In George Miller, we trust.
You just have to wait awhile for him…
When Mad Max: Fury Road first burst into theaters in 2015, it was hotly anticipated by some but still needed to prove itself to many as a delayed sequel to an aged franchise. The production itself, in George Miller fashion, spent years in development hell before a hellacious shoot in addition to a taxing set of re-shoots. Also, it probably didn’t help that co-stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron reportedly got along like cats and dogs. Despite these obstacles, the film was a box office hit and a critical darling en route to an eventful performance during awards season, nabbing an absurd 102 wins and 222 nominations. Fury Road did successfully what many blockbusters try to do: combine awe-inspiring thrills with an emotionally resonant and thematically relevant story.
Since then, Miller has been chomping at the bit to expand the Mad Max world. However, production delays and an untimely lawsuit have put temporary snags in those plans. Initially, Miller’s grand plan revolved around a prequel to Fury Road, titled Mad Max: The Wasteland. It would reportedly follow Max around a year before the events of Fury Road… which isn’t much to go on, but the title sounds like the movie would have fucked. But alas, we’re near the end of 2023, and there’s unfortunately been no substantial production updates on The Wasteland. However, it seems just as that aforementioned prequel gradually faded from the news cycle, another Mad Max prequel slowly built momentum as it prepped for its production: Furiosa.
Yes, the other protagonist from Fury Road; cemented in cinematic history with a standout performance from Charlize Theron. But Theron won’t be returning here, as Anya Taylor-Joy steps into those famed raggedy clothes as a younger version of the character. Adding to the star power is Chris Hemsworth as the gang leader “Warlord” Dementus. Furiosa made her franchise debut in Fury Road, and there’s enough history behind her story that she’s primed to lead her own movie, away from the iconic Max. With George Miller returning to the director’s chair and a blistering first trailer (as seen below), Furiosa is quickly shaping up to be one of the most anticipated action movies of 2024:
There’s quite a lot to love here, but also quite a few things to be cautious about. In fact, let’s start with the biggest criticism the trailer has faced so far – the obvious CGI, most notably in the car chases as well as when Furiosa tinkers with her mechanical arm. Fury Road partially sold itself on being a movie produced with a heavy dose of practical effects, in an attempt to keep CGI to a minimum or at least keep it stealthily hidden. Further exemplifying that philosophy is that one of Furiosa’s visual signifiers – her amputated arm – was achieved through computer generated wizardry, a fact most viewers didn’t even notice until it was revealed later. That embodies the dilemma – cinephiles love practical effects, like well disguised CGI, and abhor very obvious CGI.
Yet, there are two things to consider to prevent us from hitting any sort of panic button. For starters, we are roughly five months from release, which is a wealth of time for the post-production process to clean up any unsightly special effects. Second, the trailer clearly showcases that George Miller still has his eye for visual language and breathtaking shots. What looks out of place now, in a rapidly edited trailer, may come off much better in the final product, where we can see Miller and DOP Simon Duggan’s vision in context. It’s also worth noting that Fury Road itself, despite the good PR, featured a lot more (obvious) CGI than the marketing would have you believe. It was a movie built on dangerous stunts, but not all of the action was made on set. Much of the early criticism of Fury Road, before its release, centered on its frenetic pacing and over the top action in comparison to the more toned down Mad Max movies from the 20th century. Furiosa may be headed for a similar pre-release cycle, but if Fury Road was an action masterpiece, then we need not fret heavily over this movie until we can see it for ourselves.
On another note, what piques my interest here is not just the visual eye candy but the actors and story as well. We haven’t seen much of Taylor-Joy’s performance, but she’s incredibly photogenic in the role and seems to be bringing an intensity consistent with Theron’s table-setting interpretation. Seeing Chris Hemsworth with a misshapen face and a warped sense of masculinity may result in one of the creepiest villains of the year. Without spoiling where the title character will end up in Fury Road, the synopsis of Furiosa telegraphs the journey the heroine is set to embark on:
Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa finds herself caught in the crossfire between two tyrannical warlords.
So, this prequel will showcase what led up to the bizarre world we find ourselves in at the beginning of Fury Road. Admittedly, prequels are not my favorite storytelling devices – it’s just harder to thread the needle when you know so much about where the story will end up. But the Mad Max films, while hardly complex on the surface, have always taken seriously the psychology of its characters, embracing the psychological torment that a dystopia and the loss of familial life would have on its inhabitants. For all we know, Furiosa could prove to just be a cash grab full of empty calories. But Miller has earned the benefit of the doubt to believe in his handle on his characters. Seeing Immortan Joe’s rise to power, in conjunction with the entrapment of the fiery Furiosa, could showcase the rare prequel that understands you must add something meaningful to our knowledge of these characters in order to make the project worthwhile.
Meanwhile, I suspect we aren’t quite done with the fabled Wasteland, or that manic former cop.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga powers into theaters everywhere May 24, 2024.
