Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga comes from the visionary mind of writer-director George Miller nearly a decade after the drive-away success that was Mad Max: Fury Road. The post-apocalyptic action-adventure flick serves as a prequel to Fury Road, focusing on Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa — who’s played in the 2024 outing by Anya Taylor-Joy — as well as the fifth installment in the larger Mad Max franchise. In Furiosa, a younger version of the titular character is kidnapped from her idyllic home of The Green Place — one of the Wasteland’s only fertile areas.

As she fights to weather not only the harsh conditions of the desert wasteland but enslavement by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Furiosa becomes a hardened survivor. Eventually, she works her way up to being cult leader Immortan Joe’s (Lachy Hulme) most trusted lieutenant. Fueled by a mixture of hope and anger, Furiosa is only buying time until she can take revenge on Dementus for the loss of her mother and home. It’s a thoroughly convincing prequel that embodies the Mad Max movies’ distinct spirit. However, despite capturing the zany energy of Fury Road, Furiosa‘s CGI moments look way worse.

Some Of Furiosa’s CGI Looks Very Fake

Furiosa’s Citadel’s Cluttered Action Scene Is A Prime Example

Even in trailers for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the prequel looks notably different from 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. While the deep orange hues of the outback-turned-wasteland persist, Furiosa’s overall use of CGI is much more apparent — and somewhat jarring. Initially, director George Miller had intended to shoot Furiosa and Fury Road back-to-back in order to keep his wild universe as cohesive as possible. In fact, Theron was even provided with the backstory that would become Furiosa’s narrative. Unfortunately, the prequel landed in development hell for years.

Although Fury Road production VFX supervisor Andrew Jackson returned for Furiosa, the Taylor-Joy-starring prequel boasts some jarring use of CGI throughout. In some of the film’s most chaotic scenes, like one that’s set in Mad Max‘s Citadel, the CGI stands out — and not in a good way. For a series that’s always boasted impressive practical effects, choreography, and stunt work, the glaring CGI is a bit of a letdown in certain moments. At the same time, there’s so much happening on screen that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga needs to rely on CGI-heavy post-production.

Furiosa Was Shot Differently To Mad Max: Fury Road

Miller Used More Green Screen In Furiosa Than In Fury Road

While Mad Max: Fury Road contains 2,000 visual effects shots, the post-apocalyptic smash hit relied on practical effects and singular editing techniques in order to capture its distinct feel. Film Editor Margaret Sixel combed through 480 hours of footage, with the final film boasting roughly 2,700 cuts. Moreover, Fury Road does not run at the traditional frame rate of 24 frames per second for the duration of the film, which gives it that almost cartoonish, bombastic feel. Furiosa definitely uses some of the same tricks, but it also relies more heavily on green screens.

In Mad Max: Fury Road, a lot was shot on camera, but then tweaked in post-production. For example, visual effects artists added in dramatic backdrops or altered lighting, textures, and weather in certain shots in order to capture Mad Max‘s distinct Wasteland world. In Furiosa‘s ending (and throughout), things look more studio-controlled. That is, the CGI isn’t used to enhance certain sequences in Furiosa. Instead, the prequel’s go-to approach was to rely on CGI for certain elements. While there’s no harm in doing so, it’s definitely a different approach from Fury Road.

Some Of Furiosa’s “Bad” CGI Is Intentional

Corny CGI Zooms During Driving Sequences Spotlight The Franchise’s Zany Style

With its distinct dark humor, zany characters, and over-the-top action sequences, the Mad Max movies know how to combine epic and thrilling set-pieces with truly bizarre-but-brilliant world-building. The way that Fury Road is made, from its practical effects and stunt work to its frame rate and edits, all help to hammer home the movie’s distinct world. Furiosa definitely carries on that effort, with some of the “bad” CGI moments being intentional. For example, the corny zooms as the characters drive across the Wasteland are fun, adding to the film’s exhilarating pace and quirky tone.

A Lot Of Furiosa’s CGI Is Still Good – And It Doesn’t Hurt The Movie

Furiosa’s Blend Of Practical Effects & CGI Helps It Succeed

By blending practical effects with CGI, Furiosa captures its franchise’s distinct look and feel. Although some moments stick out as “bad” examples of CGI, they don’t harm the overall experience. While Fury Road raised the bar to wild heights, both the 2015 and 2024 Mad Max films look way better than other CGI-heavy action flicks. For example, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) more recent entries, like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, rely so heavily on CGI that fight scenes and entire environments begin to look muddled and dull. If anything, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is visually stunning.