3 out of 5
In 2015 writer and director George Miller brought us Fury Road which was a loud, stunning and frankly amazing film about Furiosa trying to excape a despot and make her way home. This new film is a prequel which talls the story of a young Furiosa who 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 (from Fury Road). While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.
I won’t get into details about the story itself because the trailers were cut to prevent spoiling most of the film’s plot which I strive to do in my reviews as well. If you have not see the other Mad Max films, you can still see Furiosa without having to watch the others. It can function as a perfect standalone film while still including pieces from the other installments of the franchise.
Mad Max: Fury Road wasn’t a very dialogue-heavy film, and Furiosa flows in that same vein. Anya Taylor-Joy plays the younger Furiosa who was played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. With around only 30 lines of dialogue, Taylor-Joy brings an emotionally wrought performance of someone who fighting for their survival while trying to maintain who they are. Taylor-Joy’s emotive and striking facial features bring Furiosa’s emotions out in an almost animalistic way. She has a certain snarl to the way she interacts with other people after her childhood was ripped away from her. You can see it in the curl of her lip when she interacts with the world around her. While the smaller nuances of her performance are good, her physical performance is nothing to discount either. With such limited dialogue, as an actor, she sells so much more of who Furiosa is as she grows with how she moves, walks, and uses weapons with more confidence as she progresses through her journey.
While Anya Taylor-Joy plays Furiosa for around half of the film, Alyla Browne plays her for the earlier half of the story in her youth. She gives a fantastic performance alongside Chris Hemsworth as Dr. Dementus. Without getting too deep into spoilers, she is treated almost like an animal for a good portion, and we see the struggle she goes through after the horrors she has been put through. It’s a great performance from a young actor.
Let's talk about Chris Hemsworth. As a physical specimen, he is already larger than life in stature and form but he can give such an animated and bombastic performance that makes him an incredible villain.When I tell you that he brings you to the thunderdome with his role as Dr. Dementus, I truly mean that. His costuming by Jenny Beavan has such a unique flair that he runs with. He prances around in a cape and a leather chest piece for a large portion of the film. There is a classic villain flair to him that makes you believe he very well could be the type to tie you to the train tracks while tirling his moustache.
But then he flips the switch. Hemsworth brings a performance of a much darker nature that I wasn’t ready for, knowing his previous work. Underneath the character’s machismo and cheese, there is a very sinister, horrible man that is portrayed wonderfully. There are scenes where you see that fun veneer wash away to revel the real monster behind the color soaked exterior. The scenes climatic final confrontation had me reminiscing about Rutger Hauer’s speech in Blade Runner.
AnnaTaylor-Joy’s leading performance in Furiosa relies on subtlety and physicality. The character’s minimal dialogue doesn’t lessen the performance at all — it actually helps elevate it. Furiosa suppresses all of her emotions behind a tough exterior out of her survival instincts, and it’s in the moments when she feels truly exposed that Taylor-Joy gets to excel in the role. Whether this be due to a life or death scenario in the middle of a huge action scene or a quiet moment where she finds rare solace in someone like Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), an ally who teaches Furiosa how to drive war rigs. The ferocity and gravitas that Taylor-Joy is able to capture with just her eyes is worth the price of admission alone.
While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I felt it was a part rehash of Fury Road and not as good. As a prequel it fills in the blanks. As a stand alone film it's ok. As part of Miller's world-building, it is good.
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