One of my earliest memories is the rumble of a four-wheeler.
It might come as a surprise to those who know me, but I spent much of my childhood at the wheel of some heavy machinery: from my cousin’s four-wheeler to the tractor at harvest season and my grandfather’s dump truck.
And even, or especially, at a young age, there’s something about being in a massive machine that makes the rest of the world seem to fade away until it’s just you, the wheel and the engine.
And there’s few films that capture that more than the Mad Max series.
Forty-five years after the release of the original “Mad Max” film in 1979, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” was released this month as the fifth entry in director George Miller’s mad-cap adventures.
Like the films before it, “Furiosa” tells a story of the surreal wanderers of a desert wasteland ruined by nuclear war and ecological collapse and where motorcycles and big rigs are the rides of choice.
The film is a prequel to 2015’s critically-acclaimed “Mad Max: Fury Road” and tells the origins of the fearsome female warrior Furiosa.
Raised in an oasis tucked away from the desert wastes, the young Furiosa is abducted and brought to the camp of the warlord Dementus, played by actor Chris Hemsworth looking nearly unrecognizable from his famed “Thor” role.
Furiosa is then left to spend the movie working to survive and return to the paradise she called home.
But the wastes of the “Mad Max” universe are barren and cruel, where power is measured in water and gasoline.
But what the desert lacks in color, it more than makes up for in the colorful characters that fill it.
The series is famous for its iconic “wasteland warriors” decked out in low-budget outfits of leather, feathers, mohawks and medieval armor.
And from mannequin head motorcycles to gas-mask codpieces, there’s no shortage of familiar “Mad Max” wackiness here.
That being said, that does raise one issue with the film.
Again, “Furiosa” is a prequel to the events of 2015’s “Fury Road,” which happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies.
That film is incredibly gorgeous, the action scenes are widely agreed to be some of the best ever put to film and the acting is heart-wrenchingly believable.
But that high bar can leave “Furiosa” feeling at times like an appetizer to the full meal.
Every time they tease a part of “Fury Road”, you instinctively want to turn to someone who hasn’t seen it yet and say “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
The War Boys? “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
The big chase scene? “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Which is, of course, a great feeling. But it can make “Furiosa” feel like less than a full film.
But a delicious appetizer is still a delicious appetizer, and there’s plenty to love here.
Again, Hemsworth succeeds wonderfully in shedding his Marvel hero typecasting and is clearly having a ball in the bad guy role.
And Anya Taylor-Joy can, in my opinion, be cast in anything and be a joy to watch. Once again, there are no better eyes in Hollywood and she takes the tall assignment of following Charlize Theron’s performance in the original and more than makes it her own.
Also, shout-out to young actress Alyla Browne as the youngest Furiosa for nailing one of the film’s most emotional moments.
All that being said, there are so many movies where you’re left at the end feeling like “I want to spend more time in that world.”
And for fans of “Fury Road” and “Mad Max” in general, “Furiosa” is a wonderfully welcome return to the wasteland.
I give “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” 4 stars out of 5.
Have you seen “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”? What did you think? Email Ben Rowe at browe@pressrepublican.com with your thoughts and takeaways.