Mad to the Max: Furiously fueled ‘Furiosa’ a sensational but flawed prequel of pure cinema

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” — 3.5 stars

Could George Miller’s furiously fueled “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” be the epic dystopian action movie to end all epic dystopian action movies?

Close enough.

This exquisitely detailed, explosively sensational prequel of pure cinema hooks into our retinas and drags them into a dark, post-apocalyptic tribal world of savage brutality, Terry Gilliam-esque production designs, outrageously thrilling stunts, spectacular set pieces, plus a gearhead’s dream fetish of deadly demolition derbies involving suped-up motorcycles and monster trucks.

This classic revenge tale features a crackerjack cast headed by Anya Taylor-Joy as the verbally conservative titular heroine and Chris Hemsworth having way too much fun as a ruthless, white-caped warlord of the Wasteland, appropriately named Dementus.

This visionary motion picture experience begins with a 10-year-old Furiosa (impeccably portrayed by Alyla Browne) being abducted from her home by Dementus’ henchmen.

Furiosa’s rifle-toting mom (Charlee Fraser) tries to rescue her, but is captured, tortured and crucified as her daughter watches, setting the revenge plot in motion.

Fifteen years pass and Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) has become a de facto daughter to Dementus, who plots to conquer the Citadel, a mountain fortress ruled by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme, replacing the late Hugh Keays-Byrne from “Mad Max: Fury Road”).

This plot, like its villain, may be one-dimensional, but it’s flushed out by layers of visual treats, such as organically designed firearms and stick shifts resembling bones, and Dementus driving a chariot pulled by three motorcycles. Talk about horsepower!

Dementus also delivers the screenplay’s best lines, such as “Too much is never enough! We are the already dead.” He tells Furiosa, “You can never balance the scales of your suffering!”

“Furiosa” traffics in pessimism and cruelty. It delivers a bleak and blunt commentary on the inevitability of war and suffering, pointing out humanity’s propensity for justifying self-extinction, be it religion, oil, water, revenge or empire.

A feel-good movie this is not.

Neither is it a perfect entry in the five-part Mad Max Saga that began in 1979 with young Mel Gibson’s impenetrable Aussie accent being redubbed by Bren Foster for American audiences.

Miller’s 2015 release “Mad Max: Fury Road” smoothly hummed along on a powerful, high-efficiency 12-cylinder narrative. Quicker, but not as tight, “Furiosa” occasionally hits pot holes, such as undercranked elements of suspense and emotion, plus overly repetitious zoom shots practically slamming into drivers’ faces.

Additionally, “Furiosa” doesn’t fix the credibility problem with the series premise — that a global gasoline shortage has turned fuel into a precious asset not to be wasted. And yet not a single vehicle ever runs out of gas. And zillions of bikes, trucks and cars drive endlessly around in circles for no apparent reason.

This is like making a movie about a severe food shortage where characters look as if they’ve just come out of an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Nonetheless, the mesmerizing impact of Taylor-Joy’s striking oval eyes and alien-like countenance cannot be overstated. She possesses the most cinematic eyes in history.

It’s as if Miller started out with these inspired, fantastic details, then constructed a story to incorporate them.

Which brings us to a quibble about the ethics of the movie’s misleading title, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”

Would it be appropriate and acceptable for a 007 movie to follow this example by using the title “No Time to Die: A James Bond Spy Adventure,” but James Bond doesn’t appear in it?

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Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne

Directed by: George Miller

Other: A Warner Bros. theatrical release. Rated R for violence. 148 minutes