Although it's aesthetically similar to 'Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)', 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)' is a different beast entirely when it comes to its narrative. Structurally, tonally and even viscerally distinct from its predecessor, this revenge epic has a much less frenetic atmosphere than you may expect. At times, it's almost serene. With an episodic format that splits the story into vignettes (more so than even its five chapter breaks would suggest), the feature depicts the origin of its eponymous badass while also widening the world that surrounds her. Indeed, much of the movie is dedicated to world building rather than propulsive action, but that's not to imply that there are a lack of set-pieces. In fact, pretty much the whole movie is a set-piece; even the simplest of lore-extending scenarios are told with such striking visual grandeur that you'll practically be drooling for the film's entire duration. Plus, there are several more traditional yet utterly jaw-dropping action scenes - including a meticulous fifteen-minute War Rig defence that may just be the movie's highlight. It's difficult to describe how epic even the most intimate moments of the affair feel, and the budget has been put to fantastic use to set this relatively small-stakes story amidst a backdrop of bizarre post-apocalyptic societies and ruthless wasteland power struggles. There's so much depth to each and every aspect here, and most of it is conveyed entirely visually (Furiosa herself probably only has about the same amount of dialogue as the notoriously quiet protagonist of 'Mad Max 2 (1981)'). Anya Taylor-Joy brings a palpable determination to the role, her eyes telling a story of long-burning pain and quiet desperation, and Alyla Browne holds her own as the younger version of the character (the transition between the two actors is so seamless it's hard to actually pinpoint the exact moment it occurs*). The most showy role in the flick definitely goes to Chris Hemsworth, whose Dr. Dementus is a verbose maniac with just enough depth and charisma that his evil nature is almost too easy to downplay - especially in a world in which decency seems to have died a long time ago. He's a really entertaining villain, and it's enjoyable to see a new faction in the wasteland rather than just expanding on the one we've seen before (Immortan Joe and his blindly loyal War Boys). While I personally don't think it drags or anything, the movie is arguably a little too long. However, it's also arguably too short. It kind of acts as a 'greatest hits' of its hero's life, starting when she's a child and finishing just before her actions at the beginning of 'Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)'. As such, there's a lot of stuff that gets glossed over - or, rather, skipped entirely - so that the movie can maintain its purposefully elliptical pacing. A lot of the stuff that it moves past feels like it would be really interesting, so I kind of wish it was fleshed out more and maybe the film was done as a two-parter. I know that's technically a criticism, but it's also kind of a compliment. After all, it's not often you wish a picture was longer, let alone split into two parts, which should indicate just how successful George Miller's effort is. The feature truly is spectacular, an exceptional epic with almost unparalleled aesthetic beauty and pristine direction of the highest order. It's wonderfully weird for a blockbuster, and I really hope it does well enough for Warner Bros. To greenlight another trip to the wasteland. While I don't like it as much as 'Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)', it's just as sturdy and substantial. Because it's so different, it doesn't even require a direct comparison. It's great.
*the use of AI to achieve this effect is somewhat disturbing, but it's unclear exactly how the tool was used (i.e. To help a human artist or to replace one) so I'm not confident in fully condemning it just yet.
*the use of AI to achieve this effect is somewhat disturbing, but it's unclear exactly how the tool was used (i.e. To help a human artist or to replace one) so I'm not confident in fully condemning it just yet.
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