Furiosa as a prequel film missed the mark by several magnitudes. This was George Miller's attempt at telling a more sentimental and heartfelt origin story of his famed female hero, Furiosa; who was played more compellingly in 2015 by Charlize Theron.
While I understand the need to recast the part due to Theron's age, Anya Taylor-Joy lacked the grizzly survivalist grit and fierceness that would have justified her character's ominous mutism. Furiosa should fill that silence with her brooding, steely aura - but here it didn't land.
A lack of a consistent film score also jarred; as many segments went unillustrated by music with a strange foray into negative audio space that didn't achieve whatever Miller perhaps thought it would in potentially establishing intimate presence and rawness. It's a quiet film not helped by a quieter character in Furiosa. The main audio is probably the symphonic roar of engines.
Miller aspires to the Homeric and the biblical in this latest installment, but he cuts corners with an over-reliance on CGI and special effects. What set Fury Road apart from the rest was its markedly sparing usage of CGI; here we sadly see a departure from that standard and a step in the wrong direction.
We aren't treated to a thunderous cinematic thrill-ride with ambitious sequences. Instead it's a muddled patchwork detailing Furiosa's removal from the 'place of abundance' and her introduction into the wasteland - at the poignant cost of things very dear to her. Unfortunately Anya was not convincing in the role. Hemsworth as Dementus was good; although not an exceptional villain like Immortan Joe.
The world-building does certainly help underpin Fury Road, but it forgets to be exceptional in its own right, rather than solely derivative of its excellent sequel.
While I understand the need to recast the part due to Theron's age, Anya Taylor-Joy lacked the grizzly survivalist grit and fierceness that would have justified her character's ominous mutism. Furiosa should fill that silence with her brooding, steely aura - but here it didn't land.
A lack of a consistent film score also jarred; as many segments went unillustrated by music with a strange foray into negative audio space that didn't achieve whatever Miller perhaps thought it would in potentially establishing intimate presence and rawness. It's a quiet film not helped by a quieter character in Furiosa. The main audio is probably the symphonic roar of engines.
Miller aspires to the Homeric and the biblical in this latest installment, but he cuts corners with an over-reliance on CGI and special effects. What set Fury Road apart from the rest was its markedly sparing usage of CGI; here we sadly see a departure from that standard and a step in the wrong direction.
We aren't treated to a thunderous cinematic thrill-ride with ambitious sequences. Instead it's a muddled patchwork detailing Furiosa's removal from the 'place of abundance' and her introduction into the wasteland - at the poignant cost of things very dear to her. Unfortunately Anya was not convincing in the role. Hemsworth as Dementus was good; although not an exceptional villain like Immortan Joe.
The world-building does certainly help underpin Fury Road, but it forgets to be exceptional in its own right, rather than solely derivative of its excellent sequel.
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