Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga -- a review

I was really looking forward to seeing Furiosa, despite these prequel-crazy times we’re living in where every movie, TV show, and book has to be a prequel that shows us exactly how Miles first met Becky, and how it almost always winds up an underwhelming exercise in frustration because it wasn‘t done very well. There are exceptions, like House of the Dragon (which is far superior to Game of Thrones), Star Wars: Rogue One (a great movie that compliments the original Star Wars film), and--now having finally seen it--I can add the Mad Max prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to that esteemed list.

The reason I had such high hopes for Furiosa was its director, George Miller, who brought his Mad Max saga back to rip-roaring life almost ten years ago with the incredible Mad Max: Fury Road. First starting out as a doctor in his native Australia, Miller has gone on to become an extremely talented film director over the course of his over forty year career. Furiosa, his latest effort, is a high-octane prequel that focuses on Furiosa, so well-played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road.

In Furiosa, we go back in time to see how Furiosa became the bad-ass, one-armed driver for Warlord of the Wasteland Immortan Joe. And this time, the prequel story is genuinely interesting, because it’s told with such vigorous visual style, along with dynamic action, while still not neglecting the characters. Furiosa is played in the prequel by Alyla Browne as a child in the first hour and Anya Taylor-Joy as a young adult in the last 90 minutes. Both of these actresses are very good.

Furiosa is essentially a story of survival, showing the rise of a remarkable woman under the rule of two insane leaders. And she not only survives, but she thrives under their regimes, while still making plans for a better future. Furiosa should be watched before Fury Road, because it’s such an accomplished work that adds much to Fury Road, deepening scenes and moments in Fury Road with new understanding and emotion. Don’t let the fact that Furiosa was a bomb at the box office stop you from seeing this, for George Miller has given us another epic, sweeping saga that’s truly well worth your time. --SF

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is available both on physical media and streaming.

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