Table of Contents
🇮🇩 Bahasa Indonesia – Original
Hampir satu dekade lalu, saya pernah berujar bahwa “Mad Max: Fury Road” adalah salah satu film action terbaik sepanjang masa. Film produksi Australia ini pun kembali dengan sekuelnya yang tertunda sekian lama. Berjudul “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” George Miller membawa penonton pada cerita yang terjadi sebelum film pendahulunya.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” tetap bersetting di Wasteland, sebutan bagi alam tandus Australia di masa modern. Diceritakan ada sebuah tempat bernama Green Place of Many Mothers, yang merupakan salah satu tempat yang masih subur dan menyediakan air jernih bagi penduduknya. Salah satu penduduk di sana, bernama Furiosa, diperankan oleh Alyla Browne, yang kala itu sedang asyik bermain bersama Valkyrie, sekaligus memetik buah.
Suatu saat, mereka dikejutkan dengan pemburuan yang memantik Furiosa untuk melakukan sabotase pada kelompok pemburu tersebut. Ia memotong kabel dari sebuah motor, dan berujung ketahuan. Ia pun diculik dan dibawa kelompok ini untuk bertemu dengan penguasa di sana yang bernama Dementus of the Biker Horde, yang diperankan oleh Chris Hemsworth.
Mendengar sinyal minta tolong dari anaknya membuat Mary, yang diperankan oleh Charlee Fraser, melakukan pengejaran. Upaya Mary malah berakhir saat ia sudah menyelamatkan Furiosa, namun berujung dibunuh di depan putrinya. Furiosa pun diangkat menjadi tawanan Dementus, yang amat tertarik untuk menjangkau kampung Furiosa yang memiliki tanah subur.
Menjadi tawanan Dementus tetap tidak membuat Furiosa menjadi baik-baik saja. Ia kemudian berkenalan dengan The History Man, diperankan oleh George Shevtsov, yang membantu Dementus untuk memberikan segala informasi bak Wikipedia. Furiosa juga ikut serta ketika Dementus ingin menyerang Citadel, sekaligus melihat pemimpinnya, Immortan Joe, yang diperankan oleh Lachy Hulme, yang merupakan antagonis utama film sebelumnya. Sampai suatu ketika, Furiosa ditukar oleh Dementus dan menjadi tawanan Citadel. Akankah Furiosa berhasil?
Hampir satu dekade, George Miller akhirnya berhasil menghadirkan kisah yang tadinya akan dirilis tak jauh dari film sebelumnya. Di sini, ia masih menggandeng tim sukses film sebelumnya, yang mayoritas sudah amat senior dan juga memenangkan Oscar untuk “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Mereka adalah costume designer Jenny Beavan, editor Margaret Sixel, makeup artist Lesley Vanderwalt, production designer Colin Gibson dan sound mixer Ben Osmo. John Seale, cinematographer film sebelumnya tidak ikut serta karena kondisinya yang sudah pensiun, dan digantikan oleh Simon Duggan, yang sebelumnya menjadi sinematografer untuk “The Great Gatsby” dan “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Melihat komposisi ini, tentunya tak membuat “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” memiliki kesan yang berbeda. Film ini tetap memiliki tampilan makeup dan kostum dengan gaya industrial apokaliptik yang kental, belum lagi dengan tawaran cerita yang penuh aksi akrobatik yang mind-blowing. “Furiosa” terasa sebagai suatu penyajian yang amat ambisius, yang baiknya terbilang berhasil. Apalagi dengan embel-embel Miller, yang lebih ingin mengusung filmmaker asal Australia, membuktikan bahwa kualitas film produksi Australia tidak bisa dianggap main-main. Ya, kalau urusan yang satu ini kita lihat saja keberhasilan rekan lainnya seperti Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman, sampai Hugh Jackman.
Kembali ke topik, seperti judulnya, film ini akan terfokus untuk menceritakan kisah tentang Furiosa, yang juga karakter utama pada film pendahulunya. Film dibagi dalam 5 chapter besar yang dihadirkan lewat layar hitam dengan isi judul, mulai dari The Pole of Inaccessibility, Lessons from the Wasteland, The Stowaway, Homeward, dan Beyond Vengeance. Bila pada film sebelumnya Furiosa sudah menjadi Imperator, di sini akan lebih banyak bercerita tentang proses bagaimana ia mendapatkan posisi tersebut.
Secara penyajian, film ini akan berdurasi lebih dari dua setengah jam, dan tentu sekali lagi, terasa amat ambisius. Kemampuan Miller begitu jenius untuk membangun fantasi bagi penontonnya dengan menghadirkan bagian-bagian dunia Wasteland yang jadi setting ceritanya. Mulai dari Citadel, Gasland, Bullet Town, dan Bullet Farm. Sepintas saya jadi teringat dengan saga “Star Wars” yang memiliki alur cerita untuk memperkenalkan wilayah demi wilayah seraya alur ceritanya berjalan.
Penyajian yang terasa panjang ini sayangnya kurang terlalu bekerja untuk saya. Saya merasa “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” tetap terbilang menjadi salah satu masterpiece Miller, namun belum mampu menandingi “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Kehadiran Anya Taylor-Joy sebagai Furiosa juga tidak mampu menandingi kepiawaian Charlize Theron. Ketika cerita masuk di pertengahan, kebosanan mulai hadir, terutama saat karakter Furiosa yang diperankan Alyla Browne berubah diperankan Anya Taylor-Joy.
