"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" Movie Review. A post-apocalyptic action movie.

 "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"

Movie Review. 

A post-apocalyptic action movie.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is a 2024 post-apocalyptic action film directed and produced by George Miller, co-written by Miller and Nico Lathouris. It marks the fifth entry in the Mad Max franchise but shifts its focus away from the series’ usual protagonist, Max Rockatansky. Instead, the film serves as a spinoff prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road in (2015) and delves into the origin story of Furiosa, a character from Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne portray Furiosa at different stages of her life. Set years before the events of Fury Road, the film chronicles Furiosa's journey over more than a decade, beginning with her abduction by the forces of warlord Dementus played by (Chris Hemsworth), and her rise to become an Imperator. Tom Burke also stars as Praetorian Jack, a military commander who becomes her ally. Several actors from Fury Road return, including John Howard, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson in supporting roles.

Many of the key crew members from Fury Road returned for Furiosa, including screenwriter Nico Lathouris, producer Doug Mitchell, composer Tom Holkenborg, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and editor Margaret Sixel. The film was shot in Australia between June and October 2022.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2024. It was released in theaters in Australia on May 23, 2024, and in the United States the following day. While the film received positive reviews from critics, it struggled commercially and became a box-office disappointment.

The film is set decades after the apocalypse, in a desolate, radioactive Australia. One of the last remaining bastions of life is the Green Place of Many Mothers, an oasis of fresh water and agriculture. While Furiosa and her friend Valkyrie are picking peaches, raiders discover the Green Place. Furiosa tries to sabotage their motorcycles, but she is captured and taken as a prize for Dementus, the leader of the Biker Horde.

Furiosa’s mother, Mary, attempts to rescue her but is pursued by Dementus. In a heartbreaking moment, Mary sacrifices herself to buy Furiosa time to escape, gifting her daughter a peach pit as a keepsake. However, Furiosa refuses to leave her mother behind and is forced to witness Mary’s crucifixion at the hands of Dementus. Driven by his own grief over his family’s death, Dementus adopts Furiosa, hoping to use her to lead him to the Green Place.

Later, Dementus sets his sights on the Citadel, a settlement with its own sources of water and agriculture. However, his Horde is repelled by Immortan Joe’s War Boys, a ruthless army. To further his power, Dementus executes a trojan horse strategy and captures Gastown, a crucial oil refinery that supplies the Citadel with gasoline. During peace negotiations, Immortan Joe acknowledges Dementus’s control over Gastown, but demands Furiosa and the Horde's physician in exchange for increased resources. Furiosa, who now has a star chart tattooed on her left arm to guide her back to the Green Place, is imprisoned in Joe’s vault alongside his “wives.” Joe’s son, Rictus, becomes infatuated with Furiosa and attempts to assault her, but she cleverly escapes his grasp by disguising herself with a wig made from her own hair.

Furiosa then blends in as a mute War Boy and spends the next decade working her way up Joe’s ranks. She helps construct the War Rig, a heavily fortified tanker designed to survive raids in the Wasteland. Her plan is to escape by hiding aboard the Rig when Praetorian Jack, Joe’s top driver, embarks on a supply run. Meanwhile, a disillusioned lieutenant of Dementus, known as The Octoboss, betrays his leader and leads an air assault on the Rig. Though the Mortifiers slaughter the Rig’s crew and destroy Furiosa’s hidden motorcycle, she teams up with Jack to fend off the attackers. When Furiosa tries to steal the Rig, Jack foils her attempt but sees her potential and offers to train her in exchange for her help rebuilding his crew.

Furiosa eventually becomes Jack’s second-in-command, and the two form a strong bond. They plan to escape together when Joe orders an attack on Gastown, now mismanaged under Dementus’s rule. During a weapons run to the Bullet Farm, Furiosa and Jack are ambushed by Dementus. Jack is killed, and Furiosa is severely injured, her left arm pinned under a vehicle. In a desperate act, she severs her arm, sacrificing her star map to escape. From afar, a mysterious figure watches as Furiosa makes her way back to the Citadel.

Upon her return, Furiosa and Joe's advisor, The People Eater, devise a plan to outwit Dementus. Lured into a trap, Dementus and his Horde are crushed by the War Boys. Having lost her way back to the Green Place, Furiosa shaves her head and builds a mechanical prosthetic arm. She relentlessly pursues Dementus, ultimately capturing him.

In a final act of vengeance, Furiosa uses Dementus’s still-living body as fertilizer for a peach tree grown from her mother’s pit. Joe promotes Furiosa to the rank of Imperator and gives her control of a new War Rig. In the film’s closing moments, she shares a peach with Joe’s five wives, whom she once knew as prisoners, as they prepare for a new journey.