Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) is absolutely hilarious. In “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” he wears a pointy prosthetic nose that makes him look like the Penguin from the Batman saga, if that character were on enough anabolic steroids to kill a horse. Whenever Hemsworth speaks, he’s proudly bellowing in an unmistakable Aussie accent. At the same time, Dr. Dementus — Hemsworth’s villainous character — is so darn brutish that even chuckling at the comic relief feels wrong. Far gone is the princely charm we tend to associate with the heroic Hemsworth, but his vibrant heel turn is unashamedly bombastic, so passionate and evil that it could rile up a sports arena. It’s the kind of performance that you can’t help but laugh at from giddy enjoyment, and it’s so quintessentially Australian that it could only belong in a Mad Max movie.
Hemsworth’s performance is beyond entertainment though: It embodies the rogue energy that director George Miller (“Mad Max”) has built his entire career on. As extreme of a detour as Dementus is from Hemsworth’s previous roles, Miller’s filmography is even more extreme. Before revitalizing the Mad Max franchise, he had directed and produced two passion projects, “Happy Feet” and “Happy Feet Two” — a pair of PG animated films about penguins. In other words, no one tells Miller what he can or can’t do. In an industry where money is flailed around and sucks the souls out of anything with name value, Miller will only make a film when he wants to, and he’ll pour his soul into that project. That’s why no one groaned at the prospect of another Mad Max movie, because Miller’s voice — proud, bellowing and Australian — will resonate in every frame. As expected, his latest action thriller “Furiosa” delivers.
“Furiosa” serves as the prequel to the highly acclaimed “Mad Max: Fury Road,” a film that, to put it lightly, is batshit crazy. The prequel follows Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”) through five chapters of her life, each one scarred by the raging barbarism of Dementus and/or the pale white evilness of Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, “The Secret River”). It’s a personal story of revenge and innocence lost, set in the mucky background of clan battles and guzzolene politics, an environment that Miller painstakingly fleshes out now that he isn’t concerned about making a tense heist film.
“Furiosa” is quick to differentiate itself from its predecessor. Sure, it still takes place in the coarse desert sand of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Sure, it still contains blood-gushing action sequences in the oppressive heat. But despite the similarities, Miller definitely takes a steadier approach to establish the more intricate plot. He sets this deliberate pace in the very first scene which, in typical Mad Max fashion, is an action sequence. Furiosa as a young girl (Alyla Browne, “Sting”) is captured by Dementus’s men and Furiosa’s mother tries to retrieve her. It plays out like the opening scene of “Fury Road”: a desperate chase through the sand. But where the sequel would drop frames to create a choppy, sped-up look and cut every half-second in what felt like an adrenaline haze, “Furiosa” lets the action breathe in longer, wider shots at normal frame rates. The creative adjustment becomes most evident in the War Rig sequences which, while undoubtedly high-octane, are far more patient. Here, Miller is at least waiting for a few fastened seat belts before slamming on the gas. The action set pieces are more legible in “Furiosa,” which in turn emphasize the characters’ inner emotions more than their gritty survival instincts.
The new direction is appropriate, given that Furiosa is a rather verbal character compared to the essentially mute Max. The pace allows Taylor-Joy to prove, once again, that there is nothing she can’t do. In one moment, she’s a scared adolescent, bearing the face of pain and eyes of paranoia. In the next, she is every bit deserving of that war paint smeared across her forehead, embodying a vengeful badass that fully honors Charlize Theron’s interpretation while being distinctly Taylor-Joy’s own. The pace also allows Miller, with a bolder and moodier pen, to comment on the nature of mankind in a world where resources are finite, a world where people sustain themselves on guzzolene, water and instinct. It is perhaps hope, the scarcest resource of all, that is needed to live, not just survive.
For as much as “Furiosa” ignites the flamethrowers of our battle-ready motorbikes, the film is unfortunately hindered by its standing as a prequel. The job of a prequel is to explain, but Furiosa and the world of Mad Max isn’t in need of that. In fact, it is the mystery surrounding the noble woman with the mechanical left arm that made Furiosa so compelling to begin with. It detracts from the character to overwrite her — in the same way that dissecting a joke usually kills it. The need to explain also means that this fun world gets convoluted. Huge plot points are essentially glossed over — even fast-forwarded — to lead the audience into the sequel. As a result, it never exactly makes sense how Furiosa received so little resistance in ascension, especially as a female War Rig operator in a distinctly patriarchal wasteland. The viewer just has to accept these plot conveniences, however probing their questions may be.
But really, who cares? Miller is under no illusions; he’s not trying to turn his pet franchise into complex high art, only comprehended by the select few. It’s easy to ignore the technical flaws and just enjoy a straightforward plot with fun gore and crazy explosions. “Furiosa” is a dazzling revenge flick with a bit of edge, so sit back, eat some popcorn and let Miller set your eyes ablaze.
Daily Arts Writer Ben Luu can be reached at benllv@umich.edu.
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