It’s time to buckle your seatbelts, start your engines and put the pedal to the metal because the newest installment of the “Mad Max” franchise is here. After the smashing success of “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), starring Tom Hardy as Max and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa, comes a prequel focusing on the story of a younger Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy). After being taken from the Green Place as a child and being held captive by a biker gang led by warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), she must drive to survive and make it back to her home in one piece in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (2024)

George Miller, co-writer and director, creates an action-packed, high-velocity adventure that keeps the audience engaged from the green light when the movie starts to the checkered flag when the last credit rolls. However, unlike his previous “Mad Max” film, he shifts gears using a different formula for telling this story. Miller uses chapters to tell a story that spans roughly 20 years of Furiosa’s life. While there is a touch of “Mad Max: Fury Road” here and there, this film has individualistic elements that make it a unique chapter in the “Mad Max” saga. Miller’s cinematography is one thing that makes this movie and “Fury Road” stand out from other films. He has a unique style that makes the world of “Mad Max” special to look at. 

Taylor-Joy is phenomenal in the role of Furiosa, making the character her own while also capturing the portrayal from Theron, showing how her circumstances turn her into the Furiosa we all know from “Fury Road”. Alyla Brown portrays the child version of Furiosa and she is fantastic, she has a wide range of emotions that will connect with the audience almost instantaneously.  Hemsworth is fun to watch as a wild villain who will make the audience laugh at some of his ridiculousness while also routing for his demise. 

I absolutely loved this movie. I had never seen a “Mad Max” movie before but watched “Mad Max: Fury Road” the night before seeing “Furiosa” and I was blown away by what I had seen. I can’t believe I have never seen these movies before but now I plan to go back and watch the other films in the franchise. I highly recommend watching “Mad Max: Fury Road” before going to see “Furiosa” as the ending of the story shows some of the story of “Fury Road”. I think had I gone into “Furiosa” without seeing “Fury Road” I would have been confused towards the end. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a fantastic way to rev up the beginning of summer and I give it a 5 out of 5 RPMs.