In the pantheon of cinematic achievement, few directors have managed to create worlds as visually arresting and thematically complex as those crafted by George Miller in his Mad Max franchise. In four chapters stretched out in different locations with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth starring, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga struggles to make a green line in the heart of a dusty desert. However, Miller’s subtle visual effect may highlight the madness of a creative mind; he cannot make a solid narrative in the heart of the frames on the screen.
Young Furiosa, left behind by a slaughtered mother and a lost tribe, has no choice but to remain silent and witness the brutality of Dementus, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. Anya Taylor-Joy eventually transforms her into the wise Furiosa, destined to become an emancipated female protagonist in a post-apocalyptic dystopia. From the opening segment, “The Pole of Inaccessibility,” to the concluding “Beyond Vengeance,” we eagerly anticipate Furiosa’s metamorphosis from an innocent, defenseless girl to a transcendental heroine, inspiring the viewer to embark on their own journey. However, her character is overshadowed by the towering vehicle on the vandal road. As we see in the very opening scenes, she takes a risk to pick the peach on top of the tree, and we know that Furiosa is the one who plunges into the water to overcome the dominant tyranny. Following her mother’s death, she finds herself trapped in Dementus’ prison, enduring a profound silence as Dementus’ dominance overshadows her personal growth. We never see how she transforms or turns all her suffering into revenge. Dementius’ ambitious and demanding nature leaves no room to discover the silence behind Furiosa’s eyes.
We see different lands in which gasoline or bullets are just the targets of Dementus and his men. We also see a wasteland and a hidden gem that Furiosa seeks with a map of stars tattooed on her arms—a homeland of fertility and serenity in which meaningful life still functions. Despite the skilled visual effects that depict city architecture, they fail to adequately address the narratives behind these lands, giving the impression that we are in a constant rush to the spot, pass by, and retrace our steps, akin to Mad Max: Fury Road. As we pause at The Citadel, a cluster of three rock towers holding water, we hear Dementus’s familiar speech to the city’s inhabitants: “They enslave you, they exploit you, and they give nothing in return… Bring your dominion and throw them down.”
The words may provoke our collective consciousness to set ourselves free from the chain of slavery and seek redemption. It serves as a reminder of how humans manipulate conformity under the guise of cult ideology. We are aware of ecological differences and the human greed that drives them, but we rarely consider the inhabitants to be integral parts of the ecosystem. The women, ensnared by their procreation, simply appear in white gowns, bearing children and providing sustenance for their community. A compelling population story could foster an empathetic connection between the audience and the film, portraying them as global inhabitants, while also adding a striking layer to the film’s remarkable visual effects.
George Miller’s characters in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga have their own ups and downs. Compared to Immortan Joe and Furiosa, Dementus’ character doesn’t appear to be as serious or plausible. Even with his entourage of sidekicks and vehicle maneuvers, Dementus’s nasty smile and shallow pontifications when entering cities contribute to a shallow engagement that lacks depth. We expect Furiosa, the film’s name, to be the main character around whom the narrative turns and twists, but her shady nature fails to reveal the hidden gem within, the warrior who fosters audiences’ empathy. However, Anya Taylor-Joy’s silent performance throughout the film is undeniably explanatory and impressive. After all, given the intense focus on the box office, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which is a continuation of the previous Mad Max series, could potentially fulfill the expectations of its creators.
In the realm of cinematography, there is a distinct line that separates tangible reality from the crafted illusions that grace the screen. With the advancement of technology, visionary directors and skilled visual effects artists have contested, blurred, and redefined this line. George Miller’s Mad Max franchise is a prime example of this evolution in filmmaking, pushing boundaries and setting new standards in visual storytelling. His last odyssey through the post-apocalyptic wasteland strongly embraces the power of visual effect, as we cannot imagine the elements being far different from what they are. Visual effects and CG arts masterfully twist the calamities in cities, the ecological chaos among the dunes, and the never-ending road trip. For those who seek action and excitement, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is more than pure pleasure. Central to the film is the formidable armada of vehicular monstrosities that roar and rampage across the screen. Each one is a chimera of scrap metal and machinery, envisioning a future tethered to the vestiges of our current world. On the other side of the coin, we are passing through a post-apocalyptic world beneath the dust storm and climate change, and Miller masterfully portrays the tyranny of the machine and the landscape around it through the power of visual effects and CG arts.
However, Miller tries to represent the feminist paradigm at the heart of the dystopian odyssey “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Failure to achieve the goals is tangible. We eagerly anticipate the arrival of the heroine, whose essence lies in saving humanity, from the very beginning of the film, when Furiosa’s mother appears as a sniper and warrior. Despite Anya-Taylor Joy’s brilliant acting, Furiosa remains invisible, as she states in the opening scene, “Stay visible,” and a lack of solid interaction may not fulfill the audience’s desire. The film is a multifaceted work that combines entertainment with enlightenment. Whether we sacrifice the second purpose for the first, the film industry lacks many elements without the Mad Max franchise, and the power of imagination is strikingly lighting up the dark rooms of theaters.
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