Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Grade: A

I had to see Mad Max: Fury Road because it got a bunch of Oscar nominations, including Picture and Director. If I had seen the first three in the series, I might have felt about Fury Road the way I do about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Going into Fury Road cold, the modus operandi hadn’t been established for me. There is a copious amount of action, and as great as I thought it was, I could have used more plot, dialogue, and explanations. I wasn’t aware that the Mad Maxes are notorious for being like that. Being prepared for it this time, I went into this new one with appropriate expectations. But a funny thing has happened here: I did feel like we got enough of a story. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is everything an action epic should be, and one of the best such movies I have ever seen.

Writer/director George Miller must have a fascinating brain to come up with what he does. So many shots are works of art, and it pays to not just look at the primary thing we’re supposed to see in any given one. Let your eyes wander up or to the sides sometimes; there is adventure lurking in so many unexpected places. Furiosa (the film) is a prequel to Fury Road. This is the origin story of Furiosa (the character), played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road, and by Anya Taylor-Joy here. Her work in Thoroughbreds and The Menu have been leading up to this all along. We don’t see her until more than an hour in, but the movie doesn’t suffer because of it in any way. Until then, Alyla Browne (Sting, George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing) carries the opening sequences as the young Furiosa. We know she will become bald and lose an arm, and we eventually find out how and why.

Speaking of those two question words, I’d recommend not asking how and why so many things in the movie are the way they are. Just accept that everything is the way it is. It is no less interesting. I am endlessly transfixed with so much here, and their power is in the mystery. I could talk about the bald-headed pale guys, obviously unafraid of heights, some of whom can shred on electric guitars, and various vehicles. Or the looming, imposing man with shoulder-length grey hair, whose oxygen mask is made up to look like a giant open-mouthed evil grin, with big white teeth painted on.

There is dramatic substance here. It’s not just all fights. When humor emerges in a film that isn’t billed as a comedy, the jokes often land better – maybe because they sneak up on us, and serve as oases in the desert. This can be a funny movie. The “trade negotiation” scene has the wit, stakes, and dramatic gravitas of the best moments in a Shakespeare history play.

The last half hour is more about emotionally charged dialogue than bombastic chases. There are notes of vindication and poetic justice, but also questions are raised about how once you get your vengeance, then what? Would any kind of revenge ever truly scratch that itch? Maybe the answer is “nope – but I’ll be many steps closer.” This is where Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth bring it with the acting chops. You might not think of a tree in the same way. I was disappointed this was over, at 148 minutes in.

It’s very rare for the original director of a franchise to stick with it for so long, much less five movies in. I wouldn’t have blamed Miller, now 79 years old, if by now, he had retired to an Executive Producer position, and pawned off directing duties to an up-and-coming youngster – but instead, he remains the man behind Mad Max. The original film, starring Mel Gibson, came out in 1979. This has been his baby for 45 years, and he still has things to say with it, and says them this well. That’s really amazing. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a really amazing movie.

Grade: A