I wanted to cosplay as Furiosa when Fury Road came out almost a decade ago, but the mechanical arm props were selling online for about £600, so no dice. I’d still like to do it at some point, though.
Anyway. When Fury Road blasted onto the big screen almost a decade ago, it certainly made its (skid) mark, picking up ten Oscar nominations and a decent box office gross to boot. It was hailed as a masterpiece of action and chaos, both on screen and behind. The antipathy between Charlise Theron and Tom Hardy was recorded in detail, added to some apparent discordance with director George Miller (current Furiosa star Ana Taylor Joy recently spoke out about her lonely experience, with Miller implied to be the key culprit).
Miller’s recent addition to the manic franchise focuses on the origins of Furiosa herself, taking Max out of the picture but keeping things within the dystopian hellscape of the desert. While Fury Road was essentially one high octane chase journey, revenge is the name of the game as Furiosa is taken from the green place by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth, finally embracing his native Australian drawl for a change) and is forced to adapt and survive in her new environment. Tom Hardy’s laconic Max delivered a grand total of 52 lines across Fury Road’s running time, but Taylor Joy’s brooding Furiosa hands him a beer and manages to say even less within a longer film, with the camera providing frequent deep focus shots on her angst-ridden expressions. There’s still plenty of action to enjoy, but, like its central character, Furiosa is a darker, angrier beast.
Still, there’s a bit of light in the darkness with Tom Burke’s understated performance as Furiosa’s mentor Jack, guiding her through the gruelling realities of conflict and savagery. It’s a refreshingly unconventional depiction of a relationship that doesn’t ease in on cheesy romance, and it provides a bit of context for Furiosa’s approach to Max in the previous film. Following in the footsteps of MCU alumni Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth is pretty good as an OTT baddie, and should probably seek out more of these roles. It’s Anya Taylor Joy who shines as the titular hero, however, emoting through minimal dialogue and maximum action, defying the tired strong female character trope to create a fascinating vessel of unbridled rage and vengeance. What a lovely day.