Deepanjana Pal
Divided into five parts, Furiosa is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which introduced us to the impossibly beautiful, one-armed gladiator, Imperator Furiosa (played to perfection by Charlize Theron).
Fury Road casts a long shadow over Furiosa. This time, Furiosa is the Max-like character, failing to save those she holds dear and going on terrible journeys across the Wasteland. While Anya Taylor-Joy is on the poster, it’s Alyla Browne as the young Furiosa who shines
As far as Miller and Furiosa are concerned, the answer is yes and no. There are some stunning scenes of (digitally enhanced) natural beauty in Furiosa, which counterbalance the gleeful perversity and ugliness of men like Dementus.
Furiosa does have a few glorious stunts. The director is at his best when he builds up to Furiosa losing her arm — it’s more than a limb. She’s drawn a star map on her forearm that she hopes will guide her home
Lurking in Furiosa are scattered moments of flamboyant sadism that teeter unsettlingly close to torture porn, revelling in cruelty and pain, like when Dementus’s nipples are ripped out or when Mary is being ‘interrogated’.
Yet for all the brilliant spectacle in Furiosa, it is ultimately a pale imitation of Fury Road and a film that falls back on gimmicks to disguise its lack of originality.