Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Fury Rig

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — the fifth movie in a series that began in 1979 — is at a disadvantage. First and foremost, it has some very big shoes to fill, given that its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), is now widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made (it won six Academy Awards and was nominated for — and unjustly lost — Best Picture and Best Director). Secondly, it is an origin story, telling the tale of how Charlize Theron's character Furiosa came to be. Origin stories are rarely as surprising or exciting as simply leaping unknown into the story, especially when we're already familiar with what's coming.

Fortunately, those are Furiosa's two biggest flaws, both depending on outside perception. Even its running time, much longer than any other Mad Max film, isn't much of a problem; it flows beautifully. The film itself, whether people will be able to get past their preconceived notions, is amazing. All of Miller's signature touches are here, and it's the work of a master. It's bonkers, insanely inventive, and contains at least one chase scene that rivals, and perhaps tops, anything in Fury Road. It gave me the tingles.

We meet young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) during a life-changing moment, as she tries to snatch a fruit that grows a little too far away from home. She lives in a top-secret community that has water and grows its own food and thrives, away from violence. Unfortunately, her act exposes her to a vicious gang. She's kidnapped and taken to Dementus (Chris Hemsworth, with a prosthetic nose and teeth), a barking mad villain clad in a parachute-like cape with a tiny little teddy bear strapped to his chest. He decides to raise her as his own.

Time passes, and there's some kind of scuffle brewing between Gas Town, The Citadel, and the Bullet Farm; the formerly smooth trades back and forth between each have come unhinged. (I can't say I fully comprehended this part; perhaps it's a commentary on today's corporate culture.) This prompts a visit by Dementus to Immortan Joe (played, as a younger man, by Lachy Hulme). Joe spies the young Furiosa, and, hoping to eventually add her to his harem of child-producing wives, trades for her.

She grows older (into Anya Taylor-Joy) under the command of the villainous Immortan Joe (who, I hate to say it, reminds me of Donald Trump; he even has two idiot sons here called "Erectus" and "Scrotus"). She grows stronger and becomes more skilled. In one scene, a truck is being hoisted into the upper levels of the Citadel, and it has come unhooked from one of its chains. Men have already fallen to their deaths trying to fix the situation. She leaps and dances over the swinging vehicle, dangling dangerously high off the ground, and successfully reattaches the chain. It's a nail-biter of a moment.

But that's nothing compared to what comes next. Furiosa is tapped to help build a massive War Rig to transport goods, and eventually becomes one of the warriors that rides on it, along with veteran driver Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). The run, as depicted in the film, is extraordinary. Miller has conjured up so many new attacks, weapons, fights, tricks, and ideas that you don't want to blink, and it just keeps escalating. There's even a secret weapon. "Should we do it now?" "Not yet!" And when the time finally comes, it does not disappoint.

Perhaps even more astonishing than the long speed-run battle scene is what happens afterward. Furiosa finds herself standing in the middle of the road. The fracas is over. Everything is silent. All we can hear is her boots on the gravel road. It takes a moment to sink in, but she realizes that she is alone, unchained, free, for the first time since she was a little girl. She chooses a direction to walk in, but is stopped by Jack, who tells her that there's nowhere to go. Instead he offers to train her, so back to Immortan Joe's she goes.

There's more, of course, including an explosive showdown (complete with a flamethrower, of course). It's all good stuff. Even after nearly fifty years in the director's chair, Miller's work still feels youthful. He has a way of getting us closer to the action; we can feel its kinetic, often out-of-control energy. It's useful to remember, too, that he is more than just an action director, although movies like The Witches of Eastwick, Lorenzo's Oil, Babe: Pig in the City, and Happy Feet still pulse with that same energy.

Not only that, but, unlike many action films, Miller's tend to embrace a feminine side. The world of Mad Max, especially in its first two entries, were largely male-driven, but they all contain important female figures. Tina Turner's Auntie Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in particular was a powerful leader, and Theron's Furiosa more than took over Mad Max: Fury Road from its titular hero. It could be argued that his movies are about the push-pull between the masculine and feminine, as well as hope vs. despair, ruthlessness vs. kindness, etc.

In other words, these films are always seeking balance. Even Furiosa's quiet moment on the road, feeling her freedom for the first time, shows that teetering between hope and bleakness. She has only Jack's word for it that there's nothing out there, and no way to go. Indeed, there's no way to prove that there isn't any hope. And she continues to have it, no matter what. And, speaking of balance, given that the title is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, I can tell you that Max himself does show up, and it may not be much, but it's as cool and as iconic a moment as can possibly be.