I had originally intended this article to be a standard, straightforward review of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. However, just like Furiosa at the start of Mad Max: Fury Road when she is driving the war rig, I have decided to take things in a different direction. Unfortunately, despite the hype, this film has been underperforming at the worldwide box office (having only taken in about $68 million against a $168 million budget). That’s a damn shame. . I immensely enjoyed Mad Max: Fury Road, and I thought Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga offered a very different but more fulfilling cinematic experience that somehow manages to stand apart from its predecessor while simultaneously building off the promise of that film and the world that director George Miller introduced us to. Without wasting any more time, here are my three reasons why you should see Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in cinemas.
1.) It has a compelling narrative
I just want to briefly touch on Mad Max: Fury Road because no one expected that film to be as incredible as it was when it first came out in cinemas in 2015. It was short on plot, but it more than made up for that with some truly breathtaking action set pieces that showcased some jaw-dropping stuntwork and set pieces. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a very different type of film. It’s a revenge thriller that has a lot of narrative ground to cover as the events span over twenty years, in contrast to those in Mad Max: Fury Road, which only took place over 36 hours. I would even go so far as to say that this film offers a more fulfilling narrative experience than its predecessor, especially if you found the non-stop action of that film to be too relentless. It feels like a post-apocalyptic retelling of classical mythology. There is an emphasis on symbolic imagery that feels very purposeful and integral to the narrative as a whole. It functions well as its own story, but simultaneously, it adds a lot to Mad Max: Fury Road, especially in the final couple of minutes, which link directly to that film. It makes for one of those fantastic cinema-going experiences that gets better the more you talk about it after you’ve seen it.
2.) It’s action-packed
Despite having more of a focus on telling a backstory, it’s not all filler. When this film kicks into gear and delivers the action, it is amazing to witness (and far from mediocre, if you know what I am referring to). The various car chases and set pieces have the same look as the ones in Mad Max: Fury Road, but they are far from being carbon copies of them. One moment, in particular, has a similar set-up to the war-rig sequence, but it has some new additions thrown into the mix, like paragliding soldiers (which I perceived to be a call-back to Mad Max II: The Road Warrior) and the back of the truck transforming into a spinning wrecking ball. Some moments feel like they’re an escort mission from an action-packed video game, like one moment where Furiosa (Anya Taylor Joy) has to snipe down a group of enemies while protecting an ally, Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), driving a truck down a rocky quarry. The film also never succumbs to having a character deliver a cheesy one-liner after the action takes place, and it simply lets the action speak for itself in all its chaotic glory.
3.) It’s not just for the fans
It is important to note that this film takes place years before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, but it does not require you to know everything about the previous film before watching it. You could literally walk into this film knowing nothing about this franchise or who any of the characters are, and you won’t feel alienated or unsure about what is going on. However, if you are already a fan of the Mad Max movies, then you’re going to love this one as it continues to add more to the lore of this post-apocalyptic world that George Miller has created. So if more people go out and see this in cinemas, and if it does well financially, then the studio will be confident in letting Miller continue to make more films that add to the lore and backstory of this post-apocalyptic story. I would absolutely be in favour of having ten more of these films made. I just hope that we don’t have to wait another nine years for it to come out.
So those are my reasons as to why you should go out and witness Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on the biggest, loudest, and maddest screen available. Please support imaginative and crazy action films like this so George Miller can keep giving them to us. It would be a shame if this were to be the end of the road and then we don’t get to see Mad Max: The Wastelander (which is the planned next film in this franchise). But you can prevent that from happening by going to see this film. SEÁN MORIARTY
Cold Coffee Press 