Furiosa

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the best surprises I've experienced at the movies. Having never watched the original trilogy (given my disdain for Mel Gibson, I probably never will) and also not really being into action movies, I had no plans to see Fury Road. But then the reviews started rolling in saying that it was an eye-popping spectacle and one of the best movies of the year. I saw it with some friends and was blown away by the film. Visually, it's stunning. The action sequences are entertaining and wild. The world-building, right down to the slang the characters use ("I shall ride eternal shiny and chrome!"), is fascinating. Overall, I had an intensely positive experience seeing Mad Max: Fury Road and it was one of my favorite movies of 2015.

When discussing the sequel/prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which tells us the origin story of Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road, people want to compare the two movies and, from what I've read and heard, Furiosa seems to always come up short. In other words, people *like* Furiosa, but they *love* Fury Road. 

I understand that...and I don't. To me, Furiosa is just more of a wonderful thing.

Furiosa is longer than Fury Road by a full 30 minutes and while there are some parts that could have been slimmed down, that extra time is mostly spent developing the characters and fleshing out Furiosa's story. The movie is divided into 5 chapters and the first focuses on Furiosa's childhood in the matriarchal Green Place: an oasis of vegetation in the Wasteland. When raiders discover the Green Place, they kidnap Furiosa (who is around 8 or 9 when this happens, played by excellent child actor Alyla Browne) and bring her to Dementus (Chris Hemsworth, the true MVP of the film), the cult-like leader of the Biker Horde.

After a failed attempt to overthrow the Citadel, Dementus ends up trading Furiosa to Immortan Joe, who sees her as a potential future wife. But young Furiosa cuts her hair short and pretends to be a boy, working on war rigs with other men. She finds a mentor in Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who teaches her how to drive war rigs. At this point in the movie, Furiosa is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Taylor-Joy is very good in this role, though I admit I wasn't completely blown away by her. As mentioned above, the actor who impressed me the most was Hemsworth as the charismatic Dementus. 

Throughout her years of work and training at the Citadel, Furiosa never forgets Dementus and never forgives him for kidnapping her from the Green Place and murdering her mother. By the end of the film, she has a chance to confront Dementus about these crimes. The exact way she gets her revenge is *chef's kiss*. I won't spoil what happens, but gasped when it was revealed. 

Furiosa is a highly enjoyable movie. I think when Fury Road came out, there was an element of surprise. I know that I had never seen a movie quite like it and it left a huge impression on me. With Furiosa, I knew what I was getting. I think this may be one reason why the general consensus is that Furiosa is not quite as good or impressive as Fury Road: simply, the element of surprise is gone. However, in some ways I think Furiosa is the superior film. The characters are more fleshed out and three-dimensional. The main villain is more interesting and complex. The movie is more emotional. 

All this is to say, I love both movies and if you liked Fury Road there's a good chance you'll enjoy Furiosa as well. 

Grade: A-