Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Furiosa : A Mad Max Saga 

This film is a visual spectacle that is among one of the best films of the year! George Miller has crafted what is in my opinion one of the best prequels ever put to screen. Yes it has been almost 10 years since Fury Road but good art takes time it took 30 years from Thunderdome to Fury Road as some people are saying its been to long since Fury Road why bother and my two cents on that is its George miller we are talking about he has crafted outstanding film one after the other. And also Furiosa was the most compelling character in Fury Road so to get a whole film dedicated to her character I think is an amazing angle back into this franchise. As Anya Taylor - Joy and Chris Hemsworth give stellar performances in this film with that signature bombastic stylized look that Miller is known for and its brutal, fast paced, has great character depth and a compelling story to one of if not the most interesting character In the entire franchise. This film is a huge scale epic that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system in order to get the full experience of this incredible film. 

Firstly, George Miller is 80 years old still giving us knockout Mad Max films which is so impressive as he easily could of hung up his involvement with the franchise he has built since the 70’s with Fury Road as some people could argue that film would of been the best way to give a final goodbye to the franchise. As amazing as that film is and as solid as the film is if he feels their is more to tell with that world he built from scratch I trust him as filmmaker that he knows what he is doing and he knows what is the best place creatively to take the characters in. As he never does more of these films for a cash grab you can tell he does it purely for the passion and love he has for these characters and the incredible dystopian world he has crafted and what is so amazing about his approach to each new one is you can see how he tires to push himself artistically to go places he hasn’t before and is always challenging himself. As their are so many visual things he does here that he never did in Fury Road which shows how he is constantly to this day still learning and trying to top himself with each new project making it better then the previous one. The amount of spectacle and eye popping imagery he has in the film is beautiful as you could pause any moment of this film and you can hang it as a painting on your wall. The technical aspect of the film is pitch perfect from the costumes, action sequences, sound design, cinematography, score all of that is truly on another level of brilliance. The film yes dives into the prequel of the character Furiosa now this story feels more narratively driven then Fury Road as much as I love Fury Road that is a 2 and half hour car chase in the desert its spectacular but their is very little dialogue it is mostly action heavy. Which is why its regarded as one of the greatest action films in the last 25 years but in terms of storytelling this film really focuses on more of her story and who she is as a person and the action is still very much on full display but its not the driving force of it all. Some people will say this film is too slow or boring due to the slower pace that it takes on as most people expect Mad Max films to be high caliber pulse pounding action films which they are but George Miller is not going to just fall into a cycle of doing the same thing over and over again. If he is to revisit this world time and time again he finds new ways to bring audiences back into it without it feeling like something they’ve seen already which I respect and the fact he chose to make a character driven film where the action isn’t the most important element to the story I thought was a big creative risk for sure as he has no ideas if audiences will respond well to it or hate it due to the different direction he has taken with the story this time around. As I like that he chose to take a bold take on the brand he has made and make a narrative piece that really shows why this woman is shaped the way she is by the time we see her in Fury Road as it gave great context and the sheer way he goes into Furiosa I thought was genius as it makes the audience experience things from inside the brain of the lead character seeing what she is viewing and even seeing her thoughts visualized onscreen which made for such an incredible execution as the tale is very much a revenge story but it never feels like its just another paint by numbers of that narrative we have seen a million times over he goes about it in a way that is exciting, engaging and constantly keeping you entertained the whole way through. It deals with themes of trauma, love, inner strength and all of those themes are shown beautifully over the course of the film in such a genuinely expressive way that captures what George Miller is trying to say through the film amazingly well. I think from a narrative stand point it really is truly terrific topped with the fact it has truly staggering visuals that will take your breath away George Miller and the whole creative team involved put their all into this film to deliver a prequel that is exciting and something audiences also haven’t seen before in the franchise.   

Secondly, The performances in the film are tremendous! The two central characters are excellently brought to the screen by Anya Taylor - Joy and Chris Hemsworth in some of their best work of their entire career. Anya Taylor Joy gives a performance that is full of such rage, sadness and sincerity that will have your eyes glued to her leading performance the whole way through. As she is on a path for answers and revenge and she presents those key elements of the character is such a genuine way that is felt though each scene. Then you have Chris Hemsworth who gives a sinister, charming and layered performance of this antagonist that is among one of the strongest performances of his career. He dose not sympathize the character but has you see why he is the way he is while also being totally in awe of what he is doing onscreen changing his speech pattern his psychical appearance and the way he delivers his lines he dives head first into the role to give a truly dark and devilish performance of this man that is a scene stealing performance. Everyone else all gave stellar performances but it is the two central performances from Anya Taylor And Chris who are the highlights of the film giving truly outstanding work. 

