Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a high octane rush of a ride through the wild wastes of post-apocalyptic Australia. George Miller returns to direct the fifth film in the series which is a prequel to 2015’s Fury Road. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular Furiosa, and serves as the character’s origin story. Furiosa was in pre-production shortly after Fury Road, but was delayed due to salary disagreements between Miller and Warner Bros. Many of Fury Road’s cast and crew members returned to work on Furiosa, connecting the two films stylistically. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month to high praise.

In Fury Road, Charlize Theron’s Furiosa is determined to liberate Immortan Joe’s concubine by seeking out the Green Place from her childhood. The prequel begins by revealing that the fabled Green Place was real all along and is a lush forest, isolated from the rest of the warring wasteland. When young Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne, is kidnapped by a gang of marauding bikers, her mother begins a high speed pursuit after them. Not only is she concerned for her daughter’s safety, but also the catastrophic consequences of their oasis being exposed to violent outsiders.

However, she is captured and begs Furiosa with her last breath to never expose the location of their home. Furiosa is then enslaved by the Biker Horder, whose leader is the chaotic and exuberant Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. Despite his wicked nature, Dementus keeps Furiosa relatively safe in hopes that one day she will break her vow of silence and reveal to them the location of the Green Place. 

While scouting the wasteland, his gang comes across the Citadel, one of Immortan Joe’s fortresses, a place with clean running water and fields of freshly grown produce. Dementus challenges Immortan to war over control of the Citadel, but is soon outmatched by his fanatical warriors who see dying by his order as the ultimate form of self-actualization. Dementus then devises a peace deal in exchange for resources. Immortan Joe agrees to this deal, but requests Furiosa as part of the exchange. She is young, healthy, and untouched by the wastes which makes her appealing as breeding stock for the war lord. The two come to a tenuous agreement and Furiosa is carted away to be with the women of the Citadel. She manages to escape by disguising herself as a young boy and working as a mechanic on the War Rig. During one of the Rig’s supply runs, the vehicle is attacked and Furiosa proves herself in the assault. She reveals her true identity to Praetorian Jack and the two fall in love. They devise a plan to escape together to her childhood home, but their dream is interrupted when Dementus moves to declare war on Immortan Joe and his fortresses. 

Fans of Fury Road will be delighted to learn this film is more of the same. The supercharged energy and exaggerated pulp style sensibilities are proudly on display. Loud, in your face, and full throttle. Miller hit his stride with this franchise and continues to apply that same intensity to every moment in Furiosa. The kind of film where it is all happening so quickly you might actually blink and miss it. 

While the car chases are not center stage like they were in Fury Road, they still shine and are just as, if not more thrilling and violent. Miller really pushes the limitations of what a vehicle can be in this universe. Dementus’ implausible motorcycle chariot is among one of the more inventive means of transportation, only surpassed by his gang’s airborne bikes that are able to dive bomb attack the War Rig from above. Miller maintains a satisfying balance, leaning into the absurdity of the series while making sure they never lose their cool factor. It’s all in an effort to ensure you’re laughing out of excitement and shock rather than poking fun at the impossibility of it all.

Hemsworth is a surprising standout in this film, bringing a much needed light-hearted foil to the relentless Immortan Joe. He lays his Australian accent on thick and the dialogue contains nearly as many slang words as the first film in the series. Hemsworth is fully channeling the outrageous antics of the original trilogy’s antagonists, less apocalyptic warlord, more comic book villain. Outfitted with a billowing cape, a twirled mustache, and a teddy bear strapped to the harness on his chest. 

Dementus is the film’s main source of comedic relief, never taking any of the other character’s actions seriously. He’s fearless in the way he diffuses most situations with humor rather than outright violence. While Dementus is still a formidable threat, he feels more like an average guy who fell into his position of power after society collapsed. He doesn’t have the devout, cult-like following that Immortan has or a mythology surrounding his rise to power. His goals are less about total conquest and more about supplying food and water to the hundreds who follow his leadership. Dementus also does not have the same physical disabilities or mutations that the War Boys do, instead he’s the handsome and charming Chris Hemsworth. While this humanizes him, Miller makes a point to show the selfish and arrogant nature of man that led to the collapse in the first place. 

This is a seriously gritty part for Taylor-Joy, unlike the usual delicate women she is frequently cast as. It’s exciting to witness her fill in the role of an action hero and she does so with ease. It’s difficult not to compare her performance to Theron’s, both actresses bring something unique to the character, but I think it comes down to Fury Road taking place at a more interesting moment in the character’s life. It is hard to reverse engineer a second important moment earlier in the timeline, when all signs point to her destiny culminating at the end of Fury Road. That being said, Taylor-Joy excels at showing how she overcomes her childhood naivete, born in relative comfort, transforming into the hardened warrior we’ve come to know. It’s an emotionally driven performance that hinges on Taylor-Joy’s restraint, with her rage and thirst for vengeance boiling just underneath the surface. 

Furiosa suffers from the logistics of being a prequel, with a ton of backstory to unpack. As a result, the first act of the film is a bit of a slog to get through. It is exceedingly dense with exposition. On one hand it can be rewarding for fans of the series to see moments mentioned in Fury Road play out on screen, but it runs the risk of inhibiting the forward momentum these films are often praised for. The first forty minutes feel like a poorly constructed V8 Interceptor, stalling out and sputtering until Furiosa finally comes of age. Once Taylor-Joy makes her onscreen appearance, the movie gets going. That’s not to say the earlier scenes are without purpose or interest, but Mad Max isn’t remembered fondly because it’s a compelling political drama full of poignant dialogue. That’s not what makes these films standout amongst other action movies or post apocalyptic fiction. 

What works so well with Fury Road is that the world building is intuitive. There’s a greater trust that the audience will accept the quirks of the film’s world without having to hold their hand or over explain everything. Furiosa is a bit of a back step in that way with its superimposed text on screen for each location. Some have praised the film for how much it expands upon the established universe, but to me most of what we see is a retread from the previous four films. Furiosa does not provide any groundbreaking discoveries that change our understanding of the world, so why do we spend so much time seeing day-to-day life in the Citadel? Does learning about the trade practices between each of the three fortresses really enhance our appreciation and understanding of the world? 

Despite its bloated and unfocused story, Furiosa is an energizing feat of filmmaking. Miller is fully invested in bringing the beauty and carnage of the world he helped create to the big screen and we are better off for it. He shows once again that action adventure films can be not only thrilling, but substantive and gorgeous to look at too. Furiosa is proof that Miller can continue this film franchise even without the character that put this series on the map. As long as he feels like there’s more to explore in the world of Mad Max, I will gladly take another ride through the wild wasteland anytime.