Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Blu-ray Review
Score: 75
from 2 reviewers
Review Date:
Despite its box office struggles, 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' impresses with a top-tier Atmos mix and solid extras on Blu-ray, making it a worthy addition for fans.
Disc Release Date
Dolby Atmos
Dolby TrueHD
Video: 71
"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" Blu-ray delivers excellent 1080p visual quality with sharp detail and impressive color reproduction in SDR, though it lacks HDR and falls short in encoding, leading to occasional posterization and macro blocking, especially on larger displays.
Audio: 96
Featuring an impressive Dolby Atmos mix paralleling 'Dune Part Two,' 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' engulfs the home theater with dynamic surround and height movement, potent bass, and pristine dialogue—making it one of the finest audio presentations on Blu-ray this year.
Extra: 46
The Blu-ray of 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' disappointingly omits three featurettes available on the 4K edition but offers two solid extras: a detailed 57-minute 'Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa' and an 11-minute 'Furiosa: Stowaway to Nowhere' feature.
Movie: 76
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga expands the universe with a compelling origin story marked by impressive action sequences and dynamic character evolution, albeit with a slightly more CGI-reliant approach. Anya Taylor-Joy impresses as the younger Furiosa, while visual quality falls short of the UHD edition.
Video: 71
The Blu-ray presentation of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" delivers a visually striking experience that, while constrained by the HD format, effectively showcases the film's intense aesthetic. Encoded in MPEG-4/AVC at 1080p resolution with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the disc maintains solid clarity and detail. Filmed digitally at 8K and formatted for IMAX, the Blu-ray's sharpness is commendable, with colors appearing vibrant even in its SDR presentation. Despite the absence of HDR, the color reproduction is noteworthy, capturing the gritty desert hues and the metallic greys of Furiosa's iconic grease paint with precision. Night scenes maintain a deep blue while ensuring black levels remain dark without crushing. However, limitations surface in large and lengthy scenes where encoding falls within the 15-25 Mbps range, occasionally revealing posterization and macro blocking, particularly on larger displays exceeding 55-65 inches.
The Blu-ray’s depth of field is impressively maintained throughout the film's fast-paced sequences with no noticeable loss of detail or depth. Characters and vehicles move fluidly across scenes, providing an immersive visual experience. Even though the disc lacks the high dynamic range of its 4K counterpart, it compensates with strong chromatic performance in SDR, keeping flesh tones convincingly natural, reflecting the severe conditions portrayed in the film's post-apocalyptic setting. The lack of artifacts or visible noise further enhances the presentation, ensuring a clean visual output across the board. Nonetheless, for those with 4K setups and displays beyond mid-sized dimensions, investing in the UHD version will offer a significantly enhanced viewing experience with better encoding and extended color palettes.
Overall, the HD Blu-ray of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" is a strong entry that effectively exploits its format limits, but fans seeking top-tier video performance will find greater satisfaction with the superior 4K UHD edition.
Audio: 96
The Blu-ray release of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" features a robust audio presentation, leveraging the highly acclaimed Dolby Atmos mix also found on its 4K edition. Available in English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as English Descriptive Audio, this mix notably bolsters the film’s immersive quality. With dynamics comparable to top-tier releases like "Dune Part Two," the Atmos mix for "Furiosa" is nothing short of spectacular. The audio moves seamlessly throughout all surrounds and height channels, emphasizing both spatial accuracy and detail. Subtitles are available in English SDH, Spanish, and French.
The height channel utilization is particularly impressive, with the Dolby Atmos mix creating a cavernous sensation during desert echo sequences and megaphone speech scenes. This makes dialogue feel as if it's moving up and around, providing an enveloping soundstage. Height effects from motors, crashes, and buzzing sounds further enhance the listening experience by adding vertical depth. Low-frequency extension is equally remarkable—high-impact chases, crashes, and explosions resonate deeply, delivering palpable bass that adds to the visceral energy of the film.
Surround sound is expertly crafted, with natural ambient sounds, crowd noise, and chase effects blending fluidly to reinforce a sense of movement and space. The surround channels vividly capture echoes and other atmospheric details, enriching the immersive experience. Dialogue reproduction stands out as clean and distinct, ensuring that even amidst action-packed sequences, speech remains clear and intelligible. Overall, this Blu-ray offers an exemplary audio presentation that significantly elevates the viewing experience.
Extra: 46
The Blu-ray edition of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" offers a streamlined, albeit somewhat limited, selection of extras compared to its 4K counterpart. Notably absent are three featurettes included in the 4K release. However, what remains is of high quality and offers significant insight into the film’s production and character exploration. This edition does not include a slipcover, although it does come with a digital code. For fans seeking an in-depth understanding of the making of "Furiosa," the included extras provide rich and engaging content, but the absence of the additional featurettes might leave some disappointed.
Extras included in this disc:
Highway to Valhalla: In Pursuit of Furiosa: Nearly an hour-long documentary exploring the intricate process of creating "Furiosa," from conceptualization to execution.
Furiosa: Stowaway to Nowhere: An 11-minute featurette focusing on the character development of Furiosa, offering a nuanced look at her journey.
Movie: 76
"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" represents George Miller’s return to the desolate expanses of the Wasteland nearly a decade after "Mad Max: Fury Road." This installment deepens the lore of the franchise by exploring the origin story of Furiosa, portrayed compellingly by Anya Taylor-Joy. Captured by the feral warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) after an attack on her home, The Green Place, Furiosa's relentless quest for survival takes center stage. From mastering the combat and driving skills essential to navigate the brutal expanse of the Wasteland to forming tactical alliances, her journey underscores a narrative rich with psychological and emotional turmoil.
