Here's my hot take: Fury Road isn't the masterpiece most people think it is. There is a good story, about an hour long, that is stretched out over almost two hours meaning much of the movie is repetitive and it drags. I don't dislike the movie. I enjoy it but don't love it. But one thing I will agree with is that Furiosa is the break out character and likely the best thing about that film.
So the idea of a prequel giving that character her backstory is a great one and it turns out the finally finished film does a pretty good job. I feel like Furiosa the film doesn't fall into the same trap as its predecessor in that it actually has enough story to fill its runtime. I was a bit worried when I saw how long the film is but fortunately this time the run time pays off and doesn't drag.
It remains as visually stunning as previous film as well. Sure in many ways, Furiosa just copies the aesthetic that Fury Road established and perhaps therefore isn't as innovative. However it also makes sense as this film is both conceived and executed as a companion piece. The films were originally going to be shot back to back. They do feel much like two parts of one story and the ending (much like that of Rogue One did with A New Hope) leads right into the first moments of Fury Road.
But there was something else I appreciated about Furiosa. Our hero's story is one of tragedy and loss. She stands up to her various tormentors and in the end (of both films) triumphs over them because of her strength. But the film doesn't fall into the standard trap about strong women. Often these stories tell a narrative about how they "become" that way due to their hardships. But what is refreshing about this film is how instead of that she starts out strong. She is raised by a group of warrior women who are fully realized as caretakers and fighters and civilization builders in ways that the communities run by men aren't able to match. Furiosa survives and triumphs not because she has suffered at the hands of men (a narrative trope that almost justifies cruelty to women) but because she has been taught and raised to believe in herself enough, to problem solve, to stand up for herself. It is her past filled with love that makes her the champion she is, not the pain and brutality she faces.
I think this is my favourite of the Mad Max series. It is a stunning film to watch, the sort you want to see on a big screen, and Miller's hyper style gives it a rollicking sense of adventure in the faces of some rather dark themes. Taylor-Joy has the incredible screen presence she always has and she embodies the role perfectly. I never once didn't believe she could pull it all off. Also Hemsworth is clearly having a ball as the chaotic villain of the piece. I love him most in character roles like this (or his hilarious turn in Ghostbusters). Again his villain is not what you would expect. He is a mess. His frenzied approach to life brings him some success, often just out of people being afraid of what he might do. But it is unsustainable. The film does draw a contrast between the matriarchal society of Furiosa's past and the strong-man based cultures she eventually triumphs over and its a strong point not only made out by Immorten Joe back for another round of being the antagonist, but in Hemsworth's delightfully named Dementus.
I mentioned Rogue One before and I think this film has another similarity with that one. In many ways that film addressed problems with Star Wars and improved the overall narrative with some of that back story. I feel Furiosa does too. It also makes me want this series to follow her now over Max, a character that just was never as interesting as people say and blurred into the background when this heroine showed up.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Lachy Hulme, George Shevtsov, John Howard, Angus Sampson, Nathan Jones, Josh Helman, Charlee Fraser, Alyla Browne
Director: George Miller
Writers: Nico Lathouris, George Miller
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