In 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road took the film industry by storm. Receiving widespread critical acclaim for its unbelievable action sequences and exploration of compelling themes, the film wasn’t just a box office success ($380.4 million worldwide), it was also an unlikely Oscar contender. Fury Road was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director and won awards in six technical categories. The unexpected success of Fury Road gave director George Miller an opportunity to further flesh out his post-apocalyptic wasteland with the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform nearly as well as its predecessor in theaters, but now it’s finding an audience on streaming.
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According to FlixPatrol, which measures the popularity of titles on various streaming services, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is currently the No. 9 movie on Netflix in the world, narrowly edging out The Angry Birds Movie for its spot on the chart. At the time of this writing, Furiosa is only streaming in select international territories on Netflix; American viewers interested in watching it can catch it on HBO Max.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Is One of the Decade’s Best Action Films
Furiosa earned just $174.3 million at the worldwide box office and didn’t receive a single Oscar nomination, but that disappointing performance should not discourage people from watching the film. Boasting a sterling Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, Furiosa is a fantastic addition to the Mad Max franchise and a worthy companion piece to Fury Road. One again, Miller illustrates why he’s a master of his craft, staging a series of jaw-dropping action sequences that seamlessly combine practical filmmaking techniques with digital effects. Every set piece in Furiosa is a wonder to behold on screen, immersing the viewer in immense scale and scope. Miller has always had a knack for delivering stunning visuals, and Furiosa is no exception.
Of course, all the hard-hitting action in Furiosa would fall hollow if not for the great performances at the heart of the film. Anya Taylor-Joy had a difficult task following the footsteps of Charlize Theron as the titular character (Fury Road is perhaps Theron’s best film), but she was more than up for the challenge. She does an excellent job of conveying the spirit of Furiosa with a dedicated turn that conveys the character’s desperation and tenacity. Taylor-Joy isn’t doing an impression of Theron; she’s able to leave her own mark on the role while still honoring what came before. It’s a tricky balance for an actor to pull off, but it’s easy to buy that Taylor-Joy’s younger Furiosa would grow to become the hardened warrior who carries Fury Road.
Furiosa is also a standout showcase for Chris Hemsworth, who delivers what might be his career-best performance as the villain Dementus. The role is a marked departure from the actor’s heroic persona as Thor. Dementus can be a truly unsettling character to watch at times, weaponizing Hemsworth’s natural charismatic charm and rendering it through an antagonist who is completely unhinged. One of the best aspects of Dementus is that he isn’t just a one-note bad guy serving as Furiosa’s foil. There’s enough there to highlight how Dementus is a tragic figure broken by the harsh realities of the wasteland. Still, he becomes someone audiences love to hate and viewers will be rooting for his comeuppance.
Miller has ideas for more Mad Max movies, but it remains to be seen if he’ll ever get a chance to make one. If Furiosa had performed similarly to Fury Road, then it would have been easy for Warner Bros. to give another installment the green light. However, Furiosa bombed at the box office (production budget was $168 million), meaning the positive reviews aren’t enough for the franchise to continue. The film industry is a business, and studios want to make a return on their investment. It’s a shame Furiosa didn’t fare better because the world of Mad Max is so rich and interesting that it would have been exciting to see what other stories Miller came up with. Still, there was a time when it looked like Fury Road was never going to be finished, so at least fans can take solace in knowing it and Furiosa exist to enjoy whenever they want.
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