Director: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Lachy Hulme
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 148 mins

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the long-awaited next chapter in the franchise, coming off the back of the widely-regarded masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road.  Rather than a sequel, returning director George Miller has opted for what functions as both a prequel and a spin-off on Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa. Set 15 to 20 years before Fury Road, Furiosa explores the origins of the character, beginning from her childhood where she is kidnapped by the twisted warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).  What follows is her rise to power as a trusted lieutenant of Fury Road villain Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, replacing the late Hugh Keays-Byrne) and her quest for revenge against Dementus.

 Those wanting a rehash of Fury Road should rethink their expectations because Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaplays out very differently – a mature and slow-burn revenge thriller split into five chapters. Except for perhaps ten minutes when the characters reach The Green Place in Fury Road, that film was effectively a non-stop car chase whereas there’s plenty of room to breathe this time around. Considering he’s almost eighty years old, Miller’s film is brimming with the same passionate energy with some truly breathtaking action sequences, the highlight an extended chase aboard the War Rig. There’s plenty of meat to the bone to all the characters too, with an excellent script Miller co-wrote with Nico Lathouris, and it’s expectedly beautifully shot by Simon Duggan.

 Although she doesn’t show up until the third chapter, Anya Taylor-Joy stuns as the titular character. Not only is her performance magnetic, but she also embodies Theron’s sounds and mannerisms. The character is also mostly silent to conceal her identity, leaving Taylor-Joy to communicate her performance through her facial expressions but when Furiosa finally starts to speak more, it feels like a natural progression into how she morphs into Theron’s depiction. Alyla Browne also impresses as the younger Furiosa, who’s forced to abandon her childhood rather prematurely. 

 Chris Hemsworth is clearly having fun as Dementus in a scenery-chewing but relatively nuanced performance and is more than an intellectual match for Immortan Joe. Dementus instantly becomes one of the most despicable villains in the series and the decision for him to wear a teddy bear is genius. Tom Burke also shines as Praetorian Jack and I really brought the blossoming but respectable relationship between him and Furiosa.  

 Junkie XL returns on scoring duties, with the soundtrack to Fury Road one of its defining features. His score here is also brilliant, weaving existing themes with a pumping heartbeat that grows as the film progresses, in line with Furiosa’s development. It would have been very easy for the composer to have repeated himself again and it shows great restraint that this score stands out on its own.

 While I initially don’t think Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is quite as strong as Mad Max: Fury Road, this is still a terrifically original film.  It had me glued from start to finish and I appreciate Miller not trying to simply outdo himself by rehashing Fury Road’s best beats, instead refreshingly switching gears with the story and its tone. The performances elevate the film and all the crew are working at the top of their game once again. I really hope Miller gets to further expand the series and I hope we don’t have to wait another nine years.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)