Just got out of the theater, I enjoyed it but with caveats.
I went in to this knowing in the deepest bowels of my soul that this wasn't going to be Fury Road. Fury Road is Fury Road. While I was curious about the news that this prequel was going to happen, I knew that this movie and story was ultimately unnecessary but I appreciate that we as audiences get more of the world of Fury Road.
After seeing the movie, my feelings still haven't changed. It's entertaining but not at all necessary in adding anything to what was already seen and hinted at in Fury Road. This is essentially a "lore-dump" for Fury Road that was written to inform the world-building for that movie, so take that as you will.
Before I get to griping, it must be reiterated that the best thing about these entries into "new Mad Max" thus far is the the world constructed for the stories' setting. It all the best elements from the original three movies, supercharged. All the props, costumes, make-up; the levels of consideration for every detail that peppers the making of both movies is the absolute highlight of either entries. The work just shines and it blows away any digital asset. That said, Furiosa has levels more CG in this that Fury Road did, and the levels of practical stunt work in Fury Road remains unmatched. While still exciting, the set pieces in Furiosa are heavily reliant on CG in both the stunt work and the scenery. Furiosa was shot in the same location as the original three Mad Max films but has been digitally altered to look like the heightened Namibia location for Fury Road, and then some more. It's a pity because the movie lacks a certain grit and texture that all the other entries had as a result.
The worst offense of the movie, I felt, was that despite the whole world surrounding our lead being interesting, the inescapable fact is that Furiosa herself and the people that populate it, are not. They are side characters that help fill the world with texture and presence for Max. Max is interesting. Max is the catalyst event for the the most interesting things to happen. Without Max, the movie lacks a reactor to the insanity that this world exists in a constant state of. Max is a character, Furiosa is dressing. That's the biggest let down: Max isn't in this, and it's very obvious what these movies become and what they lack if Max isn't involved. In his place is a pseudo-Max Rockatansky, which isn't very satisfying, and almost makes Furiosa even less interesting with his involvement. Max, however, does makes a very tiny cameo and it was the most exciting thing in the movie for me.
If anything, this just makes me appreciate Fury Road more. Furiosa uses footage from Fury Road as inserts and cut-aways, seeing it only just made me excited to watch it again. Miller says that Furiosa was made from the compendium of backstories made for Fury Road, and that there was some prose for the year before Fury Road's story with Max. If Miller has one more in him, that little prose with Max in an adventure before Fury Road would be leagues above what Furiosa provided.
