Rating: ***
Review Date: 5/26/24
Director: George Miller
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke,
Charlee Fraser, Elsa Pataky
"That is the darkest of angels."
A pointless and unnecessary prequel to "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015) that ends up being a long-winded and surprisingly dull treatise on revenge. It also made me question my own thoughts on revenge as a motivating force, since it's a major theme in most of the entertainment that I seek out. The film focuses on a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) who is abducted from the idyllic Green Place and becomes the adopted daughter of Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Dementus and his loyal biker gang are scavengers of the wasteland, always on the lookout for new spoils to plunder. He ends up in conflict with Immortan Joe, and Furiosa becomes groomed for his harem. Eventually escaping from the harem, she disguises herself as a war boy and makes plans to escape The Citadel. Years later, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) befriends Mad Max archetype Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who takes her on as his protégé. But Dementus once again ruins her life, which just fuels her passion for revenge even more.
It's a frustrating and aimless film with a long build-up and an emotionally flat pay-off. As is often the case, revenge is an empty pursuit that offers little solace, and instead we get a long-winded monologue from the mentally unhinged (and aptly named) Dementus that brings the film to a complete halt. It's hard to tell what director George Miller was aiming for, but it feels like he missed the mark. That said, there are a handful of jaw-dropping action set pieces that feature some incredible stunt work, cinematography, and vehicular mayhem. I was astonished by some of the scenes they were able to create, regardless of how much CGI was involved. On the other hand, a lot of the visual effects look disappointingly janky, and bizarre frame rates create baffling and unnatural looking scenes. The colors are also grossly oversaturated, which is a complaint I had about "Fury Road" as well, only it seems even worse here. And finally, the film is musically sparse, and some of the action scenes have no musical accompaniment at all, which is unusual. Not that music is necessary, but it helps establish and heighten the emotional tone and pace.
It's interesting that Anya Taylor-Joy gets star billing, when she doesn't even show up until an hour into the film. Arguably, Alyla Browne gets just as much screen time and has a more dramatic arc. That said, Anya does an excellent job, even if her slight frame doesn't make her a totally convincing warrior. Chris Hemsworth is a hoot as the deranged Dementus, and even shows a hint of compassion, heartache, and sympathy. But he's also totally cuckoo, which doesn't make him likable or relatable at all. Elsa Pataky immediately steals the show as a sniper in the beginning of the film, and then later shows up as a totally different character in Dementus's gang, which is really confusing. Tom Burke's character is interesting because he's a total Mad Max wanna-be, and Miller even filmed him the same way as Mel Gibson in "The Road Warrior" (1981). It creates an unsettling sense of nostalgia, and keeps some of the action from feeling fresh. However, I found Jack's relationship with Furiosa to be incredibly touching and sincere, which reminded me of some of my own writing. I found it to be handled in a very tasteful and mature fashion. Charlee Fraser also gives a superb performance as Furiosa's mother, whose single act of mercy tragically seals her daughter's fate.
Overall, I'm very conflicted over "Furiosa." On the one hand, it has some beautifully crafted and technically brilliant action scenes. It looks fantastic, and is also a bit of a mess at the same time. The acting is great, but the writing is weak, and there doesn't seem to be any purpose other than trauma promoting revenge. I used to think that revenge alone was enough to carry a movie, but now I'm not so sure.