Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on Soap2day is the origin of the story character Furiosa and how she became the complex woman we met in Mad Max: Fury Road. I won’t go into detail about the story itself since the trailers were cut so as not to spoil most of the film’s content which is what I also try to do in my reviews if you haven’t seen the other Mad Max movies. It can function as a complete standalone film and still incorporate pieces from other parts of the franchise.
Mad Max: Fury Road is less of a dialogue-heavy film, and Furiosa flows in the same vein. Anya Taylor-Joy plays young Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. With barely 30 lines of dialogue, Taylor-Joy delivers an emotionally wrought performance of a character fighting for her life while trying to maintain her identity. Taylor-Joy’s cheery, cheery expression brings out Furiosa’s emotions in an almost animal like manner.
He has a leap in the way he relates to other people after his childhood tears him apart. You can see it in the curve of his lips as he interacts with the world around him. The irritating nuances of his performance still stick in my mind, and his physical performance is completely minimized. With such limited dialogue, as an actress, she sells more of who Furiosa is as how she walks, moves, and wields weapons grows as she progresses through her journey.
While the new Taylor-Joy plays Furiosa halfway through the film, Elila Brown plays her in the first half of the story in her prime. In Dr. He does a fantastic performance with Chris Hemsworth as Dementus. Without getting too into the spoilers, thankfully she is almost beastly, and the struggles we see her go through after the horror for her is a great performance from a young actress.
After watching Spiderhead, I prayed to the movie gods that every director would use Chris Hemsworth as a villain because he is incredible. As a physical specimen, he is already larger than life in size and physique. But he can play a dynamic and dangerous game that makes him an incredible villain. Jenny Beavan has such a unique feel for her dress that she runs with it. He wears a hat and a leather chestpiece for most of the film. He has a classic villainous feel to him that makes you believe he could very well be the type to tie you to the rails.
But then he flips the switch. Hemsworth knows his previous work and brings a much darker performance that I wasn’t ready for. Beneath the character’s machismo and cheese is a wonderfully portrayed terrifying bad guy. There are scenes where you see that veneer of happiness being washed away to enjoy the real monster behind it full of colour. The final climatic skirmish in the sets reminded me of Rutger Hauer’s speech in Blade Runner . I did love the performance, and I hope we see more of these from Hemsworth.
The main colors of Furiosa are orange and red due to the apocalyptic theme, and sand. And some movies that would be boring to watch. But George Miller’s vision of this world is just an incredibly vivid canvas. Where some post-apocalyptic worlds go for a more cool, realistic approach to things, Miller and his team go in the opposite direction. Everything in the world of Mad Max is wonderful, and Furiosa is no different.