Hollywood loves origin stories but not every character deserves to have their backstories told as a standalone feature. Furiosa however, is one character that not only deserves but demands to have her story told. I’m a huge fan of Mad Max: Fury Road, I was transfixed by Charlize Theron’s performance who brought her badass character to life so beautifully. The one-armed female warrior risks her life to rescue five wives of warlord Immortan Joe from his Citadel while seeking to return to the idyllic land “Green Place” she remembers from her childhood.
Nearly a decade later, George Miller finally takes us to the Green Place of Many Mothers, blooming with fresh water and agriculture. No wonder it’s such a closely guarded secret that everyone from that community would die to protect it. We first see young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) with her sister Valkyrie picking peaches before she is snatched by bikers working for warlord Dementus of the Biker Horde (Chris Hemsworth in heavy prosthetics). Miller uses generative AI to make Browne’s transition to Anya Taylor-Joy look seamless.
Bad-assery runs in the family as Furiosa’s mom Mary (Charlee Fraser) runs in pursuit and proves to be an amazingly skilled markswoman. But they simply can’t match Dementus’ horde and Furiosa gets adopted by Dementus after he has Mary brutally killed. Later on, Dementus hands Furiosa over to Immortan Joe as a bargaining chip for food and water supply. That’s the first time she encounters Joe’s many wives.
The rest of the film tells Furiosa’s survival story as she is trapped between warring factions in the Wasteland. All her life, she strives to escape cruel, morally + physically grotesque monsters who wish to find the Green Place for their own gain. Furiosa tattoos a star chart on her arm so she can find her way home but refuses to let anyone know of its location.
While in captivity, Furiosa disguises herself as a mute teen boy with a shaved head to elude capture. She uses her small frame to her advantage to move up the ranks as Joe’s men build the War Rig, a heavily armed supply tanker, one of the greatest battle vehicles in cinematic history. The vehicles are undoubtedly the highlights of Mad Max movies. Those white-powdered War Boys display death-defying acrobatic skills as they sway from sky-high wires to defend the War Rig from attackers. The troupe of stuntmen who play them has to go through such intense training and workshops, but they do get quite a bit of screen time here. The bombastic, high-octane battles occur on or around the motorized army along the desolate desert. The vehicular action scenes are marvelously crafted and visually stunning, showcasing some majestic shots by DP Simon Duggan.
The standout action set piece is the Rig attack which shows Furiosa’s immense action prowess. After failing to steal the Rig from commander Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), Furiosa ends up teaming up with him. He offers to train her so she can escape the Citadel, in exchange for her help to rebuild his crew wiped out in the attack. There’s even a hint of romance developing between them, and for a brief moment, it seems Furiosa just might have a happy ending. Of course, we know from Fury Road, that’s not the case and it’s heartbreaking to witness.
Taylor-Joy does a sensational job as the fiery Furiosa and she’s able to act with just her eyes in most of the scenes. She’s said in various interviews about how challenging it was to act without the use of her face or vocalize her feelings, but I think she succeeds because we truly feel Furiosa’s pain, longing, and desire to avenge her loved ones. Even though we know it’s going to happen, the moment she loses her arm still makes me gasp. Hemsworth is well cast as Dementus but I don’t think it really stretches his acting ability much from what I’ve seen in his action-heavy roles, but he does use his comic chops to great effect here. I’m much more taken by Burke’s soulful, enigmatic presence as Jack who I wish had a bit more screen time.
Tom Holkenborg is back with his thunderous score, the perfect accompaniment for our heroine’s perilous journey. As much as I enjoy the rousing score though, I feel that it doesn’t sound as epic as the first time I heard it. I was hoping for something as fantastic as the Brothers in Arms track, but none quite matches that greatness.
The same can be said for the film itself. Fury Road makes more of an impact as it was unlike anything I had seen before. I’m not saying Furiosa is a lesser film, I actually like the fact that it’s focused on a single character and her story of survival is absolutely compelling. It’s just that Miller has set the bar so high with Fury Road and on the whole, this one doesn’t quite rise above it.
Still, this is an extraordinary and immersive film. Miller’s world-building is second to none, thanks to the phenomenal team who also worked on Fury Road, including Oscar-winning production designer Colin Gibson and costume designer Jenny Beavan. Miller knows how to stage action scenes, which makes Furiosa a thrill ride with jaw-dropping action from start to finish.
While the action is brutal, to be expected in a lawless, post-apocalyptic world, thankfully they’re not unnecessarily gory. I appreciate that Miller doesn’t indulge in violence as the camera doesn’t fully show the gruesome deaths of some of the characters. Furiosa deserves to be seen on as big a screen as possible, so I’m glad I saw this in IMAX. We’re treated to clips of Fury Road in the end credits, as the prequel’s finale directly leads to the events in that movie.
I don’t know when we will see Mad Max: The Wasteland if that is even happening, but I’m up for more of Miller’s Mad Max movies!
Have you seen FURIOSA? Well, what did YOU think?
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I saw the film earlier today and man…. what a fucking film. I hope there’s another film coming as I was wowed by this. Anya Taylor-Joy just raised the stakes of what it means to be a badass. She should be given high-quality roles for this and some fucking awards. Chris Hemsworth was great in this as I really liked his character as he is a bit of a goof but also so full of himself.
I hope Mad Max: The Wasteland happens and that it’ll be a great trilogy. Yeah Anya is a fiery heroine that’s fun to watch, I also love Tom Burke’s character as Praetorian Jack and I wish we got to see their love story.
Yeah I think Hemsworth has comedic chops, he should do more action comedies!
Hemsworth has a lot of range and can do so much but I think he needs to get away from action comedies a bit since he’s done with the MCU. I am however afraid that the next film might not happen given the box office tally isn’t great which sucks.
