Hollywood heavyweight Chris Hemsworth has been receiving his flowers this week, earning his star on the coveted Walk of Fame to cement his legacy as one of Australia’s greatest actors… and has even said his most recent performance in George Miller’s celebrated franchise is Australia’s answer to Harry Potter.
Chris Hemsworth may be best known for his legendary role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, dropping the deep Australian accent for an even deeper English one as the God of Thunder, Thor.
Aged just 28, this divine role put the Melbourne actor on the map, becoming Hemsworth’s life for more than a decade. Now that we have (potentially) seen the final portrayal of Hemsworth’s Thor, the Australian actor has returned to his roots to star in one of Australian cinema’s most revered sagas.
Mad Max: An Australian Saga
Set in a post-apocalyptic Australian Outback, the Mad Max series has long maintained its place as one of the country’s greatest cinematic exports. The first Mad Max film, released in 1979, skyrocketed the profile of Australian actor Mel Gibson who starred in the leading titular role.
Now in its fifth instalment the franchise, written and directed by Australian filmmaker George Miller, has welcomed many stars such as Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron to the desolation of Australia’s harshest climes with the latest star Chris Hemsworth explaining how Miller’s latest masterpiece has become an inherent part of Australian cinema.
“Americans have Star Wars. The Brits have Harry Potter. And we have Mad Max. 45 years it’s been running now since George Miller created this world and it was a dream come true [to star in Furiosa],” Hemsworth said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“I grew up watching these films. My dad used to race motorbikes and raced a lot with the stunt crew from the very first film. My dad’s in this film actually – he has a little part in there. And one of the writers from the film had a photograph of my dad with the guys 45 years ago… it’s iconically Australian.”
Furiosa
Furiosa follows the odyssey of one of its most iconic characters, ripped from her homeland into the violent dystopian wasteland. Anya Taylor-Joy has stepped into the titular role of Furiosa, a character hellbent on revenge, first introduced in Mad Max: Fury Road. Starring across from Hemsworth’s villainous Dementus, it’s yet another gripping tale of survival and retribution in a world where resources are scarce and chaos reigns.
The film’s enduring narrative is a brutal journey through the desolate and unforgiving desert landscape, filled with signature action sequences, breathtaking car chases and stunts, and the gritty aesthetic that has defined the Mad Max series; an unmissable Australian cinematic masterpiece.