I vividly recall seeing The Road Warrior (now known as Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) back in 1981. At the time, I thought it might have been the best action movie I had ever seen. It was intense. It was original.
And I wondered how I could have missed the movie that preceded it, the original Mad Max movie that was released in 1979. I quickly tracked it down and enjoyed it immensely, despite the low-budget, independent film quality. It was powerful. And it introduced the world to a young Mel Gibson who seemed born to play this role.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome came along in 1985, co-starring Tina Turner. Fans loved it. I couldn’t help but notice some similarities to the plot of The Lord of the Flies, with a crashed plane load of kids who have formed their own society and were looking for a hero/leader.
Still, it was a worthy follow-up and what looked to be the final chapter of a Mad Max trilogy. But then director George Miller treated fans to another Mad Max story in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Tom Hardy as Mad Max and Charlize Theron as a new character, a female version of Mad Max known as Imperator Furiosa.
Theron was a good choice as an action hero having starred in movies like Aeon Flux (2005) and Atomic Blonde (2017). She was convincing.
Furiosa: Mad Max Saga is the back story to Fury Road. It’s the story of how a young Furiosa grew up into the character we met in Fury Road. It sounded like a great idea. Current reigning superstar Anya Taylor-Joy was cast to play the young Furiosa and box office heartthrob Chris Hemsworth was cast to play the villain, Dr. Dementus. Best of all, George Miller, the king of stunt-driven action movies, would be back at the helm.
I was in.
The trailers looked great. The movie, well, not so much.
Not that it isn’t what you expect in the way of eye-popping, adrenaline-charged stunts and special effects, largely done without the use of digital effects (a signature part of George Miller’s action film style). There is plenty of that. In fact, the movie is mostly that, a long, unending series of chases, stunts and things blowing up. It’s spectacular. It’s a borderline epic, at times reminiscent of movies like David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, with its vast expanse of the desert.
The recent Dune movies are also in this vein, as are the latter Star Wars installments. Filmmakers, in droves, are gravitating to the desert these days.
True to form, Miller has recreated a terrifying post-apocalyptic world of barbarian scavengers who will stop at nothing on their endless search for gasoline, bullets and food—the staples of life and existence in Miller’s future world.
What is also scarce in this future world is anything resembling a story. What we are offered is the tale of a young Furiosa who is abducted by a band of bikers who are led by Dr. Dementus (played by an unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth). He is somewhere between is Thor character and an aging Mel Gibson with a beard.
He rides around in a steel chariot, pulled by three roaring motorcycles. It’s improbable, but much of this movie is improbable. I’m thinking of another scene when a character rides a motorcycle at high speed with only one arm—pretty impossible to do.
You just have to go with it.
Miller’s Mad Max reality is pretty strange and surreal. It’s an existential wasteland, especially for a pretty, 10-year-old girl which is what Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne) is for the first half of this movie.
Her slightly older self, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, only shows up for roughly the second half of this two and a half hour film.
While Taylor-Joy has had a number of standout roles recently, she may have not been the best choice for Furiosa, who needs to be physically strong, tough and fearsome. There is more to this character than a shaved head, bizarre makeup and large, staring eyes.
Likewise, Chris Hemsworth never seems to become the totally frightening character that he needs to be in this story. He’s creepy and scary, but not crap your pants frightening. Not even with the wild hair and prosthetic nose.
Mad Max fans will love the return of the recurring 18-Wheeler Fortress on Wheels (there seems to be one of these in every Mad Max movie). Monster Truck freaks will love the abundance and variety of Big Wheel, badass, roaring roadsters.
There is a lot up there on the screen, with the exception of a story. It’s just one, long (very long) revenge driven ride.
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