Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
[4k/Digital Code]
We can all agree that Mad Max Fury Road was a pleasant surprise, right? It was good, some of us thought I’d be great, some of us thought it actually WAS great, and some people consider it one of the greatest movies of the past 10 or 20 years. I’m cool with that. I think the first 2 Mad Maxes are SUPER overrated, anyhow, and I don’t care who knows it. But, there’s a lot to appreciate in Fury Road. I, for one, appreciated the simplistic story line, the exploration of the world and the lore dumps, the empowerment of the powerless, the great special effects and the non-stop momentum. I guess that’s what Fury Road is: momentum and adrenaline.
So, why make a prequel? Is there that much story to tell? Was Mad Max ever about story? Isn’t this a recipe for disaster?
I went in with high hopes, because I was enchanted with Fury Road, and sure, a lot of my expectations were met. BUT, as soon as I saw the obvious CGI shots early on I started wondering to myself if Furiosa was going to have the same charm as Fury Road. Not that Fury Road was all practical (it certainly had its fair share of CGI), but in Furiosa the use of CGI is obvious and a bit of a downer.
And that’s kind of prevalent throughout the movie: it’s a bit of a downer. The action sequences are still cool, when the movie builds momentum, it really grabs you, but it’s basically trying to play it safe and be Fury Road whenever it can. That’s an acceptable limitation, but of course, the other problem is Anna Taylor Joy, who is terribly miscast, and WAAAAAAY to refined and prissy to play this role. Her entire disposition is of someone who’s a product of luxury (that’s why her character works in Thoroughbreds) and her portrayal is too hard of a pill to swallow. Everyone else is cool and fits. Even Chris Hemsworth, his weird voice, and distracting nipples. You won’t be able to think of ANYTHING else for the second half of the movie.
Furiosa is fun, sure, and I’d watch it again, but it’s still inferior to its predecessor in every way, and that’s not really the best reputation for any movie to have.
