Immortan Joe is not impressed.

MEDIOCRE!!!

I feel many go into Furiosa expecting a Mad max movie, and at its core it is so much different. With its predecessor being Fury road, Furiosa had a very high bar to achieve. However, these 2 movies are so different, while they may seem similar they are completely different action movies. Furiosa takes on a much more different aesthetic with the use of slightly more darker and less vibrant colors, a much different protagonist, and a more complex story. The use of cgi is pretty disappointing, if you have a keen eye you can pretty easily the digital doubles and green screen. Anya Taylor-Joy gives an absolutely amazing performance. Dare I say she is better than Charlize Theron in Fury Road? Absolutely! Chris Hemsworth was also great and hilarious. Furiosa, while it may have many flaws, is one of the best action movies to come out in recent times, and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves. Furiosa is in no ways perfect, but do I love it? Yes.

It would be folly to try and outdo Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is smart enough to not even attempt that. It's a completely different film in its structure which allows it to be a prequel that tells a complete story on its own whilst still enhancing Fury Road with its world building. The fact that George Miller is still telling stories in the wasteland at this scale is a real gift.

Alyla Brown gets a lot more screen time than child versions of pre-established characters usually get and with next to no dialogue she is superb at communicating everything without words. Carrying that on for the second half, Anya Taylor-Joy does a phenomenal job and was right to fight to keep the scream in. If you need someone to act exclusively with their eyes, she is as perfect as they come.

Chris Hemsworth is clearly relishing the opportunity to play a properly mad villain with Dementus and has so many chill inducing moments. This is easily the best he's been so far, completely unhinged with just enough depth to explain everything he does. He's a complicated figure who always seeks power but is never able to truly hold onto it.

George Miller truly is a genius when it comes to exploring this franchise. Getting to see a fully realised Gas Town and Bullet Farm allows this world to cohere like never before and the action crafted here is so epic with gorgeous imagery that refuses to slow down. Just like John Seale achieved last time, Simon Duggans's cinematography can keep the action clean no matter what's thrown at it.

It makes sense that the only way Tom Holkenborg could come close to his best work on Fury Road was to return to the wasteland and his score here continues to compliment the kineticism of the action so well. The only downside is the CGI which looks pretty bad at various points and stands out further because of how well Fury Road implemented it.

For crying out loud, what do you want?

From criticism of Mad Max Fury Road for having too little story to its sequel for having too much. Make up your mind!

Each of the Mad Max films is different and an evolution from the last. Mad Max was the raw punk album. The Road Warrior was the more commercial, difficult to pull off second album. Thunderdome was the more accessible but toned-down third album that forces the band into a hiatus. Fury Road is the lauded reunion album with the new lead singer. Furiosa is the experimental album and the accumulation of everything so far into an epic opera.

Both actresses playing Furiosa are perfectly cast, the younger particularly. The surrounding characters are as grotesque and over-the-top as you would expect from this series. The acting likewise. These films are never subtle and that is part of their appeal. The design is as magnificent as the world-building, and its look is (for the most part) superb. I adore the colour palette. The music may not be quite as memorable as Fury Road, but certainly was not a distraction.

Now, the action may not have the same kinetic energy or frenetic insanity as Fury Road, but the nature of the story does not lend itself to this. The story spans many years and is episodic by design. It is an origin story rather than a road movie. Perhaps the more obvious and extensive use of CGI distracts slightly from the physicality of the action sequences but they are no less epic.

Suffice to say, I loved it. I appreciated the differences between Furiosa and Fury Road as much as its evolution within the same universe. I will take any offer of further time in Max and Furiosa's apocalypse on the condition that Miller either directs or has a hand in its development.

And yes, Furiosa IS a Mad Max movie and, contrary to some reviews here, Max does appear in the film, albeit fleetingly.

Furiosa is not Fury Road and is all the better for it. They are both remarkable works of movie art in their own right in my opinion.

More please.