I haven’t seen Hemsworth display much range yet but he’s still young so perhaps he’ll find a role to showcase that.
I’m still hopeful Miller would find a way to make ‘Wasteland’ happen somehow, I read that Tom Hardy is already on board.
I hope The Wasteland gets made with not just Tom Hardy but also Charlize Theron as I hope they get along this time around for the production.
Yes of course, Theron is key, though like you said, the fate of the third movie is far from promising given the less-than-stellar the box office results 😦
I do want to see this but have no desire to go see it in theater. And considering it will likely be another film that underperforms at the box office this month, it should be available to stream in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I’m one of the many people that aren’t interested in seeing movies in theater this summer movie season.
I think the only movie I’ll see in theater this summer is Bad Boys 4, mostly because I saw all of them in theater and want to keep the streak going. Lol!
I feel like some movies demand to be seen on the big screen and this is one of them. I’m glad I did as the visuals are spectacular!!
Bad Boys 4 does look like fun even though I think I’ve only seen the first movie.
I agree that some movie needs to be seen on the big screen but when I saw the trailer of this one, it looks exactly like every other heavy effects films from Marvel or Netflix. My heart sank and it did not make me want to see it at the cinemas. Maybe, if there’s a cheap matinee show, I’ll see it later this week at Dolby Cinema.
Watch the first and third Bad Boys film and you should be all caught up, skip the second one because it’s terrible. You probably needs to watch the third one for sure if you’re seeing the new one since it’s a continuation from the last film.
I actually haven’t seen any Bad Boys movie but I am going to the press screening on Monday so might watch the 3rd one as it’s from the same directors.
A good review. I had the opportunities to rewatch “Mad Max: Fury Road” yesterday and enjoyed it. It’s actually worse than I remembered it to be. While I admired the action sequences in the film, I once again found issues with the storytelling. Really curious to see whether a sequel could resolve issues that I had with the first film. Your review has definitely made me hopeful in that regard
Here’s my thoughts on “Fury Road”:
Hey Hassan, I hear ya about the lack of character development of Mad Max, but in this one, we get to see more about Furiosa’s backstory. Now, in terms of the minimal dialogue, that is a challenging issue for the actress as well that Anya talks about in interviews, but she manages to convey a lot of emotion with just her eyes and body language.
Hi Ruth, thanks for the feedback. That’s good to hear. It seems the sequel improves upon the first film which is what I was hoping for. Anya Taylor-Joy is a fantastic actress so I have faith that she pulled it off. Looking forward to seeing this film soon and will share my views when I have.
4 /5 is pretty great for a prequel.
I like the Mad Max movies more and less. Beyond Thunderdome is the big fave for me. Then again I’m a huge fan of Tina Turner.
I won’t run out right away to see this, but I will one day. Terrific review, Ruth, thank you!
Yeah I rate this one quite high as I really enjoyed it, but Fury Road is more 4.5/5 for me. Tina Turner is phenomenal isn’t she? Hers is actually the first concert I went to as a young teen back in Indonesia with my family.
Btw, Furiosa looks great on the big screen, hope you get to see it one day, Resa!
Ruth, I’m sure I’ll see Furiosa one day! Big screen?
My tv screen is massive, so it will look great.
Ahah, yeah mine too! And sometimes I prefer to watch stuff on the comfort of my own home. When you’re in Minneapolis, I’d happily invite you over for a movie night! 🙂
Sounds fun, Ruth. Thank you! ❦
Oh btw, I’ve started TOKYO VICE S2 as promised! It’s fantastic right from the start, I hope there’ll be Season 3!
I know!
Season 1 was cool.
Season 2 is a nail biter wild ride, heart racing as it goes on.
I even wound up with a crush on Sato. (character)
If it does something at the Emmys, it might go again.
As a voting member, I am definitely nominating it for best dramatic series.
If it can just get nominated, it will be a huge plus toward season 3.
It doesn’t have the $$$$ many other shows have to promote.
I get EMMY magazine. In the latest edition here is only 1 promo for it in the sea of promos.
Last month there was an article on the tattoo artists.
I can forward the digital
copy of the most recent one to you, if you like.
Oh yeah Sato is very appealing indeed! 😍 I had a crush on him and Miyamoto who’s sadly gone in S2 episode 1 😭
Oh if you can vote for EMMY please also nominate SHOGŪN in limited series! That one ought to win that category but at least nominated! Tokyo Vice deserves a bunch of noms for sure!
EMMY digital magazine sounds awesome! Sure if you can forward it, I’d love to read it, thanks for the kind offer 🙏🏽
Miyamoto is a cutie!
I for sure will nominate Shogun. It has some competition, but it’s sure to be nominated, and win a few. It might sweep its categories.
I forwarded the magazine to your email that is connected to your WordPress account. Last month featured Shogun. If I didn’t delete it, I’ll send that.
Cheers!
I’d be very happy if SHOGUN sweep its categories!
THANK YOU for sending that EMMY digital mag. The photos featured are stunning! If you still have last month’s edition with SHOGUN, I’d love to read that. Thanks again, Resa!
I did find the issue with the article. It’s about the main actors.
I’ll send it along after dinner!
Nominating begins on the 13th, for about 2 weeks. The nominations usually come out end of July.
Yahoo!!
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Great review once again. I recently had a chance to see this movie finally and really loved it. I thought it was a superb prequel honouring a feminist character. I also connected deeply to its message. A massive improvement over “Fury Road”. Anya Taylor Joy was amazing. Here’s my thoughts on the film:
Hey glad you love this one! Yeah I Anya was amazing indeed, it was hard to fill Charlize’s shoes but she did great.