If there’s one thing the Mad Max films do well, it’s make a movie that must be seen on the biggest screen you can get to. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga does not disappoint when it comes to the visual aspect. But don’t expect the epic adventure we have come to know. It’s not as high-octane as Fury Road. But you are left with something very familiar, just on a smaller scale and with more heart and story.

Furiosa (Alyla Browne) is a young girl living in what seems to be the last beautiful place left in the world, the Green Place. Furiosa is playing in a group of fruit trees, sneaking a peach, when she spots bikers. In an effort to sabotage their bikes, she is captured and taken to their leader, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). To save her daughter, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser) is also captured by Dementus and his goons. Unable to help, Furiosa watches as her mother dies. And this sets in motion a plan of revenge that spans 10 years.

Her plan was simple and effective. On the trek across the deserts to the citadel, Furiosa would ink the journey by way of the stars into her arm. This would be the map back to her home, the Green Place. Years pass as she learns how to build and drive War Rigs. But when her path crosses with Dementus again, her only way of survival is to sever her arm and escape to safety.

If the pain of losing your mother wasn’t enough motivation, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) now had the added fuel to seek revenge for the loss of her arm and map home. Determined and with nothing to lose, Furiosa seeks revenge, hoping she can get back what she lost.

The highly anticipated performance from Anya Taylor-Joy didn’t disappoint. However, her screen time wasn’t as much as you’d expect. It was Alyla Browne who set the standard for the character. Her arc was as epic as the story itself. From a young, carefree, mischievous girl to a mute, hate-filled, lost child. There wasn’t a part of her performance where you weren’t heartbroken for this poor child. Browne somehow managed to tap into what ended up being a very dark place that’s even hard to conceive as an adult.

Over to the grown up Furiosa and Anya Taylor-Joy not only dominates the posters and promotional material for the film, she also dominates the scenes she is in. With her minimal lines, all the emotion was left to her looks and body language. Her long gazes into her scene sharing performer or her hate filled eyes, Taylor-Joy understood the assignment.

It’s Chris Hemsworth’s character that was confusing. Mainly because it’s hard to see past Thor, even with his prosthetic nose and beard. His character was almost comical at first glance. But Hemsworth managed to reign it in when he needed to and ended up giving a rather complex performance. A blend of unhinged yet full of soul. A frightening character that Hemsworth seemed to bring to life all too easily.

None of this would have been possible if it hadn’t been for the mind of co-writer and director George Miller. Miller has given us all the Mad Max films to date and has another in the works. The concept and idea are all from Miller, who can create this almost dream-like world, or perhaps it’s more of a nightmare. And that’s what makes all the Mad Max films so unique and work perfectly. He is very specific with how it should look, and his keen eye for detail and his ability to create some amazing action sequences is truly a credit to him and his team.

Visually, the film is as you expect. That desolate landscape with that orange sand that turns to clay as soon as moisture touches it. The stunning moon-filled blue-hugh nights. There is something so unique about all these elements you don’t think about that truly makes this film and the previous ones so remarkable. But it’s all the little bits in between, like the Citadel, Bullet and Gas towns, the War Rigs, and the small details on the motorbikes. And it goes without saying that the amazing cars and trucks that grace the screens will give any car-loving fan a little rev in their step.

(jasoncookfreelancegmailcom attended an advance screening of the film thanks to the distributor.
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