Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Although it never reaches the same heights of action-packed thrills and spectacle as its predecessor, George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest installment to the Mad Max series, is nonetheless a rousing, rip-roaring actioner that earns its place within the franchise. Snuggly wedged between Thunderdome and Fury Road, the spin-off prequel Miller co-wrote with Nico Lathouris is an eye-catching, gonzo complement to the Max Rockatansky mythos and Miller's post-apocalyptic vision of a dystopian wasteland barely hanging on the thread of sanity. The fifth entry is an opportunity for the Australian filmmaker of other beloved productions, like The Witches of Eastwick, Babe and Happy Feet, to expand on the folklore of a collapsed, lawless civilization increasingly losing its grip on reality, which he's been building on for the last five decades. And Furiosa does precisely that in this origin story of the titular character.

Similar to what Miller did in the first movie that launched Mel Gibson's career into A-list stardom, the plot is a slow build of a person still clinging to some semblance of the world as it was before — before it was devastated by war and ecocide, along with laying waste to critical energy resources. For the first half of the movie, our innocently young but soon-to-be furious hero (a very talented Alyla Browne) is forced into witnessing various atrocities — including the crucifixion of her mother (Charlee Fraser) — committed by her abductor, the unhinged megalomaniac warlord of the Biker Horde calling himself Dementus (a deliciously wicked and outlandish Chris Hemsworth). Once she becomes the property of Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), the second half is driven by an appetite for vengeance and to return home where Anya Taylor-Joy takes the wheel with her strong, captivating presence even as she plays the role mostly in silence. 

This is where the genius of Miller and Lathouris's script begins to emerge as Taylor-Joy's Furiosa silently contemplates her escape from this world where über-masculinity and the destructive greed for power have kicked into maximum overdrive. But in all the chaos and mayhem, never once does Miller ever lose focus that this is Furiosa's story, seeing events unfold from her mostly limited perspective, like fragmented memories that have fashioned her into the survivalist warrior who jumps on any opportunity that arises. Even the opening sequence showing her abduction, the Green Place of Many Mothers carries a fabled, mythical air about it because that is her last memory of home, so we are granted only a glimpse of a place a child barely remembers anymore. And Taylor-Joy is splendid in the role with a performance perfectly matching Charlize Theron's while embodying a strength and reliance that is equal to the Mad Max legend. 

And as he did in Fury Road, Miller and cinematographer Simon Duggan (Hacksaw Ridge, The Great Gatsby) designed Furiosa to look and feel reminiscent of a comic book. Each sequence seems to take place within a single-panel frame, allowing the audience to be fully immersed and appreciate this imaginary world where the lunatics have effectively taken over the asylum. All the while, the director takes small moments to add some depth to Hemsworth's seemingly ruthless warlord, from the small teddy bear at his side to his delusion of raising a daughter, ingeniously insinuating there once existed a person beneath all the madness. In fact, these are all people striving for the same goal of rebuilding a bountiful paradise that sadly only lives in their fantasies, but they endeavor to achieve that elusive dream in the most barbarous ways. The fourth sequel to a beloved franchise is an awesome addition to the Mad Max saga. (Movie Rating: 4/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a single-disc package with a Digital Copy code, unlocking the 4K UHD version in Dolby Vision HDR with Dolby Atmos audio. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably inside a black eco-elite keepcase with a glossy slipcover. At startup, the UHD goes straight to a static menu screen with the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background.

The post-apocalyptic actioner debuts on Ultra HD with a spectacular, reference-quality HEVC H.265 encode, boasting stunning clarity and definition from start to finish with a remarkable, bountiful array of colors. Shot entirely on the Arri Alexa 65 camera system, the freshly minted, native 4K transfer comes with razor-sharp details in the costumes, the various vehicles and the Australian landscape, including all the CG-heavy sequences. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation also parades about with a spot-on contrast and brightness balance, showering every scene with crisp, searingly-hot whites and superbly clean, resplendent specular highlights that add a beaming glow to the edge of clouds and a realistic sheen along metallic surfaces. Inky-rich blacks penetrate deep into the screen without obscuring the finer details in the darkest shadows, providing the 2.39:1 image with an incredibly three-dimensional, cinematic quality. Keeping to a similar palette as his predecessor, Simon Duggan's photography showboats sumptuous, animated primaries and a lavish display of full-bodied secondary hues, showboating an opulent selection of earth tones, vibrant yellows and fiery oranges throughout. All in all, the 4K HDR video is simply gorgeous to behold at home. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 98/100 or 5/5)

The prequel spin-off also assaults home theaters with a phenomenal, demo-quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack that immediately immerses viewers into this post-apocalyptic world right from the start and nearly never lets up. Imaging continuously feels expansive and spacious with amazing channel balance as various effects smoothly bounce between the three fronts and spread into the top front heights, creating a wide half-dome soundstage that exhibits a superb, extensive mid-range and crystal-clear clarity into the higher frequencies. Tom Holkenborg's subtle score enjoys a great deal of warmth and fidelity as it bleeds into all the channels and surrounds the listener. All the while, atmospherics flawlessly pan across the surrounds and above the listening area whether it's the echo of voices, the roar of engines or the chaotic mayhem during the many action sequences, generating an amazing, enveloping hemispheric soundfield. A commanding, authoritative low-end packs a serious, thunderous wallop that will stress the system's subwoofers, providing the visuals and the vehicles with an impressive sense of weight and presence throughout the entire runtime. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 98/100 or 5/5)

For this UHD edition, the single-disc package comes with a healthy selection of supplements.

• Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa (HD, 57 min) is an impressive making-of doc featuring various cast & crew interviews, along with great insights into the production and tons of BTS footage.
• Metal Beasts & Holy Motors (HD, 15 min) looks at the design and creation of the vehicles, props and costumes with informative interviews by the people responsible for building them.
• Furiosa: Stowaway to Nowhere (HD, 11 min) is an in-depth look at a pivotal action sequence and the enormous amount of work, time and stunts that went into crafting the entire thing.
• Darkest Angel: Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa (HD, 10 min) focuses on the titular character and the performance as told by cast & crew interviews, particularly from the actor and the director.
• Motorbike Messiah: Chris Hemsworth as Dementus (HD, 10 min) is similar to the above but with a bit more attention on the actor finding the right performance for the character.

George Miller returns to his Mad Max franchise with another visionary installment of a collapsed, lawless civilization increasingly losing its grip on reality in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The spin-off prequel expands on his post-apocalyptic vision of a dystopian wasteland that features memorable performances by Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, giving fans another awesome addition to the series that perfectly complements the mythos. Courtesy of Warner Home Video, the fifth entry debuts on 4K Ultra HD with a phenomenal, reference-quality Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos presentation. Although the bonus material could have been stronger, the selection is nonetheless worth a watch, making this UHD edition a Highly Recommended package worthy to enter the glorious halls of Valhalla. 

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