“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024) Review
Written by Victor DeBonis
I yearn to see more movies in the vein of director George Miller’s “Furiosa.”
Upon first sight, it is a staggering achievement on a visual scale. The eye of the camera practically gallops along the ground of this barren world, and it runs at the mighty pace of our heroine. My own eyes popped, witnessing the immense volume of the cinematography and the level of clarity sitting before me. Images of the lengthy sands or the towering underground world tucked beneath the cliffs are filmed through the viewpoint of someone glancing at these structures from the ground below or far enough to admire the powerful structures or roaring machines from afar. At times, the camera quickly zooms in to provide a close-up revealing of the undying determination of the people chasing each other and suck audiences into the excitement and thrill of what is occurring. I often felt as though I was running beside the brave souls riding through the wasteland because the camera movement swiftly allows a deep sense of the huge and bizarre world filling the screen and stays just close and firm enough for us to breathe in the impressive view of what stands before us.
The sheer look of this movie is stunning to behold, and it was worth every penny to view this on the biggest screen possible. The combination of Miller’s directorial eye and the cinematography of Simon Duggan recognizes the barrenness and impressive scope of the wasteland universe filling this story, and they lend their talents to yanking you in without holding back.
On top of being a remarkable tale about enacting vengeance upon the foul and tyrannical, “Furiosa” is a fantastic, visual experience, and I only have a greater interest in seeing it on the screen again, due to this.
Kudos to the movie for also staying true to the bizarre presence of this world and the methods through which it functions. People from different sections of this universe decorate their faces with paint and roam through the desert in metallic vehicles and devices created from objects that are absurd enough to work. How many movies from today use giant fans aided by parachutes to fly or present trucks with circling razor blades to ward possible hijackers away? Characters will literally bite from the tubes fueling motorcycles to drain what brings life and is a precious resource for moving to show how valuable it is, and leaders of gangs will steadily debate offers in order to gain food and other scarce items they need to survive. Miller provides a delightfully unusual innovation through his practically designed cars and items, and the stunts and motions of the chasers on-screen rarely came across as fake or overly composed by CGI.
I can’t begin to express how delighted I am to see practical effects being utilized in a movie in 2024 and how much I applaud Miller for being daring enough to use them as much as possible and how I yearn for more movies to use effects, such as these.
The steeliness and firmness of what Anya Taylor-Joy as younger Furiosa believes in comes through in her unwavering expressions as she matches glaring sights with her opponents or aims a weapon towards its target. She marvelously portrays both the harshness and cautious hopefulness of someone who has endured awful events in earlier years and is starving for rightful vengeance upon those who inflicted their villainy upon her life.
Taylor fiercely grips the steering wheel of the vehicle that she commands without hesitating on her path, and she is careful and deliberate in deciding who she trusts enough to share the few words she does with someone else, given how she and another hero in the film don’t talk as often as protagonists from other action films do. Her version of Furiosa is a great example of a protagonist whose daring actions speak volumes louder than the few words she actually says. This decision brought much happiness to the introvert I am, and my love and respect heightened further as a result.
When it comes to villainy, Chris Hemsworth superbly portrays the dubiousness and foolishness of the person Taylor is seeking righteous vengeance from. He leans close to his prey as he prepares to commit horrible acts and holds unwavering confidence when victims are challenging his henchmen. What seals him the most in my mind as an excellent adversary is one specific element: his cockiness and amusing view of himself as a tyrant far smarter than he actually is. At certain points, Hemsworth places his fists by his sides as though he’s far more brilliant than any person who dares to walk his path, and, on his path to conquering other people and their resources, he humorously voices them with a pride and almost child-like enthusiasm that implies that he believes that he’s giving others a wise and selfless offer. Some of the characters I admire the most from a humorous perspective, particularly villainous ones, are those who think of themselves as far more advanced and intelligent than they truly are and embrace that foolish mindset without being too exaggerated. This encourages the audience to adore it on a higher level when he faces the horrible consequences for himself in the future ahead.
The heart of the movie, however, comes from what traumatized the main hero and the drive sending her to enact pain upon the one responsible for taking who she loved the most. For a solid amount of the running time, the narrative follows Furiosa as a child (played to great effect with curiosity and sincerity by Alyla Browne) and shows the horrible circumstances through which she was captured. What already makes this a heart-wrenching experience for Furiosa is the safety of the home from which she is taken.
Her home is referred to as the Green Place of Many Mothers, and that colorful appearance suits this place to a tee. Everywhere in this brief section of the story, there is an abundance of towering trees and lush, green plants, providing shelter, shade, and safety from the unforgiving and brutal conditions of the outside world. It is a peaceful sanctuary from everything wicked in the outer world, and everyone within this home is in good spirits while also trying to live their lives in a place filled with love and hope.
The presentation of this wondrous place adds to the tragedy of being unfairly stolen from it.
The other part of what drives this movie and brings most of its soul comes from the loss of Furiosa’s mother. Charlee Fraser plays her and provides everything needed to encourage you to love her character and hurt when she is wickedly robbed from her daughter. She diligently takes her time with aiming her weapon at those who rob her family from her, and she sets her sights to her goals with a devotion that passes on to her own daughter. Fraser also holds her daughter close in comfort whenever she is near her and whispers words to help inspire hope and strength within her.
This character embodies hope, love, and courage. She is almost everything you could want from a great mother. And, it fuels you with a hatred for seeing what is done to the mother to cause Furiosa great pain and anguish to stay with her until the end of her days.
Without describing the scene itself, the moment in which Furiosa experiences the main moment that motivates her rage and yearning to inflict vengeance is filmed and shot with a deliberate purpose and aggression that still remains with me as I write about this and reflect upon it. It echoes of the loss of one’s innocence forever and the point to which someone wants the worst to happen to all evil in the world.
In a world lacking much peace and kindness, the ones who we love the most bring heart and hopefulness when almost everything else seems dark. For some, that source of love and hope comes from a romantic partner. For others, it comes in the form of true family.
In the case of Furiosa, the ultimate source of family, the most real form of love, the last bit of innocence in her life, comes from the presence of her Mom.
So, when her mother is taken away from her in a cold and thoughtless fashion, that anger and yearning to see justice done flows to me almost as strongly as it flows within Furiosa. The main motive of Furiosa’s intensity isn’t even voiced often. The visuals of what happens, early on, and what she experiences on her journey is enough.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a marvelous blockbuster and something I hope more people head to see. Some may be at odds with the aggression and reliance on following the silent expressions of its characters to understand what is taking place. Yet, in my mind, this is what I hope more blockbusters accomplish in the future. It is one of the best prequels I’ve seen in some time, and it helps add to my love of “Fury Road” more in certain aspects. The practical effects, visual storytelling, and heart of its main hero all remain strong without wavering.
George Miller is a real artist who brings great power, intensity, and heart to the big screen, and “Furiosa” is another exceptional demonstration of this.
Grade: A+