Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
George Miller’s mad dash to cinematic Valhalla continues with another magnificent swerve, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is immaculately made, retrospectively enriches and enhances the world of Mad Max: Fury Road—with greater emotional weight, if not quite matching it in propelling throttle.
In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, we follow a young Furiosa as she endures a series of events beginning with her abduction by Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), continuing through her time as a slave and her rise to the position of trusted lieutenant under cult leader Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) and his military commander Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), all the way up to her ultimate goal of exacting revenge on Dementus for a heinous murder he committed.
The Wasteland’s guiding principle is “survival of the fittest,” a sentiment that Furiosa (Ana Taylor-Joy) conveys more poignantly than any other Mad Max-film. The future imperator is unquestionably psychologically and physically prepared for the gravest of challenges because of Miller’s bestowment of competence and strength. We get the impression that she is used to the hard ways of the new world (even though she pines for the old one she was torn from) thanks to Taylor-confidence, and Miller’s choice to frame his star, who focuses on her powerful, unwavering gaze. Taylor-Joy, following up on Charlize Theron’s reflective performance as Furiosa in Fury Road, radiates like the desert sun in a part that requires almost no dialogue. She vanishes within Furiosa, and with the help of the character’s resolute will, she constructs a subdued but formidable foundation that is tragically lovely. Despite knowing from Fury Road that Furiosa will not return to the verdant paradise of The Green Place of Many Mothers, the journey continues to be epic.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a top-notch prequel and, without a doubt, the best screenplay of any Mad Max-film. It gives the titular character depth and purpose while expanding the post-apocalyptic Wasteland setting and exploring new avenues that were only hinted at in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and the beloved Mad Max-series, created by George Miller. Seeing the Wasteland through the eyes of a teenage Furiosa, the feisty heroine introduced in Fury Road, offers a unique perspective on its politics, inner workings, and survival structures. Anya Taylor-Joy nails the combination of icy toughness and broken humanity that Charlize Theron brought to Fury Road’s heroine. One of the greatest villains of all time, Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth, is deliciously, delightfully deranged and often devours the screen with his charisma. The film’s action sequences, though somewhat familiar to audiences of Fury Road are executed with an exquisite taste that takes viewers on a new-fangled, imaginative journey, despite the film’s unrelenting brutality.
Some of the great filmmakers have their signature series; George Lucas had Star Wars, Steven Spielberg had Indiana Jones, Denis Villeneuve has Dune and George Miller has Mad Max, without a doubt. “Tonight, we dance to Darwin!”, the charismatic warlord Dementus says, before a terrible punishment – so long as the Mad Max saga keeps evolving.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga releases in cinemas on Friday, 24 May 2024.
-Dirk Lombard Fourie