The Mosley Review: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Immersion. Complete, unabashed, uncompromising immersion is what makes these films so damn fun to experience on the big screen. The idea of what could happen in a wasteland and how those choose to survive has always been at the forefront of this mad world. From the moment you step back into this franchise, you feel the grain and grit of the desert sands dancing on your skin and seeping into every crevice. You can almost smell and taste the burning fuel exhaust in the air. All the while you are treated to visual madness and creative construction and destruction of vehicles in gloriously violent imagery. At the heart of it all, you are treated to a story of vengeance that's been told countless times, but it also shows a unique version of survival instinct and hubris. We follow the titular characters' origin story and although it may be rather thin, it is still entertaining as the world around her informs what type of person she eventually becomes.

Alyla Browne was great as the child version of Furiosa and to see where she came from and how quickly her innocence is taken away was sad and at times brutal. Anya Taylor-Joy has always been a knockout performer and she delivers an expertly controlled, dark and powerful performance as adult Furiosa. The amount of determination and strength in her eyes was awesome and I loved that there were moments that she got to experience a sense of compassion. She was a product of her environment and she handled every action sequence and limited dialogue scene with ease. Tom Burke was great as Praetorian Jack and for the time we spent with him, I almost thought he was Max in the way he handled himself on the war rig. His partnership with Furiosa was a major highlight of the film and the perfect length. Lachy Hulme was cool as younger Immortan Joe and he carried the same level of gravitas in every scene. I loved that we got to see more of his strategic mind at work while dealing with a new threat. Chris Hemsworth was completely animated, unhinged and yet charming as the new opportunistic warlord of the Biker Horde, Dr. Dementus. He truly leaned into the sadistic lunacy of the character that had a level of showmanship that I loved. You get the sense that while on the road he is in control, but once he does have his own settlement, he shows his strength and weaknesses as a leader. He is the classic definition of ones own hubris attacking him by the end. The tension between him and Furiosa was at the core of the film and it may be a long journey, but the moment they meet is the wonderfully brutal finale you hope it to be.

Composer Tom Holkenborg returns and his pulse pounding and thunderous score fuels every lengthy action set piece. There are moments of rest in between and I liked the haunting and sometimes ethereal nature of the score. The moments by a certain tree really bring out the lightest of tones. Visually the film is on par with the Fury Road, even though there are more CGI driven shots that don't exactly blend as seamlessly with the practical effects at times. I still enjoy visiting The Wasteland and this franchise over time as the creative and twisted mind of George Miller is on full display. For me, this film was a good prequel that gives even more depth to Furiosa even if it misses some of that same feeling of "WOW!". With that said, this still was a great entry into the franchise and in a marathon setting, this would definitely play before Fury Road as complete vision. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!