The latest trailer for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has blasted online, leaving the acrid stench of petrol in our nostrils as we gawp at director George Miller's penchant for gorgeously-lensed vehicular destruction.
In this prequel to 2015's apocalyptic Mad Max: Fury Road, Anya Taylor-Joy plays the younger iteration of Charlize Theron's war rig driver Imperator Furiosa. We're presumably going to be updated on the character's tragic backstory, her tenacious drive and her ascent to becoming a shaven-headed warrior.
As Miller once again turns the desert landscapes into an arresting tapestry, we also have the presence of Chris Hemsworth. He's taking a break from Thor duties to play a character, credited in some quarters as 'Warlord Dementus', who may or may not be the younger Furiosa's enemy.
Watch the trailer below and then scroll down to discover the questions we want answered.
1. We get to see Furiosa's origins in the Green Place
Monochrome cinematography foregrounded with a piece of fruit that's in colour – this is the kind of bold visual gambit that firmly locates us in Mad Max territory. In Fury Road, Furiosa spoke wistfully of the Green Place, a fertile area of the futuristic Wasteland where she grew up in harmony with the community elders. Shatteringly, the Green Place was revealed to have been destroyed, which means its appearance in the prequel movie Furiosa is all the more poignant.
The black and white communicates the barren emotional temperature of a bleak future; the colour signifies the hope and life to which people are desperately clinging to. It's exactly the kind of show-don't-tell storytelling we'd expect from a visionary filmmaker like George Miller.
2. Furiosa is sold to Chris Hemsworth's villain
It's now established that Marvel star Chris Hemsworth is playing the film's antagonist. He's a warlord named Dementus and the latest trailer makes it clear that Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place and sold to him. As Furiosa grows up to become a fierce warrior, it seems that Dementus is impressed with her abilities. Might this lay the groundwork for an intriguing dynamic between our title character and the main villain?
3. Furiosa's connection to Immortan Joe and the warboys is established
As Furiosa grows from a child into a woman, allowing Anya Taylor-Joy to stake her claim to the role, she then crosses paths with the ruthless Immortan Joe. Years before the events of Fury Road, in which Immortan Joe was the main threat, Furiosa is caught in the middle of a battle between the latter and Dementus.
Given that Dementus kidnapped her, might Furiosa broker a deal with Immortan Joe to take revenge, and thereby fall into his debt?
4. Furiosa's childhood friend plays an important role
We're speculating here but a quick cut between past and present appears to establish Tom Burke's unnamed character as someone linked to Furiosa's background. If true this will help humanise her character, and any potential tragedy might help explain her transformation into the steely ball of determination we saw in Fury Road.
5. We discover how Furiosa developed her signature look
We did a double-take at the end of the trailer, unsure whether it was Anya Taylor-Joy or Charlize Theron we were looking at. It's definitely the former and she's brilliantly assimilated Theron's shaven-headed, metal-armed profile: stoic, and ready for post-apocalyptic battle. Can we expect a Charlize Theron cameo at the end of this movie to segue us back into the events of Fury Road?
Furiosa is released on May 24th. Watch the trailer again below and remember that Mad Max: Fury Road is screening this April as part of our Action Season. Book your tickets by clicking the link below.
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