I had no experience with the Mad Max franchise before going to see Fury Road in theaters back in 2015. I saw it because of the ESO podcast, actually, and I didn’t really know what to expect and was unsure if I’d end up liking it.
However, the movie absolutely blew me away. The action was incredible, the pacing relentless, and despite its general over-the-topness, the story had some genuine depth. I ended up adding it to my personal movie collection, because I enjoyed it so much.
The prequel to this film, the recently-released Furiosa, seemed like a slam dunk. Charlize Theron’s original portrayal of the character was one of the best parts of Fury Road, and Anya Taylor-Joy (who portrays the younger version of the character in this film) is one of Hollywood’s most promising up-and-coming actors.
In the end, Furiosa is a good movie…yet not quite a great one, like its predecessor Fury Road. I felt as though I were being unfairly picky, but when I left Furiosa, I was haunted by the slightest sense of disappointment. Fury Road was a special lightning-in-a-bottle movie moment, so perhaps it’s inevitable that its follow up would feel like a bit of a letdown.
The story starts with Furiosa’s kidnapping as a child and follows the ensuing acts of violence and horror that shape her into the fighter we see in Fury Road.
While Taylor-Joy is good in this film (then again, isn’t she always?), she’s not in as much of the film as I anticipated. The film spends more time with child Furiosa, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I was sad that we didn’t get to see more of Taylor-Joy’s acting chops.
It’s been a while since I’ve rewatched Fury Road, but I feel like the special effects in Furiosa aren’t quite as snappy as its predecessor. Maybe it’s because the CGI felt a little more obvious here, and wasn’t as immersive?
I will say that Chris Hemsworth is great as the scenery-chewing warlord Dementus. He strikes the perfect balance of intimidating and ridiculous, and he’s fascinating to watch as you’re rooting for his comeuppance.
While this movie is still worth seeing on the big screen, I wish I had done a bit to temper my sky-high expectations before walking into the theater. I did enjoy it and thought it was a decent film, it just lacks some of that special magic that made Fury Road so electrifying.
