‘When it comes to expanding on Fury Road’s world-building, Furiosa is a great companion piece.
As a movie on its own, while having some genuinely exciting and creative action scenes, it’s a bit too long and bloated for its own good. Definitely another good one from George Miller, it just doesn’t reach Fury Road’s heights.’
That’s the text / after-action report that I sent to my buddy, who unfortunately wasn’t able to make it out for a Furiosa matinee…and looking back on it, that really is an accurate summation of my kneejerkreaction to this highly-yet-cautiously anticipated side-quel to my favorite film of 2015, and I really don’t NEED to say more.
But of course I’m going to.
The thing is…is that I’ve been a literally life-long fan of this franchise, going back to catching the original Mad Max (1979) on cable at a little buddy’s place back in my impressionable single-digits. I love stories taking place in post-apocalyptic times and in many respects, OG writer / director George Miller set the standard for ‘tales from the wasteland’ stories, much how like George Romero turned the entire zombie genre around with his now-iconic Night of the Living Dead (1968).
What is it with ‘George’s and filmmaking?!
*somewhere out there, George Lucas just shrugs*
I’ve long found it fascinating the way that the loose narrative has mutated over the decades, going from a gritty, oh-so-slightly End of Days revenge tale to what it is now – a highly kinetic, hard-hitting Big Budget apocalyptic fantasy.
While I still have my mild gripes about the recasting of ‘Max’ and the lack of adherence to the narrative passage of established time, I still LOVE Fury Road and its intensely economical usage of pacing and visual language. It really does set a standard for lean, to-the-point story-telling and many other films from the last decade could learn a thing or two from it’s brilliant example. Baring that in mind, when I first heard that, due to popularity of Charlize Theron’s iconic portrayal of the hardened warrior-woman-of-the-wasteland, Miller and Co. were going branch off from the Mythical Tales of ‘‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky’(Miller better do The Wasteland next! More ‘Max’!) and delve into the previously hinted background of the heroically rogue ‘Imperator Furiosa’, leading up to her servitude to the villainous dictator ‘Immortan Joe’ (here capably portrayed by Lachy Hulme) and her eventual betrayal.
Furiosa opens establishing a last refuge, a “place of abundance”, deep in the Australian Outback (to those STILL not sure where the series takes place…this intro smashes your face into the answer). It’s in this stretch of canyon forest that we meet a young ‘Furiosa’(Alyla Browne) out foraging. In no time, she and her friend encounter a group of motorcycle marauders butchering an animal. After a quick and daring attempt at sabotage, ‘Furiosa’ is captured and whisked away. Her people are alerted and her ill-fated but tough-as-nails mother tears after them. Through many a harrowing episode, ‘Furiosa’ ends up orphaned and held in the clutches of a charming but ruthless biker gang warlord named ‘Dr. Dementus’ (an unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth), who senses potential in the defiant and calculating girl, gradually incorporating her into his massive entourage of motorcycle warriors-of-the-wasteland. Along the way, ‘Dementus’ sets his sights on a plentiful refuge, a refuge we know as the Citadel, the stronghold of ‘Immortan Joe’ and his army of fanatical war-boys. Into this siege, ‘Furiosa’ is thrown and through much blood, dust and pain, she navigates between the worlds of the two feuding groups, positioning herself for both revenge and escape.
Overall, I had a good time seeing this one on the Big Screen. Much like its predecessor, Furiosa boasts some seriously cool visuals and action scenes and, just like Fury Road 9 years ago (wow!), I continuously found myself amazed and impressed by George Miller’s ingenuity and the attention to detail in this world he continues to craft. As noted earlier, this is another ambitious piece of all-for-broke apocalyptic story-telling that better serves as a rich world-building companion-piece to Fury Road, rather than as a full, complete movie-going experience that NEEDED to be told. Whereas I hold this film’s superior predecessor up as a clear example of beautifully economic story-telling, this one admittedly falls somewhat short, where pacing and length are concerned.
Now, to be fair, I completely recognize that the very nature of the stories are very different. Fury Road is an extended chase movie, where we learn how this world operates as the perilous pursuit plays out, very simple by nature and easy to get pulled in to.
Furiosa is told in 5 separate chapters and runs 2 hours and 28 minutes long.
Regarding the flick’s individuality, I’m reminded of Rogue One (2016), which came with all the trappings of a true Star Wars film, while also doing just enough, in its narrative structure and presentation, to stand as its own independent piece.
Very similar here. This story is told over the span of 12-15 years, as opposed to Fury Road’s 36 or so hours, so there is that. Some people may like that…other’s, not so much.
Which brings me to the Negatives. Now, in all fairness, I really don’t have too much to bitch about, with one notable exception – the CG. One thing that Fury Road prides itself on is the lack of obvious Computer Generated Imagery (key word there is ‘obvious’). What CG Miller DID incorporate into Furiosa’s predecessor was blended in beautifully with the abundance of gorgeous in-camera imagery. Here…there is evidently a fair bit more CG on display and unfortunately, at times, it’s REALLY obvious and admittedly a bit distracting. I understand that Miller is getting on in years and maybe doesn’t have the same levels of stamina that helped him guide Fury Road to almost instant ‘classic’ status, thus rending him more open to cheating with CG but with the rather hefty price tag attached here, I honestly would’ve thought that certain CG effects would’ve been rendered a bit more convincingly (especially long shots where people are falling off things). It’s not a deal-breaker but certain shots momentarily distracted just enough to pull me out of the action. And that really is my biggest gripe. Also, as noted earlier, there is something to be said about the episodic nature of the story and the accompanying length (a trim of 10-15 minutes would’ve gone a long way) that may irk some viewers as well.
All in all, I had a good time with Furiosa and thoroughly enjoyed the expansion of the wasteland’s ‘universe’. There’s a lot more that I can touch upon but here are the highlights – Anya Taylor-Joy is a solid successor to Charlize Theron and more than once, I found myself rooting for her in her quest for escape and vengeance. As good as she was, the real star, for me, was Chris Hemsworth. Much like Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’, Chris Hemsworth BECOMES this despicable yet charming character. Only in a couple shots could I ‘see’ Hemsworth, the rest of the time it was just ‘Dr. Dementus’ onscreen. That kind of characterization alone is worth the price of admission, though the action set-pieces are what’ll keep your ass rooted in place. Other aspects that worked for me include the great cast of committed weirdos, the expansion of the ‘world’, the incredible reference-worthy sound design (if throaty engines and mind-numbing explosions are your jam, you will be WELL served here), the crazy and inventive action scenes, another propulsive score by Junkie XL and a myriad of small yet fascinating connections to the rest of the franchise (game included, from what I understand). If you’re a fan of this series, particularly Fury Road, then I can easily recommend that you check it out. Just don’t go in expecting…well…Fury Road. This is its own thing, and its story unfolds at its own pace…sometimes to its detriment. It is what the sub-title A Mad Max Saga suggests…a separate tale of a woman battered and bruised for years in a harsh world but, fuelled by her own drive to survive, she fights for what’s hers…in the same world that ‘Max’ inhabits.
By and large, Furiosa as a whole is a triumph and I hope it does well (though, at the time of this writing, the flick had undeservedly shit the bed at the box office on its opening weekend), at least well enough for WB to green-light production of Miller’s completed Mad Max The Wasteland script, especially given that Miller is now somewhere in his 80’s.
So, get out there and check it out on the biggest screen that you can! Valhalla awaits…shiny and chrome!
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