The signature thing about George Miller’s Mad Max franchise is the fact that he jumps into the situation without really spoon-feeding the audience. The energy is enormous, and the movies have that collection of exhilarating events. It is actually through the certain minute details that we see during those set pieces we sort of understand that world and its politics. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the spinoff origin story of the key character from Mad Max: Fury Road, is yet another crazy imagination from Miller, and it is fascinating how that style never feels repetitive.
We are shown how young Furiosa was living comfortably with her tribe Vuvalini in the Green Place, until a biker gang finds out about this place of abundance. The gang kidnaps Furiosa, and despite her mother’s best efforts, she can’t be saved from the hands of Dementus. What we see in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the rise of Furiosa into the figure, whom we saw in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Unlike the Mad Max films that follow a continuous chain of events pattern, here, the approach is more episodic as they have a bigger story to tell with various age brackets getting portrayed. But in each of those episodes, George Miller maintains the essence of that signature treatment. The breathtaking landscapes, the camera movements, and the drama that gets elevated at the end of each grand set piece make this movie very exciting. Since the movie is mounted as a character exploration, we get to see Miller trying out a slightly sentimental approach in certain areas, like the final confrontation between Dementus and Furiosa, which eventually becomes a commentary about that post-apocalyptic era.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa appears literally 60 minutes into the movie, and hence her share of dialogue in the film is pretty minimal. The challenge here is actually to make us believe the amount of trauma she had gone through during all those years that Miller skims through. And the actress had that fire and vulnerability in her performance to make us feel for that character. Alyla Browne, who played the younger version of the character also deserves a shout-out. Chris Hemsworth, with his Australian accent, is hilarious and memorable. He is sort of playing this buffoonish antagonist who gets to say some profound and disturbing lines to Furiosa towards the end. Lachy Hulme plays the younger version of Immortan Joe, and there is Tom Burke as the mentor figure of Furiosa, Praetorian Jack.
As I mentioned in the beginning, the brilliance of George Miller is the way he does exposition through minute details in a set piece. He gives us an idea about the scarcity and the stuff that is in demand in the very first chase sequence itself. Even when their gang members are dying, the biker gang is more concerned about fuel and tires. Even the very obvious trope of giving us a backstory on how Furiosa lost her hand, decided to follow a hairstyle, and that black in her forehead, etc., are shown to us in an exciting manner. The set piece choreography and the sound design of those sequences are nothing short of brilliant. The only issue I had with the movie was the CGI imperfections in certain scenes that sort of exposed the green screen usage.
The Mad Max franchise is known for its unique set pieces set in that dystopian future. The pace and vigor you get to experience in other movies in the franchise are definitely there in this one as well. But as this one has the burden of addressing a lot within the span of 148 minutes, the format is slightly tweaked, and there is a bit of tenderness to the tale.
As this one has the burden of addressing a lot within the span of 148 minutes, the format is slightly tweaked, and there is a bit of tenderness to the tale.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
