Recapping Furiosa's apocalyptic story so far within the Mad Max saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga storms Cineworld screens this summer in a blast of petrol fumes, pyrotechnics and post-apocalyptic mayhem. It acts as the long-awaited prequel film to Mad Max: Fury Road, the Oscar-winning epic that has gone down as one of the finest action films of the 2010s. It's therefore safe to say that expectations are sky-high.

The omens are good. Director George Miller is back at the helm to bring his characteristic careening sense of energy to the latest Mad Max chapter. There's an all-star cast promising to give eye-catching performances, and there's an intriguing backstory that promises to be filled in.

If you haven't watched Fury Road in a while and need a catch-up, we've done the job for you. Sit back, strap in and recap the titular Furiosa's apocalyptic story so far.

What happened in Mad Max: Fury Road?

We first meet Imperator Furiosa (played by Charlize Theron) when she's serving as a lieutenant for the ruthless warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne)
Furiosa commands the war rig, a souped-up petrol tanker with which she trades produce for petrol and ammunition
Furiosa kidnaps several of Joe's 'wives', hiding them in the war rig and driving out of Joe's impregnable Citadel to get them to safety

Furiosa is headed for the Green Place, a lush and tranquil environment she remembers from her childhood
To get there, Furiosa must escape Immortan Joe's forces and drive the war rig across the sandstorm-riven, sun-blasted Wasteland
Along the way Furiosa makes reluctant allies with the glowering Mad Max (Tom Hardy)
Upon reuniting with the matriarchal tribe the Vuvalini, Furiosa eventually discovers that the Green Place has been destroyed

Rather than continuing to search for a new home, Max impels Furiosa to return to the Citadel and defeat Immortan Joe
With the help of Max and the wives, Furiosa succeeds in defeating Immortan Joe
Furiosa is hailed as a conquering hero on her return to the Citadel, and she celebrates the people's liberation with the gift of water
Furiosa and Max share one final appreciative look before he disappears into the crowd

What happens in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?

We are introduced to the younger Furiosa before she adopts the mantle of Imperator
As a child, Furiosa is living in the bucolic Green Place but is kidnapped by ruthless master of ceremonies Dementus (Chris Hemsworth)
Furiosa grows up to be played by Anya Taylor-Joy and vows to take revenge on Dementus
Furiosa soon crosses paths with the younger Immortan Joe (played here by Lachy Hulme) and his warboys
Furiosa finds herself caught in the escalating conflict between Dementus and Immortan Joe as they vie for control of the Citadel
Furiosa soon grows into her own legend, adopting the War Rig as her vehicle of choice and ultimately sporting a bionic arm
Furiosa plots her way across the forbidding Wasteland back home to the Green Place