Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the titular character in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. George Miller’s most recent entry in his ongoing Mad Max franchise serves as an origin story for Imperator Furiosa, the scene-stealing character first played by Oscar winner Charlize Theron in the 2015 hit Mad Max: Fury Road.
Considering the critical success of Fury Road, anticipation is high for Furiosa. Luckily, Miller, star Anya Taylor-Joy, and a delightfully unhinged Chris Hemsworth rise to the challenge, delivering an instant classic of the action genre. The film tells a straightforward tale of revenge, with Furiosa at the center of its riveting action. Does the titular heroine get justice for those who fell and revenge against those who wronged her? Let’s discuss.
Narrated by someone called “the History Man,” Furiosa tells the story of the titular character, a child born in a secret place known as the Green Place of Many Mothers. While trying to sabotage the vehicles of a group of invading men, young Furiosa is captured, leading her mother, Mary Jo, to pursue her kidnappers across the Wasteland. The men take young Furiosa to the campsite of the warlord Dementus, who kills Mary Jo and keeps Furiosa, calling her “Little D” and hoping to extract information from her.
Dementus then attempts to launch an uprising against Immortan Joe, leader of the bountiful Citadel, but fails. Instead, he negotiates to take control of Gastown, the Wasteland’s oil outpost. Joe agrees in exchange for Furiosa, who he means to keep as a wife. Furiosa rejects the advances of Joe’s older son, Rictus Erectus, and grows to become a gifted mechanic, overseeing the construction of a “War Rig” driven by the talented Praetorian Jack. Her abilities earn her a place among Jack’s crew, and she eventually gains his trust. He agrees to gift her with supplies so she can return to her home, but things go south when Dementus’ reckless actions bring Gastown to near-ruin.
During what’s supposed to be Furiosa’s last mission, Jack and his crew face an ambush in the Bullet Farm, led by the now-rogue Dementus. Unwilling to leave Jack behind, Furiosa stays to help, and the two barely make it out alive. However, Dementus pursues them across the Wasteland, torturing and killing Jack and chaining Furiosa by the left arm to his truck. She escapes by cutting off her injured forearm and makes it back to the Citadel — her return witnessed by a mysterious figure watching from atop a hill — to warn Immortan Joe about Dementus’ uprising.
The third act sees Furiosa receiving a mechanical prosthetic for her arm. Determined to get her revenge, Furiosa steals a vehicle from Joe’s son, Scabrous Scrotus, and leads an assault against Dementus and the remains of his crew. She eventually isolates him, cuts his supplies, and chains him, confronting him and revealing her identity as not only the woman he ambushed in the Bullet Farm but as “Little D,” the child whose mother he killed. Furiosa demands her childhood back, but Dementus answers he cannot undo the past and confesses to his own losses. He taunts her before seemingly accepting his fate and telling her that whatever she does, she should “make it epic.”
The truth about Dementus’ death is unclear. Some claim Furiosa simply shot him, while others say she dragged him behind her car, as Dementus did to Praetorian Jack. The History Man, however, claims Furiosa herself whispered the truth to him: She used Dementus’ body to plant a seed given to her by her mother. A particularly striking scene then shows a peach tree growing from the insides of a barely alive and much older Dementus. Joe rewards Furiosa for her services by turning her into his Imperator and giving her a new War Rig.
Yes and no. The film indeed has footage during the credits, but it’s a retelling of the events of Mad Max: Fury Road. The scenes show Furiosa taking Joe’s five wives — The Splendid Angharad, Toast, Cheedo, Capable, and The Dag — aboard her War Rig, leading to a lengthy chase across the Wasteland. Basically, it’s a summary of the key scenes from Fury Road, bridging the gap between Furiosa‘s ending and the 2015 movie.
Furiosa also has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot after the credits showing a fun Fury Road Easter egg: the customized shifter from Furiosa’s War Rig. Does this mean Charlize Theron will return to the role of Furiosa in the future? Only time will tell. For now, Furiosa is one of the best movies of 2024, a worthy and exhilarating adventure that adds another piece to the growing puzzle that is the Mad Max saga.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now playing in theaters around the world.
China just gave Hollywood a cautionary tale about AI filmmaking. Sanxingdui: Future Past, billed as the country's first fully AI-generated movie, hit theaters on October 23 and bombed at the box office.
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https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
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