Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Tale of a scorched earth.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III August 8, 2024

Released nearly a full decade after the game-changing spectacle of Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller and his crew return with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to give the previous film's one-armed heroine a full-life origin story. Cynics might dismiss it as a money-minded method to milk more movie mileage out of this post-apocalyptic franchise, but not so: Furiosa's script was written before Fury Road began filming and the original plan was to shoot them simultaneously. That sadly didn't work out for financial reasons, so Furiosa ended up in Purgatory rather than Valhalla.

Despite their similar visuals and shared universes, Furiosa and Fury Road are substantially different from a narrative perspective. This is not a start to finish thrill ride; instead, as the title implies, it's presented more like a dramatic saga and takes place over a 16-year period right before the opening scene of Fury Road. We're first introduced to younger Furiosa (Alyla Browne) living in relative comfort within the Green Place of Many Mothers; it's been decades since the apocalypse, and theirs is one of the only small paradises left in an otherwise barren desert. When invaders are found nearby, young Furiosa tries to sabotage their bikes and is taken as a souvenir for the horde's leader, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), but most of Furiosa's captors are killed by her mother Mary (Charlee Fraser) on the journey back. She's soon captured too and, as the young girl is forced to watch, Dementus crucifies Mary in a similarly brutal manner to his own family's senseless death years earlier. Needless to say, the cycle of violence has begun again.

Living in servitude as Dementus' adopted daughter, Furiosa sheds her skin and spends the next several years Mulan style, posing as a mute boy within the ever-growing horde as Dementus and his men try to overthrow several nearby territories including the Citadel, run by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, taking over the mask for Hugh Keays-Byrne after his 2020 death). As she grows into adulthood (now portrayed by Anya-Taylor Joy, doing a respectable Charlize Theron vocal impression), Furiosa finally plans her escape on the newly-built War Rig driven by Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), a trusted commander within the Citadel who she will later find to be a sympathetic soul. Together on the road towards freedom, the pair will face no shortage of obstacles as they travel through unforgivably hostile territory.

Few fans of Mad Max will be able to say that Furiosa is the superior film compared to Fury Road, to which it will be forever linked and compared. Furiosa does less with more, and this includes an expanded running time that could've been trimmed by at least 10-15 minutes with no major losses. However, it clearly makes a case for existence due to the strong narrative commitment and technical achievements put forth by Miller and company: this includes not only the gung-ho crew but the cast, all of whom do good to great things with their characters. Anya Taylor-Joy brings the required stoic ruthlessness to Furiosa even if she doesn't quite look the part, and Chris Hemsworth adds a surprisingly sympathetic sheen to the charismatic, ruthless Dementus. (The only major character who doesn't leave an especially strong impression is Praetorian Jack, who seems to only exist as a lukewarm Max stand-in when Furiosa was doing pretty damn well on her own.) Yet its subtle to substantial changes -- not to mention Furiosa's expanded narrative structure, which is presented as five linked chapters -- mostly work well within an otherwise near-identical universe, one that fits in almost seamlessly with Fury Road despite the vastly different years and filming locations.

Peppered with absolutely incredible action scenes, including a particularly impressive one known as "the Stowaway", Furiosa doesn't miss a beat when it comes to kinetic thrills... even while it's clear that the use of visual effects here is much greater than the almost entirely practical Fury Road. But even though pieces of the narrative lightly threaten its overall momentum, the overwhelming majority of Furiosa should more than satisfy thirsty Mad Max fans who have been waiting for water to be poured from above. What's more is that it plays extremely well on home video and is available in two separate format releases (three, if you still count DVD) and even a 4K/Blu-ray Steelbook combo pack, all of which offer proportionately good to outstanding A/V merits and a collection of well-rounded extras.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the separate Blu-ray edition, reviewed here.

