SSP Thinks Film

The main problem with FURIOSA is that it’s not FURY ROAD. It’s not intending to be but it’ll leave a lot of fans expecting a none-stop thrill-ride disappointed. George Miller’s latest visit to the Australian post-apocalyptic wasteland first seen in MAD MAX tells the origin story of Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy / Alyla Browne) and her quest for revenge against the man who stole her from her family, monstrous warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). There’s no knocking the level of visual artistry on show here; the tactility and level of detail of every level of the post-apocalyptic production design is stunning. The performances, particularly Taylor-Joy, Hemsworth and Tom Burke as Praetorian Jack have a real power to them. But the slightly uneven pacing and some by-the-numbers prequel storytelling means this isn’t quite as compelling as it should have been. Here’s hoping Miller gets the chance make one more sojourn to this Australian hellscape, because you want him to go out with a bit more of a definitive bang. SSP