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An overly long film that lacks direction for a good chunk of time but is saved by a great score, innovative action sequences and some over-the-top performances. The weakest part about this film is the basic plot, which is essentially just setting up Furiosa’s appearance in the previous “Mad Max” film. The problem here is that we have a vague idea of what she is trying to do, but if you saw the other film, you know her story is just beginning, and the payoff here will be limited. There’s also a lack of characters worth getting invested in. Chris Hemsworth does a great job as the film’s villain, but he vanishes for a large portion of the film. The Jack character added about mid-way through just comes across flat and didn’t have much chemistry with Furiosa. As for the star, I was shocked at how well they were able to switch from the younger actress playing the lead to the older version played by Anya Taylor-Joy. (Apparently there was some CG-magic to make the child actress’ features look more like Taylor-Joy’s.) While both actresses make Furiosa’s story watchable, the lack of urgency and drawn-out plot make it hard to stay invested for the two-and-half hour runtime. There film looks great, and the action is solid, especially the War Rig chase sequence. (There’s a setup for what should be a big third act battle, but that ends up being glossed over.) All of the action is enhanced by a great score by Tom Holkenborg, which injects it all with adrenaline.
**1/2 out of *****