FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (2024)

Anya Taylor-Joy in a still

• Release Date: 23/05/2024
• Cast: Alyla Browne, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme
• Director: George Miller

“Furiosa” is outstanding in its blend of dramatic storytelling and high-octane action

— Ambar Chatterjee

“Furiosa” is the prequel to one of the greatest action films ever made, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, and is directed by George Miller, who directed every other Mad Max film. The film explores the origins of the character Furiosa from “Fury Road” and chronicles her journey from being kidnapped by a marauder from the tropical heaven where she was born, to spending a large portion of her life in the Citadel under the rule of Immortan Joe. It follows her gradual rise through the ranks of Joe’s army until she finally becomes the imperator, as we see in Fury Road. The film also gives us glimpses into her training and development into a skilled driver and fighter. We also see her friendship with one Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who trains and prepares her for the long and arduous journey she is destined to undertake.

Personal Reaction and Initial Impressions:

I was beguiled by this film and every aspect of it. Numerous reviews are pointing out the long runtime, emphasis on dramatic elements and interpersonal drama, and the lack of thrill in terms of what happens to the character of Furiosa as some of the things that make the film underwhelming. The same people are also criticizing the fact that the antagonist of the film, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), is not nearly as scary or imposing as he needed to be to have the desired impact and fear factor that would have made the proceedings intriguing and horrifying. After watching this film for the first time today, I can safely say that I felt neither of those things. While it may be off-putting for many, I felt that the film was perfect, and in many aspects of its storytelling, George Miller impressed me a lot more than he did with “Fury Road”.

World-Building and Background Exploration:

The film elaborately explains the wasteland, providing background on Gastown, the Bullet Farm, and the Citadel to an extent that we now understand how life and politics in the wasteland work. We now comprehend many aspects of “Fury Road” better since we have extensive information about how the three places are interlinked and how they depend on each other for survival. It also explains why the people from Gastown and the Bullet Farm helped Immortan Joe in his pursuit in “Fury Road.” This aspect of the film not only filled me with excitement and ensured that I was completely hooked to the narrative but also enhanced my reverence for “Fury Road,” which isn’t something that many sequels or prequels are able to do these days.

Furiosa as the Central Protagonist:

The story of Furiosa is fascinating. I always believed that Furiosa was the true protagonist of “Fury Road” and not Max since the story was about her, and Max was just an important part of her journey. Hence, when George Miller decided to create an origin story for Furiosa, I was not one bit surprised. On the contrary, I was excited, and I knew that those criticizing the film due to their misplaced sense of being offended by anything and everything with a female protagonist would eventually understand and appreciate the story Miller was about to tell. If these people can set aside their egos and uncontrollable urge to hate everything with a female lead, they will see that this story could not have been any different. Also, this was a story worth telling and sets the audience up for the next film in the franchise, which could pit not one but two Maxes against either Furiosa or perhaps some other supervillain with whom they will be fighting together.

Fantastic Performances by Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy:

Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy portray the character of Furiosa, and it was extremely difficult for me to decide who was better. Alyla Browne, as the young Furiosa, is devastating in her portrayal of grief, anger, and a sense of loss without uttering a single word. The entire episode involving her kidnapping, her mother’s effort to save her, her mother’s death at the hands of Dementus, and her life after the tragedy is so heartbreakingly written and brought to the screen by Alyla Browne that I would not have complained if her character never grew up, even though that would be the worst thing for the film and the story. Browne was able to make me feel the quantum of Furiosa’s pain, the sense of loss, and the weight of the fact that maybe her misadventure was what triggered the tragedy that befalls her mother. Add to that the promise her mother requests of her and her inability to fulfil it, and you have an added layer of complication and drama to her story, rendering it brilliant as we enter the more action-filled second half of the film.

It was mind-boggling to note that the first half of the film didn’t have as much action as one might have expected from a “Mad Max” film, but I was so engrossed in the performances, storytelling, world-building, and the outrageous brilliance of Chris Hemsworth as Dementus that I never stopped to notice that Anya Taylor-Joy had not been introduced for the largest chunk of the first half and that there was not nearly as much action as I would have liked for this portion to have.

Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke (centre) in a still

Transition to Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa:

Anya Taylor-Joy comes into the picture almost at the end of the first half. What was great about her taking over the character from Alyla Browne was the seamless transition from a child ravaged by murder and marauding to someone who is battle-hardened, pretending to be a boy among murderers and ravagers, and has enough experience and skills to navigate a hostile and demented world. This transition was perfectly envisioned and realized. Taylor-Joy is delightful in her rendering of the character, bringing her brand of brooding rage and drama to the character. She has very little dialogue, yet she emotes so well through those large blue eyes that you hear every word she has to say about her predicament and the path she has taken. The result is scene after scene of engaging and arresting drama involving her that is as amazing to watch as it is to absorb.

