Cannes Film Festival 2024: FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA

How do you follow-up on what many consider to be one of the best action films of the past decade? If you’re George Miller, you craft a prequel that not only rivals said film’s tantalizing energy, but aims to supersede it by instilling a renewed sense of emotional fervour. In a manner that only Miller himself could have accomplished, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits all the right notes in what will surely be one of this summer’s most exhilarating tentpole films.

Taking place before the events of Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa serves as an origin story for its titular character, who was originally played by Charlize Theron. The film starts off in the Green Place of Many Mothers, a land of abundance where a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy, with a younger version played by Alyla Browne) is eventually captured by an evil warlord, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). Over the years, Furiosa ends up in the Citadel, run by the Immortan Joe (Lachy Hullme), but musters the energy and wit to finally escape. Traversing the desert roads with the help of Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), someone who proves to be a like-minded ally, Furiosa finds herself battling through all the evil that the Wasteland has to offer.

Instilling emotion to an intense thrill ride

Leaning on Fury Road’s adrenaline fuelled pacing, Furiosa follows the same formula, albeit with a prelude that offers slightly more narrative backstory. Not surprisingly, the film is high-octane cinema that pulsates with energy from beginning to end. Miller creates astonishing set pieces that might falter slightly when compared with its predecessor, but is nonetheless a crowning example of invigorating action cinema on a grand scale. It’s also clear that the film relies on a green screen much more than the practical effects-heavy Fury Road, but this doesn’t necessarily set the film back in any way. Tom Holkenborg also builds on all the motifs utilized in his previous score, and once again creates an energized through line that serves as the film’s main motor.

And while the narrative stakes of Fury Road hinged on the harrowing escape of Immortan Joe’s five captive wives, its emotional weight often felt a bit muted. With Furiosa’s traumatic past being unraveled with forceful clarity, however, this film’s emotional range feels robust and full. Taylor-Joy’s fierce performance is obviously one of the primary reasons for this, and while her popularity did soar after Queen’s Gambit, her press tour in the midst of the pandemic (fall 2020) likely dampened her exposure to the general public. But that’s sure to change with the release of Furiosa, which should cement her as a bonafide star. Anyone familiar with Taylor-Joy’s previous work will know that she has considerable range as an actor, which is thankfully put on full display here.

Miller and Nick Lathouris’ screenplay also lends a hand in creating a thrilling canvas that leaves breathing room for intimate narration as well. There isn’t a lot of dialogue throughout the film, but when there is, everyone – particularly Taylor-Joy – makes it count.

World building around evil

Just like all the other Mad Max movies that came before it, the characters of Furiosa inhabit a post-apocalyptic world seething with brooding darkness. There’s an abundance of evil, which compliments Miller’s chaotic world building. The addition of Dementus adds a layer of complexity to this oeuvre of banality thanks to Hemsworth’s fantastic performance, which is one of his best in recent memory. His insanity as a villainous warlord is somewhat overstated at times, but it’s also clear that his own traumatic past served as a catalyst for his current characterization. That’s not to say that he’s an empathetic character by any means, but with Hemsworth’s ability to depict charming ambiguity, Dementus deviates from being a one-note maniac.

Pitting Dementus against Immortan Joe, who is still a menacing presence in this film, creates a spectrum of evil that isn’t completely totalitarian. With Furiosa, Miller creates a clearer picture of how evil is almost a necessity to survival for the masses, with any goodness being an exception to the norm. This evolving thesis in the film bolsters the stock of heroes like Furiosa and Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy, in Fury Road), which is exactly what a prequel should aim to do. Miller clearly understood this, and continued to world build, while simultaneously creating a thrilling and face-paced action epic.

Conclusion

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is a prime example of how to craft a narrative expansion that ignites a creative spark worthy of praise. Miller somehow continues to find ingenuity is what might be considered a rather stagnant and linear approach to filmmaking. Anya Taylor-Joy is technically already a star, but this film will undoubtedly catapult her career to new heights.