Dari sisi antagonis, saya justru menikmati akting dari Chris Hemsworth yang membuat geleng-geleng kepala di sini. Aktor yang lebih dikenal sebagai superhero ‘Thor’ di sini hadir sebagai Dementus yang nyentrik, tapi sudah bengis. Begitu pula dengan Immortan Joe yang kini diperankan Lachy Hulme, yang menggantikan Hugh Keays-Byrne yang sudah tutup usia pada 2020 lalu, dengan mencoba menghadirkan cara bicara dan tatapan yang sama.
Pada musim penghargaan tahun ini, saya merasa “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” tetap harus dipertimbangkan untuk beragam kategori. Film ini sepertinya masih akan saya jagokan pada banyak nominasi utama, seperti Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, dan mungkin untuk Best Supporting Actor. Secara kualitas Miller tetap hadir konsisten, walaupun tidak sememuaskan film pendahulunya. Of course, it still a masterpiece!
🇬🇧 English Version – Translated
Almost a decade ago, I once stated that “Mad Max: Fury Road” was one of the best action films of all time. This Australian production has returned with its long-delayed sequel. Titled “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” George Miller takes audiences on a story that occurs before its predecessor.
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is still set in the Wasteland, the term for Australia’s barren landscape in modern times. The story tells of a place called the Green Place of Many Mothers, which is one of the places that remains fertile and provides clean water for its inhabitants. One of the residents there, named Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne, was at that time enjoying playing with Valkyrie while picking fruit.
At one point, they are surprised by hunters, which prompts Furiosa to sabotage the hunting group. She cuts a cable from a motorcycle and ends up being caught. She is then kidnapped and taken by this group to meet the ruler there named Dementus of the Biker Horde, played by Chris Hemsworth.
Hearing the distress signal from her child makes Mary, played by Charlee Fraser, give chase. Mary’s efforts end when she has already saved Furiosa, but ends up being killed in front of her daughter. Furiosa is then taken as Dementus’s prisoner, who is very interested in reaching Furiosa’s village that has fertile land.
Being Dementus’s prisoner still doesn’t make Furiosa okay. She then becomes acquainted with The History Man, played by George Shevtsov, who helps Dementus provide all information like Wikipedia. Furiosa also participates when Dementus wants to attack the Citadel, while seeing its leader, Immortan Joe, played by Lachy Hulme, who was the main antagonist of the previous film. Until at one point, Furiosa is traded by Dementus and becomes a prisoner of the Citadel. Will Furiosa succeed?
After almost a decade, George Miller finally managed to present a story that was originally going to be released not long after the previous film. Here, he still collaborates with the successful team from the previous film, most of whom are already very senior and also won Oscars for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” They are costume designer Jenny Beavan, editor Margaret Sixel, makeup artist Lesley Vanderwalt, production designer Colin Gibson, and sound mixer Ben Osmo. John Seale, the cinematographer of the previous film, did not participate due to his retirement, and was replaced by Simon Duggan, who previously served as cinematographer for “The Great Gatsby” and “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Looking at this composition, it certainly doesn’t make “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” have a different impression. This film still has the appearance of makeup and costumes with a thick industrial apocalyptic style, not to mention the story offering full of mind-blowing acrobatic action. “Furiosa” feels like a very ambitious presentation, which fortunately succeeds quite well. Especially with Miller’s touch, who wants to promote Australian filmmakers, proving that the quality of Australian film production cannot be taken lightly. Well, for this matter, we can see the success of other colleagues like Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman.
Back to the topic, as the title suggests, this film will focus on telling the story of Furiosa, who was also the main character in its predecessor. The film is divided into 5 major chapters presented through black screens with title content, starting from The Pole of Inaccessibility, Lessons from the Wasteland, The Stowaway, Homeward, and Beyond Vengeance. While in the previous film Furiosa had already become an Imperator, here it will tell more about the process of how she obtained that position.
In terms of presentation, this film will run for more than two and a half hours, and certainly once again, feels very ambitious. Miller’s ability is so genius in building fantasy for his audience by presenting parts of the Wasteland world that becomes the story’s setting. Starting from the Citadel, Gasland, Bullet Town, and Bullet Farm. At a glance, I’m reminded of the “Star Wars” saga which has a storyline to introduce region after region as its storyline progresses.
This lengthy presentation unfortunately doesn’t work too well for me. I feel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is still considered one of Miller’s masterpieces, but has not been able to match “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The presence of Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa also cannot match Charlize Theron’s prowess. When the story enters the middle, boredom begins to emerge, especially when the character Furiosa played by Alyla Browne changes to be played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
From the antagonist side, I actually enjoyed Chris Hemsworth’s acting which made me shake my head here. The actor who is better known as the superhero ‘Thor’ appears here as Dementus who is eccentric but already vicious. Likewise with Immortan Joe who is now played by Lachy Hulme, replacing Hugh Keays-Byrne who passed away in 2020, trying to present the same way of speaking and gaze.
In this year’s awards season, I feel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” should still be considered for various categories. This film seems like I will still champion it for many major nominations, such as Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, and possibly for Best Supporting Actor. In terms of quality, Miller remains consistently present, although not as satisfying as its predecessor. Of course, it’s still a masterpiece!
