When I reflect back on Mad Max: Fury Road's release, I think general audiences and critics were left somewhat stunned. It felt like a watershed moment in action filmmaking and was (and remains) one of the best "legacy" or long-after sequels of all time, not to mention one of the best action films ever. It didn't receive exactly a perfect score from me upon release, but after several rewatches, the majority of my complaints have subsided (I've learned to embrace the weirdness of this world now, for example). For any film in this world to come next would unfortunately always have to be compared to, and live in the shadow of, Fury Road.
For that reason, I'm glad that Furiosa is such a different film than it's pure-chase predecessor. There's some things it does lesser, and it is - perhaps expectedly - in the shadow of Fury Road, but my bet would be that after multiple viewings of this rather epic prequel, it sits high in the action-film pantheon.
My largest (and really the only) significant criticism of Furiosa is that its length and its pacing are at odds with one another. It's nearly 2.5 hours long (a full half hour longer than Fury Road) and separated into 5 chapters. Each of these chapters is pivotal to the story, but part of me never felt like there was a true climax. Arguments could be made, but by the end of it all I had a sense of whiplash from the starts and stops of the intense action and lore-building storytelling. How this could have been resolved, I'm not sure because I also really appreciated the lore a tremendous amount. Furiosa's backstory is continuously engaging too, but there's a general sensation I had that the storytelling speed/organization/whatever-you-want-to-call-it felt off. It means that Furiosa feels like its runtime, some moments more so than others.
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| Driving on I-225 (Denver people will get it) |
Putting that aside, the story is enjoyable and equal parts disturbing and hilarious. It's intense in its premise, but also made me think of the phrase "boys and their toys" in how the various fortresses of the wasteland are run by essentially a trio of nutjobs who have little idea what they're doing in this world of lawlessness. There's more lore and wasteland info here than any of the other Mad Max films and while some might scoff at a prequel as a cash-cow idea, I've always thought Furiosa is far and away an interesting enough character to have her own movie and backstory. The film proves me right in showing her brutal upbringing and nemesis, Dementus.
Performances across the board in Furiosa are fantastic. The quiet characters are stoic and intense, with Anya Taylor-Joy continuing to be a reliable talent. She brings intensity to the role the same way Charlize Theron did. Chris Hemsworth is rather unhinged as Dementus, a gripping and fun villainous turn for him. Some may say it's campy and over the top, but generally speaking outside of our core characters (Max in other films, Furiosa here), there has always been a lot of "over the top" and camp in this world. I mean for God's sake you have a villainous accountant who grips and twists his nipple the entire film...it's going to be a little...off. That weird charm is what I was initially uncomfortable with in Fury Road and have since learned to embrace in this creative, disturbing apocalypse.
When Furiosa does get to action sequences, it remains a cut above. There's more CG use than in Fury Road, but it was 95% of the time unnoticeable or good enough to where I wasn't taken out of the moment. Given the scope and what the film needed to capture, it doesn't surprise me they had to rely on it a bit more. Even still, the action remains largely practical and there are several jaw-dropping sequences of vehicular carnage. It's in these moments that Furiosa sings loudly; when the growl of car engines are screaming through the (IMAX) speakers, dust and grime covers the screen, the camera holds its shot without overediting, and someone's car/body get blown up and thrown violently under another. In terms of providing what audiences are here to see, Miller doesn't disappoint. One sequence with paragliders and other airborne enemies is particularly incredible given the complexity, timing, and choreography required.
There's also an element around Furiosa I couldn't help ignore - even with the pacing qualms - that could just be summed up as: George Miller is a really f**king good filmmaker. Many elements come together and his eye for visuals, framing, editing, and cinematography are perfectly suited with this wasteland. Similar to Fury Road, there are truly iconic shots. The action is given so much room to breathe, it's refreshing. His imagination with costumes and cars and worldbuilding is on full display. Throw in another Junkie XL original score and you have the perfect music pairing too (though I would be insanely interested to see what Ludwig Goransson could do in this space...). For every moment I thought quietly to myself, "This is no Fury Road", I had a similar internal argument of "Yeah, but compared to what else is out there...did you see that shot?".
I appreciated Furiosa for how different it wanted to be from its timeless predecessor. It doesn't do everything perfectly, but it's also (unfortunately) a product of what you are comparing it to. Disconnecting from that, it's an epic prequel with a engaging origin story for an iconic character. The action is top-notch, its performances are fun, and the lore it builds in this space was something I was happy to get more of. And at the end of it all, Furiosa can still capture that breathless, high octane, gripping your seat sensation that few other blockbusters in Hollywood can reach. Much like the film before it, I wouldn't be surprised if my score increases after multiple viewings.
CONS
- Either too long for the story or the story needed some work to have better pacing
- The separated chapters felt like they sucked some of the air out of the thing
- More CGI than predecessor, only 5% of it is truly noticeable
- Did the guy have to be tweaking his nipples the entire time?!?
- The backstory to Furiosa is unsurprisingly brutal and gripping
- Builds out the lore of this world in ways I loved and found interesting
- George Miller's direction is beyond impressive
- Fantastic editing, especially in action sequences (thank you for letting them breathe!)
- Gorgeous cinematography and shot framing
- Perfect use of colors
- Eye for detail in costumes, vehicle design, and anything related to sets
- Anya Taylor-Joy owns the screen as Furiosa while Hemsworth hams it up as Dementus, who is a memorable villain
- Jaw-dropping, pulse pounding action sequences remain the film's high points
- Fitting original score from Junkie XL
- A high-quality blockbuster that I believe will solidify itself with multiple viewings
Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10
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