Lastly, Furiosa : A Mad Max Saga is one of the best films of the year! It delivers with a phenomenal narrative, Eye popping visuals with fantastic Sound Design, Cinematography, Costumes and set design on a technical level it is truly perfect. The direction by George Miller here is him at his most visually creative in terms of storytelling as he hasn’t gone this deep with a narrative like this with this franchise before which makes it extra special. I love the creative risks he took with it as it paid off hugely as you can see he wanted to give audiences and fans alike a experience they have not seen from him in this almost 50 year old franchise. The performances are pitch perfect from Anya Taylor - Joy and Chris Hemsworth the film tackles themes of love, revenge, trauma and so much more in such a brutally honest way that is wrapped with pulse pounding action sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat all the while its able to dig deep into the soul of its central character in a way he has never done with any of his characters before. Furiosa is a visual masterpiece and is one of the greatest prequels that I have ever seen. I recommend everyone go see this film on the biggest screen with the best sound system to get the full experience to enjoy this film the way it is meant to be seen. 

This film centres around Furiosa and her traumatic past and we find out why her heart is so hardened and she is so kept to herself by the time we see her in Fury Road, she is a woman who goes through such traumatic experiences that test her courage and has her learn lessons about herself along the way

Rated R : Sequences of Strong Violence|Grisly Images

Anya Taylor - Joy : Anya is really carving a name for herself as one of the most versatile actors of her generation! She has been giving top notch performances in everything she does and finding new ways to top her previous performance. Now seeing her taking on a big franchise name like Furiosa is exciting as she has not really delved into big tentpole films like this before. As she has mainly just taken on powerhouse roles in indie dramas and working with some of the best directors currently out their. Seeing her take the lead on a film like this got me very eager to see how she would execute such a beloved character that Charlize Theron Brought to life incredibly well with Fury Road. She does not do a impression or copy and paste of thew portrayal that Charlize created for her sure she takes the blueprint she left behind but makes up the take on the character this time around her own which I liked she wasn’t trying to mimic Theron’s performance. She brings such a vulnerability to the character that makes you see so much of what you want to say through such subtle things. For instance she can tell a whole story just through her eyes as Furiosa has always been someone that keeps to herself and she keeps that mentality here and shows that quiet nature to her and why when she becomes much older why she is so reserved the way she is. As Anya Taylor - Joy brings that broken like nature to the character that is needed in order to be able to read what she is thinking through just a look or her body language she goes through the five stages of grief through the course of the film. As she sure is quiet with her dialogue but her actions are loud and to the point she makes her presence known with what she wants to tell people she may resort to violent means In order to get her point across but she is in no way going to be soft in her approach in taking down the men who ruined her life. Their is a fantastic scene towards the ending of the film where she lets out all the anger she has been bottling up for years and years and she just releases it in this emotionally charged scene of powerfully presented emotion where you see her heart bleed and for the first time in years put that anger in words and let the person know why she in such pain and its brilliantly shown onscreen. She speaks from her soul each word makes a impact that feels like its coming straight from her soul and you can feel the sorrow and pain in the words she is speaking her voice trembles a bit her eyes blackened in anger but also on the verge of tears from the sadness behind her eyes its just so layered and greatly done by Anya Taylor - Joy. You can see beyond the tough personality she has made herself into their is such untreated trauma and hurt that stems from years of pain that has gone untreated and due to that trauma going untreated she has become very cold and brutal in her soul but she isn’t emotionless she is just very closed off. She has shut down emotionally as the last time she opened herself up she got hurt and she won’t put herself through that pain again all that is shown in her performance and its on full display you can say the way she portrays the character is very much in the mindset of a trauma victim who has hardened themselves due to the traumatic experiences they have gone through. Resulting in why she is so quiet and tough on not just herself but others as well and Anya Taylor - Joy brings the vulnerability to explore the depths of her heart but also is able to showcase the action star that is needed for the big bombastic elements of what this franchise is and she is able to do both so effortlessly. Anya Taylor - Joy delivers a sensational performance that is among one of her best. 