The film remains true to the idiosyncratic charm that characterized its predecessors. Its vibrant yet grim post-apocalyptic world is populated by eccentrically attired characters whose madness appears to mirror the world's degeneration. Key antagonists such as Immortan Joe and his grotesquely named sons, Scrotus and Rictus Erectus, render a crucial continuity. However, fans might note a shift towards more CGI-enhanced action scenes, a departure from the predominantly practical effects that earned "Fury Road" widespread acclaim. Nevertheless, high-octane sequences, especially those featuring harrowing desert chases and explosive vehicular combat, retain their visceral edge, amplified by Tom Holkenborg’s pulsating score.
While some characters and intricate plot points might perplex newcomers to the series, they remain rewarding for devoted fans. Anya Taylor-Joy's tempered performance as a younger Furiosa juxtaposes well with Charlize Theron's portrayal in "Fury Road," reinforcing the character’s evolution. Despite some sections feeling more prolonged than previous entries, "Furiosa" contributes valuable context and depth to the franchise, accentuating themes of survival against overwhelming odds. This film offers a fresh perspective while maintaining the unique, frenetic aesthetic of Miller’s creation.
Total: 75
George Miller's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" navigated a tumultuous production journey only to ultimately deliver a compelling addition to the venerable franchise. While the film faced numerous setbacks, including prolonged delays due to contractual and budget disputes, Miller proves his directorial prowess by crafting a sequel that resonates with intensity and visual flair. The narrative picks up seamlessly from where "Fury Road" left off, providing audiences with a thrilling experience filled with high-octane vehicle chases and visceral action sequences. For those who missed its theatrical release, the home video presentation captures much of this energy.
On the technical front, the Blu-ray edition of "Furiosa" offers a robust 1080p transfer that sustains the film's gritty aesthetics and visual depth effectively. Although some enthusiasts may prefer the 4K release for its enhanced resolution and broader color spectrum, the Blu-ray does not disappoint with its impressive Atmos mix, ensuring that the audio experience is immersive and impactful. The supplemental features add value, delivering intriguing behind-the-scenes insights and making-of content that enhances appreciation for Miller's creative vision.
In conclusion, while "Furiosa" might not have achieved stellar box office results, its home video release underscores its merit as a strong entry in the "Mad Max" saga. The Blu-ray is a commendable option for those yet to transition to 4K, offering quality visuals and an exceptional soundscape. Highly recommended for both fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.
Blu-ray.com review by Randy Miller IIIRead review here
Video: 70
But native format boundaries aside, the encoding here falls a little short: Warner Bros. has seen fit to drop three bonus featurettes from this disc -- presumably to conserve disc space for the main feature...
Audio: 100
This Blu-ray contains the same default Dolby Atmos mix as the 4K edition, so please see that linked review for more details....
Extras: 40
On-disc bonus features are different too, as it also omits three featurettes found on the 4K edition; these two remaining extras -- both of them quite good -- are listed below in name only, but full details...
Movie: 80
Warner Bros.' separate Blu-ray edition serves as a half-life runner-up to the UHD, unavoidably faltering a bit in the visual department and even omitting a few minor bonus features to save disc space....
Total: 70
Initially planned to be shot alongside Fury Road but stuck in development hell for several years due to contract and budget disputes, its long-delayed completion shows that Miller and company were able...
Why So Blu?Read review here
Video: 80
What we have here is still impressive, with detail being sharp as an HD disc can get, and colors looking nice despite the film only being presented in SDR.Depth: Depth of field looks sharp with characters...
Audio: 100
Moving fluidly like the height speakers, the surrounds play with nature sounds, crowd noise, chase noise and echoes also....
Extras: 60
In Pursuit of Furiosa – Nearly an hour in length and very interesting, this feature dives into the making of the film....
Movie: 80
Not realizing Furiosa can do more continuing to drive on the War Rig with him, Jack makes a mistake trying to make her leave, giving us a moment of love story in with all the madness....
Total: 80
Furiosa is a welcome addition to the Mad Max movie family, and I do hope we get more stories from this desolate wasteland full of carnage and vehicle chases!...
Director: George Miller
Actors: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
PlotIn a post-apocalyptic wasteland, young Furiosa is ripped from her idyllic homeland, the lush Green Place, and thrust into a harsh, mechanized world ruled by the despotic warlord, Drayk. Separated from her family and left to fend for herself, she is forced to endure brutal training and harsh conditions as she evolves from a desperate captive into a fierce warrior. Driven by the constant memory of her lost home and the desire for freedom, Furiosa begins to plan her escape, all while navigating the deadly politics and vicious rivalries within Drayk's twisted hierarchy.
As she gains strength and allies in unexpected places, Furiosa's path intersects with other wanderers of the wasteland. Together with a mysterious wanderer and a rebellious band of renegades, she embarks on a perilous journey filled with high-octane chases, savage skirmishes, and explosive confrontations. Each step brings her closer to her origins and the ultimate clash that will decide not only her fate but also the fragile hope for a new order in the world gone mad.
Writers: George Miller, Nick Lathouris
Release Date: 24 May 2024
Runtime: 148 min
Rating: R
Country: Australia, United States
Language: English