Cannes 2024: Furiosa - A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa | ★★★★★ | George Miller

Nine years after Fury Road pushed Mad Max into new territory both visually and thematically, George Miller returns to the wasteland by tripling down on the thematic richness of his adrenaline-fuelled masterpiece. Where Max’s running of the gauntlet was a furiously lean chase film, Furiosa is the slower, more deliberate opus that expands the mythology further than the series has gone before.

Spanning over 18 years in the life of Furiosa, the saga begins at the green place, possibly the last paradise on Earth. Furiosa is violently snatched from her mother and taken in by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), who rules a wandering biker gang. For the next nearly two decades, she makes it her mission to return home.

Told in an episodic format with chapter breaks signifying the passage of time, Furiosa immediately sets its pace in a different gear than Max. Those expecting a repeat of Fury Road aren’t getting one, despite some stunning feats of vehicular carnage. Instead, Miller’s latest has more in common with the lyrical oral history of Beyond Thunderdome. As with the legend of the road warrior, we hear this story as it’s passed down throughout time.

Yet this is never a boring film. Even when the villains talk about trade negotiations. Instead, Miller’s focus on how this broken society barely functions serves the story wonderfully. Everywhere you look, there’s something magnificently horrific to admire. It’s part The Wasteland, part Dark Tower, wrapped in the bleak humor of Nick Cave’s murder ballads.

Thankfully, Miller never loses sight of his characters in the immense world-building. With fantastic performances from Anya Taylor Joy and Chris Hemsworth anchoring the madness, every bit of the maximalist carnage feels grounded and real.

Some may sniff at the two-and-a-half-hour length; others will whinge about Miller’s unapologetic emphasis on feminist themes. But those willing to explore the wasteland beyond the iconic road warrior will discover a smart, deeply effective adult fairy tale worth exploring. This world feels alive and dangerous, and it, in turn, makes Fury Road and Max’s other adventures that much more potent.

It’s the perfect companion piece to the saga, a brave and audacious biblical epic that redefines what Miller’s nightmarish future looks like once again.