Chris Hemsworth : Hemsworth gives his best performance since 2013’s Rush! Now Hemsworth as much as I love him in the Thor films is so much more than just that character he has proven to be a great dramatic actor in films like Ron Howard’s underrated sports drama Rush. He proved he has the chops to play emotionally driven roles that aren’t always part of big franchise characters and sure Mad Max is a big brand for sure but the role he is playing is unlike anything we’ve seen from him before. He plays this energetic, eccentric, Shady, tender at times character that is very morally grey but also a straight up villain its a very complicated character that goes through various stages that you have no idea how to feel about him and his intentions with Furiosa until the final act of the film. He does something unspeakable to her mother that leaves her forever changed and he takes her in many ways under his wing and treats her like one of his own despite the brutality of what his men does and even his own actions. He has some sort of soul in their as he dose not hurt her or let her watch anything that would traumatize her so you ask yourself is this a man that is doing bad things but is good to her to hep redeem the fact he is a bad man or is he just a bad man to the bone. That is amazingly well brought to the screen by Chris as he plays both ends of that mindset at all times. He is looking out for his men and himself sure but we learn as the film goes on he cares about just himself and he is a a master manipulator towards his followers to make them do whatever is needed in order to keep themselves afloat. He responds in his actions by intimidation, brutal violence and at time does it with a smile which makes it more bone chilling as he knows what he is doing is wrong but gets some sick satisfaction from what he is doing. Hemsworth has never played such a dark and slimy role like this before as he usually is the good guy in his films so to see him go into such a sinister role was refreshing as its a side of him that we as an audience have not seen him explore. He changes the way he speaks as I mentioned to the way he walks and he brings this Australian twang to his voice that sounds like him but also not its a great blend that just fit the character so well you can tell he had a blast playing such a despicable person. Seeing that darker element to him really impressed me as when he is onscreen he lights up the frame with such a swagger and electric presence. Hemsworth’s character in many ways is one of the root causes of Furiosa’s trauma and he knows he has that pull on her that can get to her heart easily and the scary reality is he knows he hurt her but does not care he thinks its meaningless to even carry a grudge against him as he just goes on with his life. That mentality and carelessness is both arrogant and terrifying as he is seeing nothing wrong in his actions ever and Hemsworth commands the screen with a terrific performance that is energetic, scary and entertaining all the way through it is one of his most complex and strongest performances he has put to screen. 

George Miller : Miller gives his best direction of the franchise with his artistic and bold take on the almost 50 year old franchise with Furiosa! Now as I had mentioned previously He has taken a Huge creative risk with the direction he put this film In as so many people are used to the big bombastic look and feel of Mad Max which that style is very much still present just not as much action this time around. He instead settles for a more quiet character piece that is by far his most narrative driven film in years for the franchise. As sure he gives that post apocalyptic feel that is a signature look to the films that people have come to love but he digs deeper into the characters in a way he never has before which I love. He goes about it in a way that if you are going to revisit this very old franchise its best to find new ways into the world as if your just repeating the same thing but only a little bit different what’s the point of revisiting it. He takes on a huge scale epic that also feels intimate as he gives the flashy big stunning visuals but at the heart of the film it is about a woman suffering from trauma and pain for years and how she goes about her life since that took place. With that pain and hurt Furiosa is born into existence and He shows some of the most emotionally gut wrenching scenes of the franchise in this film with yes pulse pounding action scenes that are breathtaking to see on the big screen but the smaller more intimate moments are where the film truly shines. It is within those smaller moments we see the characters truly fleshed out and by the final act be fully realized characters with great arcs and he has done such great character work among some of the best of his career as the arc she goes on is grim and dark but its shown in such a layered way that you cannot look away from. George Miller at the age of 80 is still finding new ways to raise the bar artistically and visually in his films to give his fans and audiences the best cinematic experiences possible and it shows as you can see the insane amount of passion and love he has for these characters. Miller shows no sign of stretching the material thin in order to get audiences into a theatre you can see he has no plans to make a film purely for profit but for the artistry and love for the world he has made and its with that passion he takes on such heavy elements like trauma on a level we have not seen before from him that is so unlike anything he has done with this brand he has made. George Miller delivers again another stellar film within the Mad Max universe showing new ways to push the franchise in places he has yet to go and its a tremendous sight tot behold as I firmly believe this is one of his best directed and narrative films he has ever put to screen.