This review will not be opening with the "epic" line from this movie. That singular piece of dialogue has been used in every trailer and social media post that the marketing team at Warner Bros. can concoct, and I can do better than rehash it as an opening hook.
Ok, fine, the line goes: "The question is, do you have it in ya to make it epic?" The film's main antagonist uses it as a taunt directed at our leading gal as she finally has him cornered. It's a nearly too-pertinent snippet delivered with gusto and a wink by Chris Hemsworth, an actor who, in this film, subverts every expectation placed upon his brawny shoulders, a carryover from his career-defining MCU portrayal.
The line works so well because "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" is, to put it humbly and to reference the quote I swore to actively avoid, quite epic. As a genre, prequels tend to chip together an origin story from retroactive fragments, but "Furiosa" never feels obligatory or dictated by the pre-ordained plot points upon which it is based. The film comes across as fresh and original, though still closely bound to the style and scene-setting that fans of the previous entry will expect. Most importantly, the character, defined by her rage and singular drive for revenge, has a surprising amount of heart.
Set years before "Mad Max: Fury Road", which, in 2015, revitalized the dystopian steampunk property that George Miller and Aussie newcomer Mel Gibson first introduced to audiences in 1979, this prequel gives fans the backstory to hardcore, one-armed Wasteland rebel Furiosa. Anya Taylor-Joy may be plastered across the marketing material, but it's young actress Alyla Browne who shepherds our gaze through the first hour or more of the 148-minute saga. Browne, who doesn't have more than a few words written in the script, gives the performance of her fledgling career thus far. Her large blue eyes say more than Gibson's manic screams ever did, for this reviewer at least. The bloodshed Hulk is cool and all, but nothing comes close to a pissed-off action heroine, clawing her way through patriarchal oppression and manic post-apocalyptic filth.
Written and directed by Miller, "Furiosa" opens in the titular character's home known as the "Green Place", one of the few locations in this desolate alternate world where plants still grow. When outsiders find the little oasis fiercely guarded by a coven of strong female warriors, Furiosa attempts to keep these intruders from returning to their home for fear of bringing more pillagers in their wake. Just a child, she is captured and brought back to Dementus (Hemsworth), the leader of the Biker Horde and a rising warlord of the Wasteland. Furiosa becomes Dementus' pretty little pet as he moves his tribe to the Citadel and attempts to usurp reigning overseer Immortan Joe, portrayed by Lachy Hulme in this film after the death of Hugh Keays-Byrne in 2020.
Immortan Joe is certainly the villain most will remember from "Fury Road", a specifically unsettling and upsetting figure with flaring white hair and a faux skeleton smile that attempts to hide the breathing apparatus covering his visage. His paramilitary army of War Boys, identically shirtless, covered in white and brainwashed to serve The Citadel at all cost, are back as well, though none have stand-out roles like Nicholas Hoult's in "Fury Road". Young Furiosa makes an on-the-fly decision to vacate her post with Dementus for the unknown position in Immortan Joe's kingdom, one that proves, at the very least, an easier place to hide out unseen as a woman in man's clothing.
At this point, Taylor-Joy steps in as a grown Furiosa, assigned to odd jobs around the Citadel, working on cars and larger equipment, which is how she falls under the command of Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). He's a tough guy with a soft underbelly, and together they fend off marauders trying to steal their precious cargo. Though there are plenty of car chase sequences, we do not return to the "Fury Road" level of four-wheeled mayhem, which is for the best. I'm not sure most stomachs could endure that much time in the car again. As Jack proves himself trustworthy, Furiosa opens her heart to him, and the duo seem like perhaps they will make it all the way back to the Green Place together.
Similar to a zombie apocalypse, it's every person for themselves. Even well-established democracy is thrown out whenever a rising warlord gets a little too big for his britches, and Hemsworth's Dementus is certainly in that category. Though you may have an expectation of how the Aussie hunk will portray this character, think again. Fitted with nose and facial prosthetics, the "Thor" actor is unrecognizable. He dons his real Australian accent, but takes it a pitch higher and mars it with an insidious lisp. His transformation will put you in a trance, though he's not the only one. Immortan Joe, in new hands, is as grotesquely unnerving as ever, speaking volumes with the sinister gaze of his piercing blue eyes.
But this is Furiosa's story, and finally, she is given, not just our main focus, but the well-deserved title of the film. Taylor-Joy, who may be long and lean, ethereal in many ways, fills the screen with her undeniable star power and carries the film. We don't question her corporeal adroitness. Taylor-Joy makes the physical action - hanging off vehicles, jumping from great heights, fighting in hand-to-hand combat - seem as natural as if Mel Gibson himself (albeit Mel Gibson in his prime) was the star of our show. And she does so with only an estimated 30 lines of dialogue throughout the entire film.
Best yet, her character, the unsinkable Furiosa, is not only fun to watch, she's incredibly... likable. It may be a far-from-glowing review, but strong, angry, bullish women rarely get such high, pedestrian praise, words of encouragement, and admiration that we could easily flick toward a leading man in a similar role without much thought. It is much harder to be a likable woman who also kicks some serious Wasteland butt. The tides are turning, and Furiosa is leading us towards that promised land, one Orwellian feature film foot in front of the other.
"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" is in theaters now.
