Furiosa First Reactions Are In

The first reactions to Furiosa, the latest installment in the popular Mad Max franchise, have surfaced on social media. Directed by esteemed filmmaker George Miller, who was also responsible for the previous movies in this post-apocalyptic action series, this film serves as a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road and explores the origin story of the titular character. Headlining the Furiosa cast is Anya Taylor-Joy as a young Furiosa, and she’s joined by other talented actors like Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, and Daniel Webber.

Now, ahead of Furiosa‘s release date and even its Cannes premiere, members of the press who attended an early screening have taken to Twitter/X to share their initial thoughts. According to the reactions, it appears fans and audiences who are interested in the movie would be in for a wild and enjoyable ride. Check out some of the selected reactions below:

Erik Davis claims Furiosa is a “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best!” while also praising Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth’s respective performances as they “equally dive all the way into the Wasteland, and both deliver some incredible stuff.”

IndieWire critic David Ehrlich explains that Furiosa “operates in an extremely different gear than Fury Road… but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”

According to Nick’s Flicks Fix, Furiosa is “EPIC in every sense of the word.” He also credits Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth with elevating the movie’s entire experience.

@Cinema_Joe23 claims “Chris Hemsworth delivers the best role of his career” in Furiosa.

“The whole cast is phenomenal (Chris Hemsworth’s most bold performance yet) but the clear standout is no surprise, the lead herself…,” writes @theatomreview.

Simon Thompson believes Furiosa echoes “cinematic elements from the 50s through the 80s,” and the movie as a whole is “a rich, smart vision the cast revels in.”

According to @EmpireCityBO, Furiosa is a “totally different film from FURY ROAD and would more aptly be compared with the first two MAD MAX films.”

David Crow takes that idea one step further, calling Furiosa “an antithesis to Fury Road” in style and approach.

That sentiment is echoed by Josh Horowitz, who also highlights the film’s rewatch value. “All hail George Miller.”

Furiosa’s Initial Reactions Bode Well For The Future Of The Mad Max Franchise

Fury Road Could’ve Been A Unicorn…

Since the inception of the Mad Max film franchise in 1979, the series has established a strong track record. While the first Mad Max did receive fairly polarizing reviews shortly after its release, the movie went on to win notable awards and grossed $100 million worldwide, setting the Guinness World Record for most profitable film in the process. The two 1980s sequels that followed were both hits as well, with Mad Max 2 entering the canon of all-time great action movies.

Mad Max: Fury Road, however, broke new ground. Arriving a full 30 years after the previous installment to much skepticism, it became one of the most acclaimed movies of 2015, set the new franchise high for box office, and even won six of its 10 Oscar nominations. Its reputation as a once-in-a-generation action epic has only solidified in the years since, but that excellence made it tough to know whether it was really a comeback for the Mad Max franchise, or just a great, singular movie.

According to these first reactions, Miller has done something totally different from Fury Road with his latest, and, it would seem, found new ways to succeed. If Furiosa connects with audiences on its own terms, especially since it doesn’t focus on the franchise protagonist, it will more definitively prove an appetite for future movies set in the Mad Max universe. Miller has already discussed his idea for a Max-focused Fury Road prequel, and the odds of getting to see that project realized have just gone up.

Source: Twitter/X (various)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be. 

Director

George Miller

Release Date

May 24, 2024

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

George Miller , Nick Lathouris

Budget

168 million

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