‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ chronicles how a young fledgling survivor, Furiosa (Anya-Taylor Joy), rises to the rank of Imperator in the army of powerful warlord Immortan Joe. Yanked from a peaceful life where she is sheltered by her mother, Furiosa’s existence in a post-apocalyptic desert-scape is challenged as she bounces from one bleak circumstance to the next. Survival becomes even more complicated when Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and his bike horde set their sight on Furiosa and won’t stop at anything to hound her till the ends of the Earth.
With another installation in his ‘Mad Max’ franchise of movies, director and producer George Miller ventures into both spinoff and prequel territory with ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ Set in a world where a scarcity of resources has given rise to violent war tribes, the gas-guzzling action adventure puts the spotlight on an epic of massive proportions. For those who are garishly invested in its hellish, nightmarish, and blood-pumping world of death and violence, here are 10 movies similar to ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ that may interest you.
10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
While it’s an obvious candidate for entry, George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ acts as the perfect matching piece for those just done watching ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ The film follows the titular lead of the ‘Mad Max’ films, Max Rockatansky, as he teams with Furiosa, a lieutenant in Immortan Joe’s army, as they get hunted down by the powerful warlord of the Citadel across the barren wastelands.
The action-adventure flick perfectly dovetails the prequel, which focuses on Furiosa’s journey. Where one film picks up the cudgel of the narrative, the other ends. As such, all the necessary gaps are bridged as you take a romp through Miller’s wasteland of devastation, but with the same characters chewing up the scene. It’s also a pleasure to return to those large-scale action sequences of vehicular destruction in a dystopian sandbowl. All while keeping pace with Max and Furiosa on their long journey through hell.
9. John Carter (2012)
‘John Carter’ is a science fiction epic directed by Andrew Stanton, which revolves around the titular protagonists’ travel to Mars through a special medallion. John’s experiences on Mars, called Barsoom by the inhabitants, take a heroic turn when he discovers the planet is dying and their civilization is collapsing. Because of John’s heritage as an earth-born human and Mars having a lower gravity, he finds himself to be stronger and quicker than the Martian population. This helps him be a force for good as he mediates the tension rising on Barsoom’s surface.
Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, ‘A Princess of Mars,’ the film delves into an interplanetary adventure of epic scale brimming with romance and fantasy. The Martian deserts, like the deserts of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,’ harken to the harsh, brutal landscape of a world gone wrong. Both Barsoom and Miller’s worlds lie in ruin, but it sets the scene for a heightened drama of action, intrigue, and adventure.
8. Waterworld (1995)
Developed by Kevin Reynolds, ‘Waterworld’ depicts a post-apocalyptic world where, due to melting polar ice-caps, the rising sea has washed away all signs of dry land. The film focuses on the actions of a drifter in the sea, The Mariner, who takes on the safekeeping of a young girl, Enola, and her guardian, Helen. Beset by pirates on all sides, The Mariner has to find a safe haven for both girls as he tries to take them to the promised Dryland where humans once lived.
‘Waterworld’ features societal degradation of a similar kind to ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ With no semblance of a stable natural world, people have fragmented into pirate groups that seek to hoard resources for themselves. Having been a survivor in this harsh water-flooded world for so long, the Mariner seems unempathetic to those suffering around him, but it is the result of his suffering. It explores a pertinent issue of our times: what happens when rising sea levels wipe away our towns and cities? ‘Waterworld’ serves as a cautionary tale of survival.
7. Mortal Engines (2018)
In the far-flung future of ‘Mortal Engines,’ humanity lives in mobile cities, called Traction Cities, that move around from place to place. Crafted by Christian Rivers, the post-apocalyptic fantasy focuses on the trials and tribulations of Hester Shaw, a young assassin whose mother was killed by Thaddeus Valentine, the Head of the Guild of Historians and the Deputy Lord Mayor. Hester wears a mask to cover the scar she sustained when Thaddeus killed her mother. Reeling from the injustices exhibited upon her by her tormentor, she sets out on a path of vengeance.
Delving into its distant future narrative, ‘Mortal Engines’ is perhaps the closest spiritual successor to the dieselpunk world of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.’ While the former neatly fits into a more steampunk aesthetic, they both share the same roguish element of mechanical dominance overtaking all else in a dystopian environment. Hester’s orphaned origins and plans for vengeance against her mother’s killer will stick out as thematic similarities between her and Furiosa for most. But the absolute joy lies in how the film incorporates its fantastical elements to achieve something unique regardless of execution.
6. Soylent Green (1973)
Dropping from George Miller’s post-apocalyptic epic to the science fiction mystery of ‘Soylent Green’ may seem like changing pace, but the detective thriller makes it worth your while. In the Richard Fleischer directorial, an NYPD detective, Robert Thorn, is faced with a murder mystery that sets to upend the rules of the world he inhabits. With a bleak dystopian narrative at its center, ‘Soylent Green’ explores its science-fiction conceit through the playbook of an old-school murder procedural.
Miller and Fleischer both craft worlds that have been devastated ecologically, where water is scarce, food is short, and people live in absolute squalor. Where one presents an urban sprawl of dissident residents who live in terror of those in power, the other displays a yellow sun bearing down on a devastated land with no life to be seen except in pockets. Their approach may differ, but the message remains the same: the planet is dying, and we’re dying with it. If intelligent post-apocalyptic dramas are your thing, then ‘Soylent Green’ should be high up on your list.
