A girl gets kidnapped by desert-dwelling motorcycle thugs. They kill a loved one. The girl sets out to exact vengeance on their leader without revealing her utopian homeland. There’s the plot of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the 2024 prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). We’ll leave the rest of the details to the film nerds.
Furiosa reveals the protagonist’s early ingenuity, how she gets involved with Immortan Joe (a villain from previous installations), and even how she lost her arm – it makes sense given the tenacity of her character.
The guzzoline that drives the film is the beautifully choreographed action sequences. Most memorable is the scene during which Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) joins part father figure/part potential lover Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) on a “war rig” – it looks like a giant gasoline truck – headed to Bullet Town to collect ammunition. The “war boys” stationed throughout the vehicle use a variety of weaponry (including their own bodies) to fight off a motorcycle hoodlum cavalcade. Thanks to the giant fans attached to their backs, some of the enemy can take flight and attack from above while still connected via cords to the cyclists on the ground. Attackers enter the fray in sequence, like dancers coming onto a stage.
With its desert setting, accelerated movements, distinctive vocabulary, and unrestrained characters – Immortan Joe’s bumbling and adrenaline-fueled sons Rictus Erectus and Scabrous Scrotus are prime examples – the film stays true to the Mad Max brand. Moreover, it retains the visual splendour of its predecessor. Hit the pause button at any point and there’s a good chance you’re looking at an image iconic enough to decorate a movie poster. And for evidence of writer/director George Miller’s focus on details, look to the scenes embossed in the metal of the war rig.
While casting Taylor-Joy as Furiosa is like using a Lamborghini to deliver pizzas — the heroine does not have much of an emotional range — placing Chris Hemsworth in the role of Dementus proves a strong choice. From his big movements to his vocalizations, Hemsworth delivers as a chatty (but not annoying) and power-hungry villain who all but steals the show. When the dirty-faced antagonist, with his teddy bear, tarp-like cape, and unHemsworthian teeth and nose, comes onto the scene, the viewer tunes in.
Another fascinating aspect of Furiosa is the creative use of basic technologies. Dementus’s chariot, for instance, is drawn by a pair of driverless motorcycles that he controls with attached ropes. And when he addresses an elevated Immortan Joe and comrades from the desert floor, Dementus uses a grimy microphone. Well worth the watch. Douglas J. Ogurek****
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