I very clearly remember watching the first Mad Max film. My dad had rented it for me and although he didn’t really “get it”, I loved it. The next week we watched the second film, and I was a certified Mad Max fanboy.
I went to see Beyond Thunderdome at the cinema (I think that one was with my mum) and when I got the soundtrack for Christmas, it became my go-to music for quite a while.
I love movies, but so many of the big franchises feel tired or repetitive or just lose that magic once you get beyond two movies. Not so, Mad Max. I was nervous about Fury Road, but it immediately secured a place my favourite films list, so I was a lot more optimistic going into Furiosa.
I wasn’t disappointed.
George Miller and co. have put together another high-octane blend of post-apocalyptic madness. All the classic Mad Max tropes are there, from the epic desert chases filled with all manner of absurd methods of transportation to the ridiculous nicknames (Rictus Erectus and The Octoboss anyone?). Both Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth are great. Throw in an eardrum pounding soundtrack from Tom Holkenborg and you’ve got all the ingredients for another classic Mad Max experience.
If I was going to criticize anything, it would be some of the more obvious CGI sequences. The gradual transition from young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) to older Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) works well, but some of the early combat scenes are very clearly computer generated. One of the trademarks of the Mad Max series is the practical effects so seeing clearly fake war boys tumbling off clearly fake vehicles was jarring.
Fury Road does still squeak through as my favourite of the newest films (with Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior being the best of the original three films), but I’ve no doubt I’ll be watching Furiosa again, probably followed by another rewatch of Fury Road.
[Five for Five by Philip Harris first appeared on Solitary Mindset on 26th May 2024]