Interpersonal Drama and Relationships:

George Miller infuses his narrative with genuine interpersonal drama and the building of relationships between characters. One such wonderful camaraderie is developed between Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa and Tom Burke’s character, Praetorian Jack. I found this relationship extremely warm, and there was something about the interconnected tragedy of the two that was highly relatable. The way this relationship is built and how it ends is not just warm and heartbreaking but also explains how Furiosa was so easily able to warm up to Max in “Fury Road.” The dialogues between the two, mostly spoken by Burke, have such kindness and comfort that they stand out, especially coming from a man who is part of such a hellish world. This not only grabs your attention but also makes you listen to every word with care and try to decipher its impact on the character of Furiosa.

Action and Its Perception:

Some say that there is not enough action in “Furiosa”. This wrong notion stems from the fact that the film is nearly two and a half hours long, which is at least 30 minutes longer than “Fury Road.” With the elongated runtime and almost the same amount of action as “Fury Road,” there was a notion that the film was low on action. However, I felt that not only did the film have enough action to satisfy even the most testosterone-charged action junkie, but it also featured some of the most violent, grotesque, and brutal imagery imaginable in a post-apocalyptic world—something we didn’t see in “Fury Road.” The nature of the story, the close bond we form with the various characters, and the events that happen to these characters, depicted in a harrowing manner, will easily have many audience members looking at the screen from behind the cracks of their fingers.

George Miller’s Unique Action Sequences:

The action itself is as imaginative and out of this world as you would expect from a George Miller presentation. It boggles my mind to think that he is 79 years old and still putting out action as fresh and infused with as much youthfulness, creativity and energy as we witness here. The various characters from different parts of the wasteland have different ways of fighting, using different vehicles and weaponry. Miller goes into great detail with these elements, filling his action scenes with a great deal of imagination, gusto, and fun. No two action sequences in the film are the same, and there is a lot of action. You will find the same physicality and imagination that made the action of “Fury Road” so popular but with better and greater build-up, and the action almost always ends in a harrowing manner. The scale and reach are massive, and the action is an organic coming together of practical effects and a large amount of computer and visual effects that blend so seamlessly with the practical effects that they are practically invisible.

Chris Hemsworth’s Performance as Dementus:

Chris Hemsworth turns in one of his finest, if not the finest, performances as Dementus. He is a despicable villain who we want dead from the get-go, but there are scenes in the film where we see a different side to him. He makes speeches and has conversations with characters that make us feel that he might have been a different person in the past, transformed by the world he lives in. This is executed so well because Hemsworth is able to bring that duality to the character through his wonderful performance and manipulate the audience. He violently toggles between being the ultimate villain and a pitiful clown, sometimes allowing these two aspects of the character to overlap, resulting in simmering drama and interesting character moments. To me, Hemsworth was one of the best things about the film, even though he was never overpowering. It is rare to see vain and failing villains like this who are still effective enough to extract hatred and catalyse the fate of the protagonist in the film.

Chris Hemsworth, George Miller and Anya Taylor-Joy in a picture

Technical Excellence in Filmmaking:

The technical aspects of the film, like editing, sound design, visual effects, and production design, are some of the things I have started taking for granted from George Miller films. Here, I was particularly impressed by how sound is used to ensure immersion and extract dread. One of the best examples of this is the scene where we see Dementus kill Furiosa’s mother and another where he tortures Praetorian Jack. These two scenes would not have been the same without the swelling background score and innovative sound design. Similarly, a large chunk of the film’s first half is a chase sequence through the desert that makes clever use of sound to ensure immersion. The editing is fantastic, even though the speed ramping is summarily given up in this film. It never felt odd or peculiar in this particular presentation, and the action sequences still had a similar kind of energy and physicality that made “Fury Road” popular. The cinematography was once again brilliant, with extensive use of long takes, aerial shots to ascertain scale, and quick changes of angles that effortlessly elevate action sequences and their impact.

Final Words:

“Furiosa” is a worthy prequel that enriches the Mad Max universe with its compelling character development, immersive world-building, and inventive action sequences. George Miller once again proves his mastery in blending dramatic storytelling with high-octane action, creating a film that stands on its own while enhancing the legacy of “Fury Road.” With outstanding performances, especially from Alyla Browne, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, and top-notch technical execution, “Furiosa” is not just a visual spectacle but also a deeply engaging narrative. It is a film that not only satisfies the fans of the franchise but also sets a high bar for future instalments.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.