Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) Movie Review

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) Movie Review

There is no arguing, George Miller’s Mad Max franchise is one of the most important film franchises of all time. The film has inspired countless genre flicks, both low-budget and high-budget, to the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, populate with weird and quirky characters. Mad Max is almost a genre in its own right. The franchise spans over a massive 45 years, with a massive resurgence in its popularity due to Miller’s reboot in 2015, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. The film was met with acclaim from general movie goers, fans and critics alike, with an impressive 97% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an 86% audience score and an 8.1/10 on IMDB, which ranks it as 183 in the IMDB top 250 of all time. The film also made a massive splash at the worldwide box office, grossing an impressive $380 million at the worldwide box office. Fans were keen to see more Mad max!

But they would have to wait. It’s now been 9 years since Mad Max: Fury Road graced the silver screen, and we’re finally getting a follow-up, of sorts. Few expected George Miller’s next entry in the Wasteland to be a prequel, but here we are with ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’. ‘Furiosa’ is as its title suggests, about Furiosa. The film follows a young Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) as she traverses the wasteland on a path of revenge for Dementus (played by Chris Hemsworth), leader of a biker horde and a warlord in his own right. Dementus is hellbent on taking over Gastown and the Bullet farm, to gain control over the wasteland. As a fan of George Miller’s epic saga, I of course was intrigued by a prequel set in the Wasteland. The involvement of Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth only piqued my interest. Thankfully, this one isn’t a letdown and is yet another epic entry into Miller’s 45-year-old franchise.

‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ is an excellent film, bringing focus away from our titular hero Max, focusing further on the expansion of the Wasteland, and really expanding upon the lore of the world. Similar to Max, Furiosa doesn’t have a great deal of dialogue, with Anya Taylor-Joy doing a lot of heavy-lifting here and doing a lot of emoting and acting without speaking. She does a fantastic job, showcasing her range and ability to anchor a large, blockbuster project, predominantly working on smaller films and television before this (The Witch, The Queens gambit, Thoroughbreds), The New Mutants aside. The other strength here is Chris Hemsworth’s fun and energetic performance as the films lead villain Dementus. He is fantastic. His villain is clearly fuelled by ego, not possessing the finesse and control of Imorten Joe from Fury Road (who also appears here).  His villain is by far and large for me the highlight of the film. Audiences have become so used to him playing the hero with Thor, seeing him do something like this was refreshing and has given his career the jolt we didn’t know it needed.

Furiosa’s story is one of revenge, and justice, a plot we have seen in a Mad Max film before, with the idea of revenge being a central part of the franchise as a whole. This plot works exceptionally well here in Furiosa, with the backdrop of the wasteland feeling very appropriate for her character and her journey. Her plight and journey to get revenge on Dementus is what makes the film so engaging. However, it’s not your typical tale of revenge. The film focuses more on the rise of a legend, which we haven’t really seen before. Yes, Max is a legend, and his adventures feel like a fable passed down, but his status is something that is already established, Furiosa’s was hinted at, but never fully realised.  The core focus of this is Furiosa and her journey. Its highpoint of the film, seeing her traverse this post-apocalyptic nightmare, forming relationships along the way, particularly with Praetorian jack (played by Tom Burke), providing small moments of levity in this dystopian land. 

The real strengths here, outside of the weird characters and main story thread, is of course the incredible breathtaking action set-pieces created by George Miller. The strengths of the franchise even dating back to the original film in 1979, have always been a standout. Miller creates so much, using what resources he has at his disposal to create something truly special. The set-pieces here are awesome, with some great sequences, particularly a chase/fight sequence about halfway through. Its glorious to see all the impressive stunts, practical effects, and seamless use of CGI effects to really compliment it all and bring it to life. We get to see more for the Wasteland than we have in previous films, with Miller flexing his creativity, in creating some weird, industrial, and scenic locations for the action to populate. The fight at the bullet farm, was quite satisfying, seeing the cunning nature of Furiosa and her dedication to the task at hand. Miller also knows where to step back and allow the sequences a chance to breath. The final confrontation with Furiosa and Dementus at the end of the film is left purposely vague, with dialogue really populating the scene rather than action. This made the finale all the more satisfying.

Overall, ‘Furiosa’ is a Mad Max film through and through. It’s populated with some truly stunning visuals and amazing sequences of suspense and action that permeate the character drama, which is the crux of the film. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth really do elevate the material, adding to the legend of the wasteland and adding layers we didn’t know we needed. It’s a must-watch for George Miller fans and fans of cinema in general, with Furiosa now successfully ranking among one of the best prequels ever made. Be sure to secure your copy on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K Ultra HD today, you won’t want to miss it!

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here