The 2024 installment in theMad Maxseries,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, provided some fascinating context for the dystopian franchise, but despite mostly positive reviews, the movie failed to repeat whatMad Maxmanaged to do with its original run in the 1980s.Mad Maxgave Mel Gibson his breakthrough role as Max Rockatansky and becamethe most profitable movie ever madeat the time. WhileMad Maxhas a 90% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating,Mad Max 2: The Road Warriortopped it, with a 94% rating and a new post-apocalyptic wasteland setting –defining what we know asMad Maxtoday.
With advancements in CGI and an increased budget fortheMad Maxfranchise,Fury Roaddelivered and improved on the themes viewers now expect fromMad Maxwhen it rebooted theMad Maxfranchise 30 years afterMad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.Fury Roadbrought intense action, vehicles that existed on a different creative level from the previous movies, and Furiosa: a compelling main character alongside Max. However, though its sequel addressedFuriosa’s fascinating backstoryand received a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it did not improve uponFury Road.
WhereasMad Max 2essentially reinvented the franchise,Furiosaoffered nothing as radical or progressive. The result is that, for all its strengths,Furiosawill never be seen in the same light as the series' original 1981 sequel.Mad Max 2contained elements of the originalMad Max, like modified cars and larger-than-life characters, but the barely recognizable wasteland setting introduced an entirely new environment for Max to explore. This expanded theMad Maxuniverse,improving uponMad Maxby keeping audiences interested in this new world.
Furiosaexplained the character’s tragic backstory, which had been left a compelling mystery throughoutFury Road.However, whileFuriosaintroduced new characters and gave Furiosa more screen time,Furiosadid not expand theMad Maxloremuch and therefore did not improve uponFury Road.There is nothing, for instance, as transformative as a brand-new environment.
Mad Max 2established a new post-apocalyptic universe, with new rules for survival, so viewers see a dramatic change in Max between the first and second movies.
Mad Max 2established a new post-apocalyptic universe, with new rules for survival, so viewers see a dramatic change in Max between the first and second movies.Every main feature ofMad Maxhas been exaggerated, from the modified cars to the antagonist characters, while the movie still keeps a sense of humor. This approach allowed the franchise total creative freedom in the vehicle and character design, and the resulting creations have become a defining feature of theMad Maxfranchise. Unfortunately, there is nothing comparable inFuriosa.
Furiosa Is Still Great, Despite Not Living Up To Fury Road
WhileFuriosawas criticized for its overuse of CGI, and does not expand theMad Maxuniverse to the same extent thatFury Roaddid,Furiosais still a good story.Furiosareferences pastMad Maxcharacters like Lord Humungus, with the appearance of antagonist Dementus' chariot, and gives viewers a new road warrior in Praetorian Jack.Furiosa’s brutal endingpacked a similar punch to Immortan Joe’s death when his mask is ripped from his face, and Chris Hemsworth’sDementus steals the show whenever he is on the screen, leaving the potential for a Dementus spin-off.
This Mad Max Theory Solves My Biggest Problem With Furiosa
A Mad Max retcon that reveals the History Man as an unreliable narrator to Furiosa’s backstory might save Furiosa, and give her a sequel.
Dementus is a typicalMad Maxvillainas he is visually distinctive and arrogant, but also funny. Viewers learn enough of his backstory thata Dementus spin-off could be set in a completely different area of the apocalypse, with different rules for survival. An alternative could be focusing on Praetorian Jack and setting it within an area that viewers have seen but not explored, for example, if Gastown or The Bullet Farm extended far underground. AFuriosasequel could significantly elaborate on theMad Maxlore in a way thatFuriosadid not – highlighting how the movie still has much to commend it.
