Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Not to repeat himself, George Miller went about it differently this time and decided to focus on what he didn't have time for last time, and we get to know the characters and the world better. But that doesn't mean there's no action. There is action, and what kind of action. The first act alone puts most recent action movies to shame, and it's still just getting started. In short, Furiosa is an excellent film, with a great Anya Taylor-Joy, who actually enters the scene perhaps somewhere in the middle, and a perfect villain played by Chris Hemsworth. I absolutely love it when actors use make-up to help them become someone else entirely, and Hemsworth has done just that to perfection. He's erratic, insane (how else), but he's also hilarious and, in his own way, ridiculous as he speeds through the desert on his post-apocalyptic tricycle. He clearly enjoyed the filming, and I enjoyed the result. (05/25/2024)

After nine years, the spin-off prequel to the fourth installment of the established franchise from a nearly 80-year-old geezer... If it weren't for the Mad Max franchise and the old-timer George Miller, one would have expected a mess. But that series is Mad Max and that old man is the visionary Miller, or once again, a peculiar, lavish, audio-visually polished spectacle, brimming with ideas in literally every scene. My only criticism is that the running time is too (especially in one particular chapter). It teeters on the edge of "more of the same" vs. "more room for characters and world building but not more of the same". Which isn't necessarily a criticism, but a more pronounced lean to one side might not be out of place. Either way, they are just minor details. (05/23/2024)

The story of Furiosa and her anticipated revenge, with more looks into the Citadel, is dramaturgically richer than the endless chase in Fury Road. Despite that, it’s not emotional even in the cruellest scenes and hints of feelings. And mainly it doesn’t have Tom Hardy. However, the character of Furiosa, who since childhood has been shaped by violence, inhumanity and filth, is a strong enough draw, the film’s dynamics are incredible from the opening scene and, together with the visuals and the details contained in them, those insane masks and costumes are absolutely amazing. A filmmaking highlight of scenography and creation of an original fantastical world. But I had trouble fully believing Chris Hemsworth as the demented villain. (06/05/2024)

George Miller is a god and serves up another excellent post-apocalyptic blast. If Fury Road was a 10, this is a very solid 9! Another great visually lavish cinematic experience, of which there won't be many this year, so don't hesitate any longer and head on over! It tells the revenge story of a young Furiosa in an attractive post-apocalyptic world. All the factions and how they work is very fun and interesting (I liked the costumes and the visuals of all the characters, they were properly insane). It's got an intense and adrenaline-packed pace, and even though the first big action scene comes somewhere before the halfway point, it's decently suspenseful and engaging until then, there's simply no danger of boredom. Anya Taylor Joy is excellent as always, and here she doesn’t even have to speak properly, her look was enough to express all the emotions perfectly. Thor a.k.a. Dementus gives the best performance of his career, he really enjoys the madman perfectly. Visually it's again very intense, the music is beautifully ear-splitting, the action scenes surprise with more and more crazy ideas, and you enjoy every shot and moment. There’s even one delightful small cameo, and the ending with the living tree was awesome! Furiosa with Dune 2 and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is clearly the king of this year's blockbusters. There are plenty of epic moments that will make me very happy to watch Furiosa again. 9/10. (05/22/2024)

Fury Road was a masterpiece of the action genre and it was so high-powered that it wouldn’t even be impossible to offer more of the same. Though Furiosa is a return to the familiar parched desert world in which water, gasoline and ammunition are worth more than human lives, it also goes its own way and is thus a rather different film in terms of narrative. However, it is still almost as intensely effective as its predecessor and it also offers perfect, breathtaking action, but that isn’t the focal point of everything this time, as attention is concentrated on the characters for a change. The actors are great and the film abounds with creative screenwriting and directing ideas. George Miller has again served up an epic, energetic, uncompromising and entertaining action spectacle in a way that one might expect from directors less than half his age. (05/22/2024)