'Furiosa' Review: George Miller’s Epic Prequel Continues 'Fury Road' Thesis With Nitro-Fueled Vigor
During George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the question of “Who killed the world?” is tossed around by Immortan Joe’s wives all seeking liberation – led by the badass one-armed road warrior Furiosa (Charlize Theron), who’s trying to take them to the blissful Green Place. In the desolate apocalyptic wasteland where metal-head male warlords rule, the inquiry’s recurrence plays as if it’s a signature theme within the film.
Beyond Miller’s high-octane action, the emotional heft fueled by Furiosa’s journey to find her homeland reinforces the question, specifically during the highlight scene of her despair when learning her home was gone. While one can argue that “Who killed the world?” isn’t a theme, Miller’s Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, continues to investigate the question. It doesn’t necessarily explain who, but it certainly demonstrates the attributes of warlords who contributed to accelerating the madness of its follow-up.
Photo Credit: Jasin Boland / Image copyright (©) Warner Bros. Pictures and Domain Pictures
R: Sequences of strong violence, and grisly images.
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 28 Minutes
Production Companies: Kennedy Miller Mitchell, Village Roadshow Pictures
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: George Miller
Writers: George Miller, Nico Lathouris
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Charlee Fraser, Angus Sampson, John Howard, Lachy Hulme, Josh Helman
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Only In Theaters
A young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) once lived in a scenic, women-dominated green land. Her precociousness when messing around with an invading biker gang lends to her getting kidnapped and taken across the Wasteland. The bikers drop her at their incompetent yet confident conquering leader, Dementus (an engrossing Chris Hemsworth), trying to pry any information about her home. Her mother, Mary (Charlee Fraser), tries to rescue her but is killed right before Furiosa's eyes. Under Dementus, muzzled and chained like a dog, a mute Furiosa winds up at the Citadel under leader Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme) and his dedicated white-painted army, the War Boys. With her resourcefulness and know-how, she survives many tribulations in her new surroundings, growing up and becoming a war rig driver.
Meanwhile, Dementus' power expands, dominating a nearby Midgar-esque city known as Gastown. His control over the city's goods and oil trade further strengthens his hold over the Citadel warlords, instilling fear and anticipation in the region. Upon seeing Dementus for the first time since her traumatized youth, adult Furiosa's (Anya Taylor-Joy) rage bursts as she tries time and time again to exact her vengeance and find her way back home.
As if he took a percentage of the world's motorcycles and dropped them in the land down under – I mean, he didn't. Those were custom-built, but I like making the joke – every majestic, tightly-stitched set piece shows George Miller cementing himself as one of the best visionaries who can turn vehicles into art. Never doubt his mastery.
The hallmarks that made Fury Road a masterpiece returned with an excess of nitro fuel. The vehicular chaos extends beyond mere bikes, trucks, and rigs. With flamethrowing hang gliders and monster trucks adding to the set pieces, Miller’s meticulousness is jaw-dropping. Before the madness ensues, Miller lifts the camera and says, "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" before executing some of the wildest and most stunning imagery used with bikes since Evel Knievel jumped his first bus.
Aside from the sheer splendor, Furiosa provides the most dour outlook on this Mad Max world yet. It expands upon Miller’s worldbuilding as its revenge-fueled lead fights through hell and back to survive the trials set by madmen, especially Dementus. Via her character, Miller delves into the trades and politics of the Wasteland’s warlords. Under Dementus and Joe's thumbs, the film gets endless mileage within a world where oil, bullets, and people are currency. For an environment inhabited by desert pirates, it's delightful how the 79-year-old filmmaker can find humor in naming his male characters The People Eater and Dementus, knowing these men are mere boys. Still, the suffering they impose on everyone around them, especially the female characters, is nothing to laugh at.
All the political powers trickle down to personally affect Furiosa. Her role is the equivalent of Max's in Fury Road, where her agency is at the mercy of her survival instincts. Anya Taylor-Joy astounds with her heavy artillery of facial expressions playing at full force. Mostly mute, her decisions to use her voice complement her internal motives to save her skin and ease into spaces that no other woman in Miller's testosterone-heavy realm can fit into.
Miller does something deeply profound with Dementus, the face that fuels Furoisa's vengeance. While the character never came across as intimidating, his unhinged, prideful persona and the enabling from his hearty, massive biker crew made him a magnetic force. Chris Hemsworth is the coolest he's ever looked, donning a cape like Thor and the voice of a cockney governor, he’s a showstopping presence I couldn’t look away from.
With Dementus, Miller forms a reflective and timely parallel to our reality, where the incompetence of a man with a cult-like following can enact so much destruction. He’s not just a Trump reflection, since everyone wants to draw out that comparison – as if other fascists don't exist. Dementus happens to be your traditional psychotic conqueror on a big-ass chariot bike, adding a delicious mustache-twirling spark to him. But it’s Demetus’ reappearance towards Furiosa’s finale under a newfound persona and a monologue that makes the “Who killed the world?” thesis rear its head around so heavily it might result in you experiencing an existential crisis.
To its disadvantage, the film presents a well-meaning albeit underdeveloped romance between Furiosa and her new ally, Praetorian Jack (a manic-pixie drive boy played by Tom Burke), the only man of ingenuity and heart who trains her to upgrade her skill set.
In his sheer vision and thorough world expansion, George Miller's Furiosa does everything a fabulous prequel should strive for. It not only functions as a stand-alone action pic with death-defying filmmaking but also improves on the thematic weight of Fury Road. It's a mad world and only Miller knows how to make it epic.
Rating: 4.5/5 | 90%
