A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
some
Resource hoarding and selfishness are considered evil, while collaboration and redistribution of resources are considered good. The movie promotes perseverance and teamwork.
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Positive Role Models
a little
The Vuvalini seem to work together in peace but aren't beyond being ruthless when it comes to keeping their nearly utopic society a secret. Furiosa and Jack learn to work together toward a common goal, but there's once again a lot of violence (including implied sexual violence) without consequences. Furiosa is a strong, independent girl and then young woman who yearns to return to her childhood home.
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Diverse Representations
a little
Most central characters are White (played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, etc.). Racial diversity is limited to a couple of the wives, who are Black or biracial, and to some of the extras in the Citadel or Gas Town. Amputees, a little person, and other people with disabilities are in small roles throughout, and Furiosa uses a prosthetic hand/arm in the last act. The inclusion of characters with disabilities seems tied to the post-apocalyptic production design. Women are divided between the Citadel "wives," who have sexualized appearances (including chastity belts), and the more capable Vuvalini clan, where women can be warriors and leaders. Furiosa disguises herself as a War Boy and evolves into an Imperator. She has little agency with either warlord but learns to resist in various ways.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Near-constant, intense violence of all kinds, including against women and girls. Young women are kept confined, wearing chastity belts, in a harem in which they're forced into marriage, sex, and childbearing. A young girl is awoken in the middle of the night to be raped, but she escapes before she's assaulted. Characters die in explosions, in car crashes, being dragged by vehicles, or being pulled apart by motorcycles. People are shot with guns and stabbed with arrows. Large and small-scale violence. People are tortured and strung up, then killed. An injured character loses a limb. Frequent fighting, brawling, and vehicle pursuits. Disturbing images of torn-off limbs and diseased flesh. Cannibalism is referenced, and cooked human flesh is offered to a warlord.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
The wives (in a harem) all wear gauzy, revealing white gowns with chastity belts on top of them. The Green Place residents express love by touching foreheads. Jack is shown tending to Furiosa's wound, and they're affectionate toward each other (whispering) in an intense scene.
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Language
a little
Infrequent use of "piss," "bastard," "t-ts," "smeg," "bollocks." Immortan Joe's kids are named "Rictus Erectus" and "Scrotus."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Chrome spray seems to have a drugging effect. Dementus drinks from a flask.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is both a prequel to and spin-off of 2015's reboot Mad Max: Fury Road. It tells the origin story of Imperator Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) after she's taken from the Green Place as a child by a group of bikers led by a feared warlord (Chris Hemsworth). Eventually, Furiosa ends up in Immortan Joe's Citadel. Expect constant, intense violence, including explosions, dismemberment, torture, references to sexual violence, and lots of warring and death. Cannibals are shown with cuts of bodies, and people are shot with guns and stabbed with arrows. Language is limited to a few uses of "bastard," "smeg," "bollocks," etc., and there's only one relationship that could also be interpreted as romantic, but it never crosses beyond deep affection and forehead touching. While there's little racial diversity in the primary cast, Furiosa is a determined, courageous, and strong woman who's selfless even in the face of nearly impossible odds. And despite all the violence, the movie does promote teamwork and finding ways to resist oppressive authority. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA opens with a young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) picking a peach in the Green Place of Many Mothers, where she lives in a coed, communal society. One day, a group of biker scouts unexpectedly kidnaps her, but she's followed by her mother, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser), to the Horde of the Biker Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). The kidnappers plan to use Furiosa to convince Dementus that they've found a place of abundance, but she refuses to speak, particularly after an unspeakable tragedy occurs. Dementus keeps her as a pet, along with his History Man (George Shevtsov), who's like a human encyclopedia. When Dementus' gang discovers Gas Town, it leads to a series of violent attacks between Dementus and Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), who demands young Furiosa as part of a deal. Once at the Citadel, Furiosa grows up (now Anya Taylor-Joy) to learn about cars alongside the War Boys and to ride with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), driving the war rig on perilous supply runs on the Fury Road. All of this is part of her plan to return to the Green Place, no matter how long it takes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Furiosa. Is it necessary to the story? Why? What does the movie seem to say about violence in general? Is it thrilling, or is some of it shocking and unpleasant? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
What's the appeal of the Furiosa character? What do we learn about her here? Do you consider her a role model? Which character strengths does she demonstrate?
Discuss the role of gender in this post-apocalyptic universe. What makes Furiosa such an anomaly?
Discuss the differences between the three different fortress "communities" of the Wasteland. Which one was the best run? What advantages did each offer? Which leader did you think was the smartest and/or strongest?
Talk about the History Man. What makes him unique? Why was he useful instead of being a threat?
Movie Details
- In theaters: May 24, 2024
- Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
- Director: George Miller
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Latino actors
- Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Cars and Trucks, Adventures
- Character Strengths: Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 148 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sequences of strong violence, and grisly images
- Last updated: July 16, 2024
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