Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road gets her origin story this time out and it’s a cracker. Played by Alyla Browne (as the child) and Anya Taylor-Joy (as the young adult), the hardships endured at these early stages of her life help to inform how someone so young could have such great resolve. This is an unbelievably harsh land and her strength is more than equal to the task of survival.

The dystopian landscape that provide the backdrop for all the films seems even more brutal this time and it’s to writer/director George Miller’s consummate skills that this brutality is more implied than graphically shown. There are many startling scenes but none that cross over into being outright repulsive. This helps to make the work more inviting. You get to marvel at Furiosa’s strength and steadfast connection to the last remaining glimmers of humanity.

The series has never featured more imaginative carnage or crazier action and characters, the most fun of which is Chris Hemsworth as the manic Dr. Dementus. He chews up and spits out every scene he’s in, and he and Taylor-Joy’s inevitable showdown ends in a multifaceted way that is quite satisfying. Miller’s grasp of the characters that inhabit this wild world is still pin-sharp and this bodes well for the future of the franchise.
Rob Hudson
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Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The new feature from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Babe”), under their Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke.

Miller penned the script with “Mad Max: Fury Road” co-writer Nico Lathouris. Miller’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes first assistant director PJ Voeten and second unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris, director of photography Simon Duggan (“Hacksaw Ridge”, “The Great Gatsby”), composer Tom Holkenborg, sound designer Robert Mackenzie, editor Eliot Knapman, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson and colorist Eric Whipp. The team also includes other longtime collaborators: production designer Colin Gibson, editor Margaret Sixel, sound mixer Ben Osmo, costume designer Jenny Beavan and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt, each of whom won an Oscar for their work on “Mad Max: Fury Road”.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Kennedy Miller Mitchell Production, A George Miller Film, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, and in Australian cinemas on May 23, 2024.
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Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The new feature from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Babe”), under their Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke.

Miller penned the script with “Mad Max: Fury Road” co-writer Nico Lathouris. Miller’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes first assistant director PJ Voeten and second unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris, director of photography Simon Duggan (“Hacksaw Ridge”, “The Great Gatsby”), composer Tom Holkenborg, sound designer Robert Mackenzie, editor Eliot Knapman, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson and colorist Eric Whipp. The team also includes other longtime collaborators: production designer Colin Gibson, editor Margaret Sixel, sound mixer Ben Osmo, costume designer Jenny Beavan and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt, each of whom won an Oscar for their work on “Mad Max: Fury Road”.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Kennedy Miller Mitchell Production, A George Miller Film, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, and in Australian cinemas on May 23, 2024.
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You may think you know where the story goes from here but it veers into a much more interesting narrative. It’s more about The Djinn’s (Idris Elba) story and how he came to be trapped in the bottle. Few actors have the gravitas vocally as Elba and it’s used to great effect as he spins his tale.

As the story expands you find the loneliness that The Djinn has experienced being trapped in the bottle for centuries is equally matched by Alithea’s emotionally spartan existence. They argue about the value and consequences of the three wishes and her reticence to expand on her inner feelings.

After Alithea voices her wish the story relocates to Mother England for the final reel. When the final scene plays out you will find that her inner core has been expanded in a way that you didn’t expect. Counter to the film’s trailer this is a more personal endeavour than a splashy special effects-driven bonanza.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/roadshow/

This presents two problems. First, she doubts that he is real and second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.

Three Thousand Years of Longing is directed by George Miller and stars Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.

Three Thousand Years of Longing is coming to Australian cinemas on September 1 2022.

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The set designs are awe inspiring and play as much of a character in the proceedings as top billed stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The vehicles on display are also amazing and this side of the film has been ramped up to the point of disbelief. Car heads are in for a very good time. There are also a few surprises with casting that give you a chance to see known stars outside their comfort zone.

Themes of a post-apocalyptic wasteland are revisited but with enough of a twist to keep fans of parts one, two and three as well as the newbie satisfied. The inclusion of some new and interesting characters also adds interest. Hardy is well cast as the man of few words and Charlize continues to play down the glamour with gratifying results.

Director George Miller has learned a lot since those early days and it shows. He’s use of bold strokes with character development has been buttressed with a level of nuance vacant in the first three goes. See it for the over the top action but also enjoy it for the illumination of the human struggle and their ultimate accomplishment.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/roadshow

The set designs are awe inspiring and play as much of a character in the proceedings as top billed stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. The vehicles on display are also amazing and this side of the film has been ramped up to the point of disbelief. Car heads are in for a very good time. There are also a few surprises with casting that give you a chance to see known stars outside their comfort zone.

Themes of a post-apocalyptic wasteland are revisited but with enough of a twist to keep fans of parts one, two and three as well as the newbie satisfied. The inclusion of some new and interesting characters also adds interest. Hardy is well cast as the man of few words and Charlize continues to play down the glamour with gratifying results.

Director George Miller has learned a lot since those early days and it shows. He’s use of bold strokes with character development has been buttressed with a level of nuance vacant in the first three goes. See it for the over the top action but also enjoy it for the illumination of the human struggle and their ultimate accomplishment.

Rob Hudson
www.madmaxmovie.com