Director George Miller has to be one of the most interesting directors working today. The man created a franchise in Mad Max that started in 1979. He directed Babe, an Oscar-winning movie with an adorable pig. He directed Happy Feet, which won the Best Animated Film award in 2007. The man’s resume is insane.
In 2015, 30 years after the last Mad Max film, George Miller, who was 70 years old at the time, not only made the best Mad Max film, he made one of the best action movies ever made. Mad Max: Fury Road came out of nowhere and it was an exhilarating practical effects extravaganza filled with emotion, well-written characters, and beautiful shots.
It would be insanely difficult to top what he accomplished and while Furiosa doesn’t exactly top Fury Road, it still is another strong entry that helps the last movie become even better.
The Story
One of the most talked about characters from Fury Road was Furiosa. A strong leader who was trying to free women who were kept as slaves. Charlize Theron played her with such conviction and fierceness. It was not a surprise when a prequel was announced about how Furiosa came to be so strong.
The movie has young Furiosa being kidnapped from where she was born. She is taken by a biker gang led by the warlord Dementus. Dementus is in a battle with the leader Immortan Joe over power and land with Furiosa caught in the middle. She has to survive and do whatever she can to try and make her way back home.
This movie is 2 and a half hours long but, just like Fury Road, the time flies by. Mostly because of how engaging everything is. George Miller does a fantastic job at creating a world that feels futuristic yet real. Just about everything that is used in this world seems like something a character used from their past. Dementus carries around a teddy bear and makes it a part of his outfit. Why? It’s from his past. There are many things like this to watch in this movie and the world-building is amazing.
The Acting/Effects
Anya Taylor Joy plays a young Furiosa this time around and she has truly become one of my favorite recent actresses. She has been a star appearing in… well… just about everything. This is the first time that I’ve seen her do more action and she handles everything perfectly.
The standout for sure is Chris Hemsworth as Dementus. I have been waiting for Hemsworth to break out and play a role like this. He has shown some comedy chops in other performances but this for sure is one of his best. He has such a way of coming off as intimidating yet humorous. You can tell that Miller let Hemsworth run with this performance and it is pretty amazing.
Now, there was a different character that didn’t work for me, but it’s minor and doesn’t take away from the story. See if you can identify which character I mean when you see it.
There was concern when fans saw the trailer that this would be a heavy CGI-made movie. This would have been very disappointing since Fury Road was made with just about all practical effects and it added to the experience for sure. Happy to say that, besides one or two scenes, the CGI is not very noticeable and this is still a movie that should be seen on the big screen because it looks awesome.
Furiosa Overall
Furiosa is a great addition to the Mad Max franchise. The movie definitely has more story to it and the action isn’t as fast-paced or clean as Fury Road but it doesn’t take away from the overall experience. At almost 80 years old, George Miller shows no sign of slowing down. This movie and Fury Road work perfectly as companion pieces. You gain more love and respect for the title character as you understand more about everything she has been through. Furiosa is filled with rich storytelling and great cinematography and it is a fun time from beginning to end. See this one on the big screen if you can.
