The Stream: It feels like the same action sequence over and over for more than 2 hours

The Big Screen: Chris Hemsworth and striking visuals

The Final Bill: Despite thrilling action sequences and striking visuals, this movie feels too long and repetitive.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: George Miller
Writers: George Miller and Nick Lathouris
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes
Production Companies: Warner Bros., Kennedy Miller Mitchell
Platform: In theaters May 24, 2024
Notable Trailers: Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Twisters, Wicked, Deadpool & Wolverine

What’s up, Streamers!?! Summer movie season is in full swing! Memorial Day weekend is the time for a mega blockbuster. Attempting to fill that slot this year is Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road and the fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise. It is bringing gonzo action sequences and post-apocalyptic revenge drama to the big screens with striking visuals and revving engines. Here’s whether you will be mad about Furiosa.

In Furiosa: A Mad Max Story, we get to see how Charlize Theron’s Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road came to be. We meet Furiosa as a young girl in the Green Place when she gets kidnapped by some raiders who follow Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). When Furiosa’s mother follows the raiders back to Dementus’ camp, she attempts to set Furiosa free and prevent the raiders from finding their way back to the Green Place. Of course, things take a turn for the worse which leads Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) to be captured and enslaved by Dementus. As Dementus sets out to take over the wasteland by defeating the factions of the Citadel and Gastown, Furiosa strives to break free, get revenge on her captor and return to her home. Dusty road races and arm-ripping hijinks ensue.

While there’s a lot going on in Furiosa, it feels like there are two movies fighting against each other. Furiosa’s storyline fades into the background as the main plot of Dementus taking over the wasteland becomes the main focus. The movie feels unbalanced because of these divergent plotlines. Also, Chris Hemsworth’s performance is so outsized that he takes over every scene he’s in. He has the charisma needed for a character like Dementus. Hemsworth is funny and menacing at the same time. You’ll miss him when he’s not on screen. On the other hand, Furiosa mostly fades into the background because she has very little dialogue and feels like more of a supporting character than anything else. Anya Taylor-Joy does her best with what she has, but there isn’t much to this version of Furiosa.

Moreover, the main action of the movie is repetitive. It all looks good, but it is the same over and over again. I can’t say that any set piece actually stands out when it’s like 100 minutes of a big rig riding back and forth through a deserted wasteland. Despite that, the visuals are striking. The cinematography, the make-up, costumes and visual effects enhance the world and look amazing on the big screen. Yes, this is the same world from Fury Road, but it is still visually engaging.

Ultimately, Furiosa: A Mad Max Story is a good addition to the Mad Max franchise. It has striking visuals that continue what was so good about Fury Road, and there is a strong and charismatic Chris Hemsworth performance. The action is repetitive and the main character is too passive to really be engaging. At more than 2 hours, the divergent storylines and repetitive action may get tedious. Nevertheless, the spectacle warrants a matinee viewing, so grab a bowl of popcorn.