Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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)

This is my kind of revenge movie! We were probably all on tenterhooks as to how it would turn out, but George Miller once again delivers what he promised, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. While making prequels, where we also know exactly where they're going, may seem pointless and unappealing to audiences, Furiosa will historically be one of those rare examples of getting it absolutely right. Its story works perfectly on its own, it's quite different from its predecessor, the action is exceptionally imaginative and choreographed, and the worldbuilding is again broad and unique. We get a glimpse into the workings of the post-apocalyptic world, the divisions of the factions, the logistics of how they work together. In short, the whole film works under the impression that it has a whole other unseen backstory of everything and everyone, something that many current "shallow" blockbusters are completely lacking. I'm crossing my fingers that it does what it can at the box office, because I'd very much hate to see this franchise head to Valhalla. Miller's still got it! (05/26/2024)

Furiosa was still a child when she was taken from her home. She grew up surrounded by violence and madness, but she never stopped wanting revenge. In the wasteland, a war is brewing between two armies of brutal dictators, and Furiosa intends to be on the front lines. George Miller returns to a harsh post-apocalyptic world, but in a slightly different way than you might expect. There's still plenty of action, and there are so many ideas in a single scene that other Hollywood blockbusters could live off of it for years. However, this time around there are more complex characters and, above all, a greater effort to immerse yourself in a world full of chaos and discover that it too has its own order. Miller delivers another one of his visually lavish and uncompromising visions, and he knows he can afford not to pander to audiences who expect nothing more than more of what they got last time. (05/22/2024)

I thoroughly enjoyed Fury Road in the cinema nine years ago and, to be honest, I don't know if I've ever seen a more action-packed film. Furiosa raised great expectations in me precisely because of that cinematic experience and also because of the female lead. After watching it, I have to say that I was probably expecting a slightly different film, but I don't mean that in a negative way. Furiosa is again full of brisk action with imaginative choreography – this is especially dominated by the tanker chase scenes and the confrontation in the mine – and tries through a kind of "biblical plane" not to be just a pure action film. I was surprised to see Anya Taylor-Joy arrive on the scene relatively late, and I would fault the film for having too tidy an ending for my taste. Still, this is a high-quality audiovisual spectacle that would be a sin not to see on the big screen, where it certainly belongs. (06/05/2024)

An excellent flashback to Fury Road. It lacks Max Rockatansky, it lacks the frenetic pace, but the story is more substantial. Furiosa explains the laws of the imagined world. George Miller seems to realize that he skipped over a lot of things and presented them as fact without showing them. He describes a fragile symbiosis that is disrupted by Chris Hemsworth's Dementus, one of the best creations of his career. If it's true that the previous Mad Max was mostly about Furiosa then Furiosa is mostly about the foxy Dementus. He's the one who shows the world turning into an oil-soaked desert. Anya Taylor-Joy is good, but the little girl who plays her when she was young is even better. Weaker music and slightly worse visual effects. Still, very good. (05/24/2024)