‘There will always be war.’

There are already many 5 star reviews of this film. There will undoubtedly be many more. This will not be one of them. In fact, this review will reflect on the fact that maybe the film was in fact slightly disappointing or may have been a victim of incredibly high expectations. Mad Max: Fury Road is a wonder, a high-octane adrenaline rush and a near pitch-perfect action film (as written 9 years ago on this very blog). This is a very different kettle of fish.

Whilst Fury Road is told over three days, its prequel covers 15 years – the story of how Furiosa was pulled out of paradise and ended up working for the tyrannical Immortan Joe. Already we have one big old problem, a symptom of prequel-itius. If you’ve seen Fury Road already, you know that Furoisa will survive whatever comes her way here. Although Fury Road thrived on giving little details about its characters, we do know enough key points that we expect to make an appearance here. Already that dulls the stakes that made Fury Road such a powerhouse.

That’s compounded by the storytelling approach. Using a five-act structure, this is an epic origin saga of her character made up of key moments within those 15 years. These are hugely impressive set pieces, with lots of driving back and forth in-between. The result is a different kind of tension, a prolonged buzz rather than the punch to the face we got with Fury Road. It also gets a tad repetitive in this regard, especially her run-ins with Chris Hemsworth‘s Dr. Dementus. Hemsworth is clearly having a whale of the time in a role, exercising both is comedy and dramatic chops but these exchanges get increasingly farcical they almost resemble a Wile E. Coyote vs the Road Runner sketch. It’s not helped that these feel stretched out over the film’s overlong 148 minute runtime, which feels baggy in comparison to the taut 2 hours of Fury Road.

When the film works, though, it really does soar. The world continues to be as immersive as we have come to expect from writer-director George Miller. It’s impeccably created, shot and edited – feeling all too plausible in a multitude of ways. The characters who reside within it continue to be unique and grotesque – their stories told through such minute and precise details, from costume to mannerisms. Anya Taylor-Joy epitomises this, successfully taking on the role from Charlize Theron. With little dialogue, so much of her performance is reliant on expression – particularly with her eyes – and she provides a stellar performance. Her scenes with Tom Burke are some of the film’s standouts, their quietly building interplay a joy to watch – as is seeing Burke finally get the chance at the big screen that he has long deserved. Their sequences also highlight the fact the tonal shift between this film and its predecessor, the character study is the forefront that drives the action.

Whilst often exhilarating and with some impeccable action sequences, the whole affair feels a tad bloated and – at times – a little dull. Less furious onslaught and rather mild fury with a side of pontification.

[3.5/5 stars]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in UK cinemas from Friday 24th May.