The fifth installment in George Miller’s post-apocalyptic action franchise, the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagaavailable this week on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD, traces the journey of the fearsome warrior introduced in Fury Road.
When she was just a child, Furiosa was kidnapped by a group of bandits. While trying to rescue her, her mother was killed in front of her eyes, but before dying, she made her daughter promise to do everything she could to try to return home, to the oasis called Greenland. After years of captivity within a horde of bloodthirsty bikers led by the warlord Dementus, the teenager was traded to Immortan Joe, the tyrant at the head of the Citadel.
Destined to become one of her surrogate mothers, she manages to escape and hide among the population by pretending to be a boy. Witnessing the savagery and cruelty of men in this lawless post-apocalyptic world, Furiosa learns the rules of combat and survival the hard way, gradually rising in the hierarchy through her determination, agility and strength of character, without ever giving up the hope of one day finding her people again.
The case cover
Furious is the very first installment in the film franchise not to star Max Rockatansky, better known as Mad Max. Much more substantial than the two-hour chase through the desert of the previous installment, the story of this prequel explores Furiosa’s tumultuous youth, and allows us to better understand the motivations of the character who will eventually run away with five of Immortan Joe’s “wives”. Fleshing out this post-apocalyptic universe a little more, we visit places that were only mentioned in the 2015 feature film, such as Petroville, the Bullet Mill, and the Green Land.
We witness the creation of the first War Carriers, these metal monsters scouring the Wastelands, and we also learn how the fearsome warrior lost her left forearm, which she will replace with a mechanical prosthesis. In short, this film allows us to better appreciate Mad Max: Fury Road and to see it again with new eyes.
Visually, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still as spectacular as ever. The vehicular combat is epic, and we appreciate the aesthetics of this world where everything is dirty, worn and patched up, without being devoid of beauty. Humans seem very small in this setting composed of an ochre desert as far as the eye can see, and offset by an equally overwhelming blue sky.
Played in the previous film by Charlize Theron, the character of Furiosa is played this time by the young Alyla Browne in the first third, then by the excellent Anya Taylor-Joy, who manages to effectively convey emotion through the intensity of her gaze alone, often without any words. In the role of Dementus, Chris Hemsworth’s performance is a little less convincing. He shows a flamboyance and lightness that seem a little out of place in this dark universe, and despite his latex fake nose, we can’t help but see Thor.
Image from the film
The ultra-high definition edition of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga contains the film on 4K disc, and comes with a code to download a digital copy. Those interested in learning more about the production will be well catered for with a healthy dose of additional material, starting with a Making Of of nearly an hour, covering the creation of weapons, props, costumes and visual effects, as well as the soundtrack, through interviews with the director, actors and crew members. A 15-minute revue focuses specifically on the film’s crazy cars, and another takes us behind the scenes of the first fight scene on the highway. Two other docs, each about ten minutes long, explore the performance and approach of Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in their respective roles.
Without abandoning the high-octane action and violence that the franchise is known for, this new chapter expands the post-apocalyptic world and its mythology in a very satisfying way, making it a must-see film for all fans of Mad Max.
7.5/10
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Realization: George Miller
Scenario: George Millet et Nick Lathouris
With: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, George Shevtsov, Lacy Hulme et John Howard
Duration: 148 minutes
Format : UHD (4K and digital copy)
Language : English, French and Spanish
