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Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga review: Miller's post-apocalyptic brute fantasy is both exhilarating and exhausting!
What: ‘Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga’ – in this prequel to the 2015's Fury Road, George Miller's craft transports you to an immersive journey of conquest and vengeance sought by its eponymous protagonist- Furiosa, played by Anya Tailor Joy, from the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) in a dystopian era where mankind has gone rogue and terrorizing itself.
Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga movie synopsis
Dementus and his congress of destruction are in search of a place of abundance and in pursuit of the Citadel, and in constant loggerheads with the Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). They kill Furiosa’s mom in the battle of survival and hold her captive.
With Alyla Browne and Anya playing the younger versions of Charlize Theron’s character in Fury Road, Furiousa traces her graduation from a slave in the Wasteland to one of the firebrand road warriors serving under the Immortan Joe’s gang. Like Fury Road, this one takes place in post-apocalyptic Australia ravaged by nuclear wars fought over oil and other resources. Despotic rulers with psychotic brains and savage bikers scavenge for them while our minds are invaded by the sprawling and unforgiving deserts, sand dunes and the scorching sun.
Miller, the creator of the Mad Max franchise, escalates his vision and sensibilities for dystopian doom and fantasy to a notch higher in Furiousa with riveting and relentless action bolstered with immaculate set pieces and incredible VFX. You may find the premise a bit elementary but the CGI- aided chases and carnage feel achingly raw and real, and on top of everything, Chris Hemsworth playing the megalomaniac antagonist Dementus unleashing a string of wrath and wreckage. Madness and mayhem are staged with breathtaking lensing by cinematographer Simon Duggan and a persistently ominous music, by Tom Holkenborg, enshrouding the action.
At the same time, Furiosa exhausts you with an overkill – too much sand, explosions and swirling of vehicles on fire in the air stuffed within the five chapters of its narrative. The length could be trimmed by atleast half an hour when Anya makes her entry as an adult only during the second hour.
While Anya appears stiff and synthetic but with a steely resolve, its Hemsworth who walks away easily with all accolades for the worthy portrayal of the anarchist armed with an uncanny sense of wry wits and sardonic humour. Sample his lines, “She (little Furiosa) has her mother’s perfections and none of my deficiencies. I am a man with a fragile brain”. The actor largely humanizes his part, sensitizing the viewers to the immutable loss of his family – his wofe and daughters.
I enjoyed Furiosa. Barring Miller’s fascination for morbid entities and an undercurrent of franchise indulgence, it's pure, pulpy and an exhilarating ride with adrenaline rush.
Going with 3.5 stars out of 5 for Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga. The 2 and half hour film is running at theatres near you.
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee