Growing up I loved seeing car chases in movies. Whether it was Smokey and the Bandit, The Blues Brothers, or the James Bond films, seeing cars speed down busy streets and dodging other cars was a thrill. I remember all of that change the first time I saw The Road Warrior. I thought car chases were cool before but these chases were on another level! The explosions and close calls just blew my mind and I wondered how they did it.
34 years after The Road Warrior we got a new installment in the Mad Max saga and that was Mad Max: Fury Road. What George Miller did on Fury Road was turn it all up to an 11 and create a visual masterpiece. Every chase and explosion was a thing of beauty and propelled action scenes into the future. With Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga not only do we see the beginning of Furiosa’s journey but get a prequel that surpasses its predecessor.
In these post-apocalyptic movies it is always interesting to see how things were before they went to hell. We hear news audio narrating the collapse of the world until we finally see our first look at a young Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne. We see pretty quick how even at a young age she was a rebel and a fighter. A few things happen and next we see her being held captive by Dementus, played with vigor by Chris Hemsworth. Dementus is a ruler that is not someone to cross and although he talks in a friendly manner, his tone changes in a way that makes you fear him.
The choice of having a good portion of the movie focus on a young Furiosa is great because we get to learn more about her struggles. The viewer sees things and habits that open a new window when you rewatch Fury Road. Browne shows the viewer an incredible range of emotions and you can not help but become invested in her character. Although we know where her story will eventually lead us, Miller toys with our emotions by putting Furiosa in situations where we feel will not end well.
The action in this movie is not as intense as the previous movies but it is still high energy. Watching these cars crash and flip over you have to wonder how this is done and how much of it is practical versus computer animated. Taylor-Joy was made to play this version of Furiosa and is a bad-ass in not only her driving scenes but in also her fighting scenes. Hemsworth is great as a villain! His calm demeanor and childlike curiosity keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what he will say and do next.
As a prequel story, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, gives us an incredible story that connects well to Fury Road. I hope we get another story with Furiosa and George Miller makes this a trilogy like the Mad Max movies. I would like to see what happens next in Furiosa’s life after escaping Immortal Joe and Citadel. I guess we will have to wait and see what the future holds.
Final Thoughts: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an incredible prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. We not only get to see the origin of Furiosa but also how she came to be a part of the Citadel and work for Immortal Joe. The scenery is breathtaking and the action is just intense. Anya Taylor-Joy is magnificent in her role and Alyla Browne is perfect as the young Furiosa. This deserves to be seen in IMAX or Dolby to experience everything that George Miller put into this movie!
Kid-Friendly: I would recommend this for kids 16 and older if they have already seen Mad Max: Fury Road. While there is not a lot of cursing there is a lot of violence within the movie. In the case of themes, the prevalent one in the movie is to not give up and keep fighting. We see this with Furiosa and she doesn’t give up on her goal of becoming free.
Violence: The violence in the movie is ramped up due to the car chases and some torture situations that Dementus instills in those who oppose him.
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.