FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (2024)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: George Miller
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, Lachy Hulme, Alyla Browne
Runtime: 2 hrs 29 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: https://www.furiosa.com.sg

Opening Day: 22 May 2024

Synopsis: As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Movie Review:

At the 88th Academy Awards, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) took home six Oscars, the most for the evening. Out of the 10 categories the action movie was nominated in, it was recognised for Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing. It is not difficult to see why – the film was a relentless and adrenaline-pumping experience that brought viewers on a gripping two hour journey through the post apocalyptic wasteland.

We were also introduced to Imperator Furiosa (played by an incomparable Charlize Theron), a no nonsense female protagonist who courageously fights the oppressive patriarchy in a quest for liberation and redemption. It makes absolute sense for the filmmakers to work on a prequel so viewers get to know Furiosa’s back story. After almost a decade, Miller delivers this spin off and prequel. And boy, it is a high octane ride that will grip your senses from start to finish.

The fifth movie in the Mad Max franchise does not need a complicated plot. It wastes no time in introducing viewers to the ordeal that Furiosa had to go through a child. The young girl (Alyla Browne) is abducted from her luscious homeland by followers of a cruel warlord named Dementus (Chris Hemsworth in a role that allows him to have fun and be a bad guy at the same time). As the movie is set in a post apocalyptic world, Furiosa is a much sought after asset because she has valuable information on where she is from, simply because it is a utopia where food and water are in abundance.

The story co written by Miller and Nico Lathouris then thrusts Furiosa into a series of events that will toughen her up as she tries to escape from the clutches of several antagonists. Besides Dementus, Furiosa will find herself crossing paths with Immortan Joe (the villain from Fury Road), as well as other characters like Octoboss, History Man, Organic Mechanic, Rictus Erectus, Scabrous Scrotus and People Eater. Kudos to the filmmakers for coming up with these freakishly fun names and matching looks for the actors who play the characters.

Soon, Furiosa grows up and is portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy, who gives her best death stares and menacing scowls to look like a warrior in the wasteland. Our heroine then spends time with Jack (Tom Burke), a military commander who has got what it takes to survive an explosive and heart racing vehicle chase.

As the 149 minute progresses, we see Furiosa go through one tribulation after another, before she avenges her mother’s death. Told in chapters, Miller’s action masterpiece is always visually stunning and you will applaud the visionary director’s competent use of both practical and computer effects. Complemented by Dutch composer and DJ Junkie XL’s heart thumping soundtrack, the action sequences are grandiosely filmed and will leave you amazed by the spectacle you’ve witnessed on the big screen – more so if you catch the movie in an IMAX theatre.

Amidst the relentless action that is packed with adrenaline filled exhilaration, there is something about the movie that will have you thinking about how the characters, regardless of whether they are on the good or bad side, are trying to retain some humanity in a world that has fallen apart.

Movie Rating:

(The question is, does George Miller have it in him to make this prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road epic? You bet he does, and it is a relentlessly exhilarating ride from start to end.)

Review by John Li