i think it might be physically impossible to outdo Fury Road, and it feels like this movie makes a calculated decision to do... something different. I think I enjoyed it, but it's such a wildly different beast.
It feels almost in rebellion against the format of Fury Road, which was propelled by constant action setpieces back and forth. Here, it's almost languid in its depiction of the Wasteland and its warlords, luxuriating in the strangeness of it all and getting just on the razor's edge distance to being "mundane".
It's a franchise film, that much is clear. A few choices felt groanworthy in their "do you get it"-ness. It's not flawless. I can't tell what choices were made specifically because George Miller is just a freak like that and which were made for the ease of audiences getting slammed with 2.5 hours of Wasteland. I don't think that's a bad thing overall -- I love when George is on his freak shit.
In many ways this reminded me of Beyond Thunderdome, not really in content but in tonal difference between it and its predecessor. Road Warrior is tight, contained, restrained even. Beyond Thunderdome is sprawling, messy, overstuffed with characters and story. Furiosa feels similar -- admirable in its commitment to being maximalist, kind of head-scratching in the way it refuses to be anything other than what it is.
I'd say it's too long, which I do think it is, but the pacing feels crucial to telling this story the way that it does. The term 'saga' is not used lightly here. large sequences are nearly soundtrack-less, only a soft tense beat and the sound of engines and explosions. There are significant diversions into the political arrangements of the Wasteland. People talk a lot.
And also, Chris Hemsworth is genuinely delightful here. Weird as fuck character. Fun as hell to watch. Anya Taylor-Joy is... serviceable. She's no Charlize, but I can understand why that wasn't really an option here.
A true Prequel movie, in so many ways. Doesn't feel like it works on its own, holds up pretty well as a more thoughtful companion piece to Fury Road. A weird one from George, but I think he had fun with it, which I can appreciate.
