Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

I really enjoyed Fury Road when that came out in 2015. The film felt like being shouted at for two hours but not only was it a well directed film but it was well acted, a good plot and felt like a Mad Max film some 20 years after the last Mad Max film. It was strongly hinted in that film that there would be a Furiosa spin off but with each passing year that seemed less likely. Now, 9 years after Fury Road we finally get our Furiosa spin-off except we don’t have Charlize Theron but Anya Taylor-Joy who despite being a big fan, isn’t someone that I have considered for this role. 

This film tells how Furiosa became the Furiosa that we saw in Fury Road and this means that we get to see Immortan Joe again and he was one of the best things about Fury Road. It’s always a danger doing prequel stories because if a character appears and you know they are going to be in the original film then any peril or tension goes out of the window but thankfully they don’t really do that in this film. The main set up of the film is a civil war of sorts between Dementus and Immortan Joe but really is a vehicle to allow Furiosa to get revenge on Dementus. This leads to some really impressive action scenes which this franchise has become known for. I suppose the advantage of filming in Australia is that there are miles and miles of desert roads where you can do this sort of thing and not worry about running out of road.  

I mentioned how I wouldn’t have cast Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and how wrong I would have been. She is amazing despite not having much to say (which before anyone starts typing a response is something I know that is common in Mad Max films). She is one of those people that can say a lot with just her eyes and every time she is on screen she manages to show broodiness and anger at….well mainly at Dementus really. Dementus is a very good character just as good as Immortan Joe was in Fury Road. The only real issue I have with the film is with Chris Hemsworth’s accent. Despite being Australian, he comes across as someone who isn’t Australian trying to do an Aussie accent. It’s what Dick van Dyke would have done if he hadn’t done a cockney accent in Mary Poppins. His performance is really good and when he finally meets his end, then I found myself satisfied with the story and thats because I was engaged with the story and the characters and Hemsworth deserves as much credit as George Miller. 

Speaking of George Miller, can we take a moment to appreciate how someone who is nearly 80 is producing a film to this standard where people half his age are more concerned with making films that have messages that feel like you're being lectured at. Miller knows what works and I honestly don’t know if he will direct any more Mad Max films but if he doesn't then this is a very good way to sign off. 

I really enjoyed Furiosa. I don’t think that its up there with Fury Road but I wasn't expecting it to be and I am fine with that. A film should really only be as good as it can be instead of being made to just be as good or better than what came before it in a particular franchise.