Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Epic Action and Still Very Mad, Minus the Max
By Thom Ernst
Rating: A
With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the Mad Max saga indeed continues. It’s still mad, but now with 100 per cent less Max.
Mel Gibson, once irrefutably linked to the franchise, has all but vanished. And Tom Hardy, who took a back seat to Charlize Theron's Furiosa in Fury Road, is sitting this one out. Neither is particularly missed, but not because they weren't good. Gibson set the tone after all, and Hardy appropriately downplayed the machismo to better suit the times.
In an era when prequels seem to be the antidote to too many sequels, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga risks diluting a mythology already well served by the director, George Miller.
It's an anomaly, although not unheard of, for a director to stick with their franchise throughout its run. But Miller has helmed every Mad Max entry since, well, Mad Max (1979). Even George Lucas handed the Star Wars reins to Rian Johnson, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, and J.J. Abrams, with Taika Waititi waiting in the wings.
A change of the guard is likely to happen unless Miller intends to retire the franchise with him. Until such time, Miller stays the course, the driving force, maneuvering the film's action with skilled precision and control.
Furiosa is the painted-face warrior of Australia's apocalyptic wasteland, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, the actress with too many Ys in her name.
We met Furiosa in Fury Road. Back then, she looked more like Charlize Theron than Anya Taylor-Joy, which could be a distraction for some Max enthusiasts. But Taylor-Joy steps into the role with comfort, defying any complaints of inconsistency.
Furiosa is the origin story of Theron's character from Fury Road. Like its director, Fury Road is also a bit of an anomaly as the fourth entry in a franchise that achieved the unachievable by being good enough to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture (it won for Editing and Costumes).
And no, Furiosa is not Fury Road in the same way that Aliens is not Alien and The Godfather is not Godfather II — one does not necessarily surpass the other. But if it does, the difference is minimal—a distinction of preference over expertise.
The film begins with Furiosa as a child (Alyla Browne—the actor with too many Ls in her name). She is kidnapped by a carousing gang of desert motorists led by an unstable, somewhat flamboyant leader appropriately named Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
Hemsworth plays Dr. Dementus with unequivocal charm, a tone at odds with the rest of the film, but appealing, nonetheless. Not everyone will agree, preferring their bad guys to be tattooed and mutated rather than someone who looks like Thor. (There are moments when Hemsworth seems purposefully sending up his Marvel alter ego. You'll either buy it or not—I bought it.)
Dr. Dementus is not the only villain in the movie, But he is the best-looking. Plenty of tattooed, toothless, scarred, and painted degenerates are available to make life miserable for the venerable Furiosa.
Origin stories that begin in childhood tend to shortchange the child, but Miller gives child Furiosa her fair due. By the time adult Furiosa appears—about the 40-minute mark—we're ready for her. And though the delayed entrance of Taylor-Joy might seem like a long wait to introduce the poster-image heroine, there is still plenty of time (almost another 90 minutes) of road rage to go.
Furiosa feels epic, a viable entry into the ongoing mythology that began as a small independent film to come out of Australia.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is not likely to make the same rounds at the Academy Awards as its predecessor. But it remains a winning formula. And when someone tells you that it has the best action sequences put to film—believe them.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Directed by George Miller. Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Alyla Browne. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opens May 24 in selected theatres.