Do you need to see Fury Road before watching Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?
By Sandy C.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters on May 24, and fans of the franchise couldn’t be more excited for another adventure in the wasteland. But what if you're not familiar with the post-apocalyptic franchise? Should Mad Max newbies watch Fury Road before checking out Furiosa, or can newcomers jump on The War Rig with little to no knowledge?
In short, yes, one can start their Mad Max journey with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Furiosa may be the fifth installment in the post-apocalyptic Mad Max movie series, but this movie contains barely a glimpse of Mad Max himself. Newcomers are introduced to the story through the eyes of a young Furiosa, a character first introduced in Fury Road, where she was played by Charlize Theron. But Furiosa is a prequel that starts when Furiosa is a young girl, and you don't need to know what Furiosa is like as an adult to understand and enjoy that.
When she grows up a bit, Furiosa is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. She's an iconic character that isn’t easy to embody, but Taylor-Joy flawlessly makes it her own. Furiosa also features Chris Hemsworth in the scene-stealing role of Dementus, a compelling villain who is ready to cause chaos wherever he goes.
The script is clever and never comes off like it's trying to teach a lesson to new viewers. On the contrary, the people most likely to be confused are those who already watched Fury Road, due to more than a few inconsistencies between the movies. This is why some may see Furiosa as a spin-off or remake of the franchise and not a prequel.
If you have not yet watched Fury Road, but plan on checking Furiosa out this weekend, I definitely suggest watching these two back to back. Furiosa is like an expansion pack, a bonus action-packed story to accompany its predecessor. You can stream Mad Max: Fury Road on Amazon Prime Video with a Premium subscription.
Mad Max: Fury Road premiered in 2015 to a worldwide box office total of $380.4 million, according to Box Office Mojo. In addition to Theron, Fury Road also stars Tom Hardy, Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Hugh Keays-Byrne, and others.
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