5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ is a science fiction action film by director Matt Reeves, portraying a future where apes have succeeded humans as the dominant species on Earth. Having gained intelligence through the spread of a genetic virus that has wiped away the human population, the film centers upon Caesar, a chimpanzee who leads an ape community on the edge of human civilization. When the lives of both species get entangled in conflict with one another, Caesar must strive to gain control and adhere to his principles of honor, nobility, and maintaining harmony with the humans.
Although it is a sequel to ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ the second installment in the franchise holds up on its own. The Matt Reeves directorial is a departure from the barren wastelands of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ as it delves into topics of diplomacy, leadership, and interspecies harmony, all of it taking place in a world where nature has taken over. But Caesar’s rise to prominence will be a point of intrigue and interest for those who enjoyed Furiosa’s journey. Both films are action-fueled narratives that tackle complex themes of what we should do when the orders of civilization have entirely broken down.
4. Oblivion (2013)
The film opens in the year 2017, showcasing that humankind is beset by a race of aliens who leave the planet devastated. Having won the war narrowly, albeit with nuclear weapons, any plans of rebuilding get put on the back burner after the nuclear fallout from the war leaves the human population decimated. ‘Oblivion’ is a dystopian adventure film focusing on Jack, a repair technician in the year 2077, who is tasked with the revival of damaged drones that hunt down any surviving aliens and guard the sector. Jack’s world is turned upside down when he discovers the truth behind what happened in the war and what his true purpose is.
A more cerebral take on post-apocalyptic fiction, ‘Oblivion’ presents a world of post-nuclear armageddon and how the devastation has changed the surface of Earth. The garish orange hue of George Miller’s world seems distant when looking at the black, obsidian-like, charred soil that stretches for miles across this alien-ravaged world. Jack operates as a loner; his dreams are his own, and his visions are of a pre-war Earth, but his long treks through the desolate planet on his bike are akin to Furiosa’s treks through the desert. It’s a science fiction feature that explores memory, purpose, rogue technology, and a future gone wrong, horribly.
3. Rogue One (2016)
‘Rogue One,’ also titled ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,’ is an epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. Set within the confines of the ‘Star Wars’ universe, it follows Jyn Erso, a young woman, who, after losing her father at the hands of the Empire, resorts to joining the Rebellion and botching the Empire’s plans of building a Death Star, to complete her father’s dying wishes. Jyn’s story begins with her childhood and takes a long, winding road into adulthood as a renegade terrorist within the Empire. She has established herself as an accomplished hero who is looking to fight her own battles.
With a heroic tale involving loss, sacrifice, and the stoic purpose of seeing out your goals, no matter what the cost, ‘Rogue One’ is a great way to jump ship from the sandy dustbowl of Miller’s world into a space odyssey where the stakes are high. Jyn’s evolution as a character is quite reminiscent of Furiosa’s. Both characters are orphaned at a very young age and put through harrowing circumstances that turn them into survivors in a world that has long abandoned them. ‘Rogue One’ is a well-executed adventure film that firmly roots you in its characters, and although it was designed to be a prequel for ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,’ it still holds up on its own.
2. Snowpiercer (2013)
Director Bong Joon-ho has a talent for bringing unique worlds to life, none more so than depicted in his dystopian science-fiction ‘Snowpiercer.’ With society lying in ruin after uncontrolled climate change has swept across the planet, humanity’s one hope for survival lies in a circumnavigational train that houses people from every class. With the poor segregated to the back of this train, called the Snowpiercer, the film revolves around Curtis Everett, a leader of the back section, as he attempts to claw his way to the front of the train, where the wealthy and privileged live in comfort.
‘Snowpiercer’ was brought to the screen from the pages of Jacques Lob’s graphic novel, ‘Le Transperceneige.’ Probing into the class systems that pervade society after an ecological disaster, the film is a claustrophobic, horrifying, and tragic look into human existence. Taking a hike from the vast, open deserts of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Story’ to the tiny compartment-like chambers of the Snowpiercer train paints a contrasting picture of how disparate the post-apocalyptic genre of films can be. Yet, at the same time, its heart is always the same – people fighting for survival.
1. Dune (2021)
Imagine moving to a world where there is no water, giant worms dig their way through the sand, and the Sun bakes everything in sight until it’s dead. This is the fate of Paul Atreides in the science fiction desert epic of ‘Dune,’ also called ‘Dune: Part One.’ After the presiding government of House Harkonnen relinquishes its claim over the desert planet Arrakis, Paul Atriedes and his father, Duke Leto Atreides, are ordered by the Emperor to take charge of spice production on the planet. Leaving the beautiful shores of Caladan behind, Paul and the Atreides family are embroiled in a plot of treachery and destruction as they settle in their new home.
‘Dune’ is a keen exploration of environmental degradation, socio-political norms, the fallacies of a Feudal style government, and the burden of prophecy, all adapted from the pages of Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name. Helmed by Denis Villeneuve, the cinematic epic takes a deep dive into the intricacies of a well-thought-out world the filmmaker’s been a longtime fan of. Viewers of ‘Furiosa,’ will recognize the desert landscape of Arrakis in a heartbeat as a sweeping tale of betrayal and Paul’s rise to prominence etches its way through the desert sand. A harrowing tale of myth, prophecy, politics, heroism, and war, ‘Dune’ packs everything and more.
Read more: Where Was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Filmed?