Presented in its fittingly wide original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, Furiosa carries with it several visual similarities to the earlier Fury Road, from its largely blue-and-orange desert locations to the virtually monochromatic palette of stray sandstorms and cool night sequences. That's one of the primary reasons why this triple-layered 100GB disc doesn't regularly peak far above the 40-50Mbps threshold, but the varying levels of supportive detail and texture seen in this 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer never disappoints. From the frequent digital tinting to quick cuts and zooms, Furiosa maintains an extremely stylized appearance that should feel instantly familiar to Mad Max fans, one that occasionally tightens into razor-sharp mode but sometimes dips back into a more color-driven formula. Wide shots look particularly good here, such as the industrial backdrop of Gastown and at least one high-speed action scene witnessed from afar, with stray close-ups also revealing grains of sand, caked black great paint, skin pores, and of course grime matting the faces of countless main and supporting characters. It's a suitably striking image, all things considered, and one that's typically bolstered nicely by the use of HDR to tighten up its more colorful moments as well as objects set against darker backdrops while reining in glaring sunlight from overhead. Encoding seems up to par and no egregious levels of macro blocking, posterization, or banding could be spotted, even during scenes dominated by blowing sand.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unsurprisingly, the default Dolby Atmos mix frequently goes into overdrive, even more closely resembling the familiar sonic footprint of Fury Road. Less reliance on action this time around -- at least proportionately, given its runtime -- doesn't necessarily lead to a less active sound stage, just one that typically relies on more subtle use of rear channels and discrete effects while reserving about the same amount of space for composer Tom Holkenborg's propulsive original score. Dialogue remains clear and easily understood, assuming you're able to follow most of the franchise's traditionally flavorful vernacular. Then, of course, there are Furiosa's action sequences, which dial up the tension considerably while making great use of the Atmos-exclusive height channels to keep your ears entertained throughout. It's a chaotic yet tightly-controlled effort that should easily remain one of the year's best-sounding discs, even rivalling the grandiose spectacle of Dune: Part Two and other blockbusters. Without question, it's a "crank up and enjoy" affair.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and all extras listed below.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Bonus features are small in number but go into decent depth overall.

• Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa (57:00) - I was expecting the usual 10-15 minute promotional featurette here, so this nearly hour-long piece about the film's production was a pleasant surprise indeed. Nicely produced and put together, it offers a mixture of fly-on-the-wall set footage and periodic interview segments with director George Miller, producer Doug Mitchell, first assistant director PJ Voeten, and production designer Colin Gibson, as well as cast members Anya Taylor-Joy, Lachy Hulme, Quaden Bayles, and Chris Hemsworth, among others. Along the way, we're also treated to separate looks at concept art, the visual effects, rehearsal footage, and other aspects of the filming process. Simply put, they usually don't make 'em like this anymore.

• Darkest Angel: Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa (10:19) - Returning to more predictable territory, this much shorter piece finds the actor -- as well as several other cast and crew members, including actor Charlee Fraser and hair/makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt, discussing her character and how she prepared for the role; like the previous piece, George Miller also appears an talks about the Mad Max franchise as a whole.

• Motorbike Messiah: Chris Hemsworth as Dementus (10:02) - Another like-minded character piece with appearances by George Miller, this one obviously features Hemsworth reflecting on his participation as well as the challengers of getting into character while separating his public persona from the role.

• Furiosa: Stowaway to Nowhere (11:13) - A closer look at the challenges of developing the fifteen-minute "Stowaway" action sequence which involved 200 stunt people, 197 shots, and was filmed over an understandably difficult nine-month period, featuring comments from several unsung members of Furiosa's film crew.

• Metal Beasts & Holy Motors (14:42) - Another requisite piece on the franchise's long-standing commitment to designing, driving, and often destroying a fleet of hugely impressive post-apocalyptic vehicles, all of them built from totally repurposed parts. These are always fun to watch, even if you're not a car person.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga may have underperformed at the box office earlier this year, but in many ways it's about as impressive as fans could've hoped for under the circumstances. Initially planned to be shot alongside Fury Road but stuck in development hell for several years due to contract and budget disputes, its long-delayed completion shows that Miller and company were able to pick up almost right where they left off. Whether or not you saw this one in theaters, Furiosa is well worth picking up on home video; Warner Bros.' 4K-only edition leads the charge with suitably strong A/V merits and even a decent collection of bonus features to boot. Highly Recommended.