FN'F Reviews: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Why is Everyone so Furious?

A Wasteland of Public Opinion:

I never watched a trailer for Furiosa. I am also not the biggest fan of the Mad Max franchise. However, I do enjoy good action and fun/interesting set pieces. So, I was very surprised to see that I enjoyed this movie more than most. It was rather shocking to me. This is a genuinely good movie. However, every review I have seen or read is about people complaining that they were left wanting, that this film was unnecessary, or that it was not as good as Mad Max Fury Road. I can usually see the other side of these arguments and understand where they are coming from, but I do not get it with this film.

Left Wanting:

So many people say that his movie was boring or dull in some way. Yet, there are so many action scenes littered throughout the film. Not just any action scenes mind you. A giant truck with spinning blades on the back is being attacked by paragliders throwing exploding spears! I want you to let that sentence sink in for a second. That is insane! It also is not even the best action sequence in the movie. It kicks off immediately. The opening scene is tense, brutal, and engaging. It makes you care about the characters and route for them. Watching bikers’ heads pop one by one as a little girl tries her best to sabotage them. What more could you want? There is admittedly a bit of a lull in the middle of the movie. I do think it could have been cut down by about 15 minutes. To really tighten it up. In the end this was a solid revenge movie with a good payoff. Great action with interesting set pieces. The world feels strange and fresh. Yes, I know it is just reusing some locations from Fury Road, but it has been 9 years since that film. It has been a while since we’ve visited this world and even with that in mind, they are constantly throwing new locations at us. It is just fun! If you did not like the film that is fine. You can like what you like. I just worry that people are beginning to think every movie must be this grand epic or life-changing experience. Sometimes, we can just make a fun revenge movie; it does not need to be larger than life. I have also noticed that people are starting to hate on things just for fun. They are going in wanting to hate on something before it starts. It is ok for a movie to just be good. That should not be a negative. I think as an audience our expectations are just getting a bit too high.

The Film is Unnecessary/Not Fury Road:

I am not a Mad Max fan so it is weird that I am the one defending it. I thought Fury Road was a fine film. I don’t enjoy it as much as others do but I do recognize how hard it was to make and how engaging it is. These post-apocalyptic movies just are not my cup of tea. While that may be true I highly respect George Miller. There are movies that seem “unnecessary.” Their existence seems to be fueled by greed or to keep the rights of an IP. I do not feel like either of those is true. I think Miller had a vision for a film and dove into the backstory of one of his characters. It is a director’s vision. That is art. So, I could never say that this is unnecessary. The color palette is fun and vibrant, the script solid, the acting superb, and the action engaging.

Yes, we know it’s not Fury Road! Why does that matter? That film is the highest