‘Furiosa’ First Reactions Praise ‘Fury Road’ Prequel as ‘Really F—ing Good’ and ‘Powerhouse Action Filmmaking at Its Absolute Best’

Zack Sharf

The first reactions for George Miller’s “Furiosa” have trickled in on social media ahead of the movie’s world premiere later this month at the Cannes Film Festival, and it appears the “Mad Max: Fury Road” director has another amazing action epic on his hands.

“Brings me great joy to report that ‘Furiosa’ is really, really fucking good,” IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich wrote on X. “Operates in an extremely different gear than ‘Fury Road’ (in ways that i suspect will frustrate some people), but also manages to make that movie even richer while carving its own legend in the wasteland.”

More from Variety

Entertainment writer and New York Film Critics Circle member Esther Zuckerman called the film “great,” while Fandango’s Erik Davis called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best.”

“A ferocious & relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases, the most bombastic characters & just plain stunning cinematography,” Davis posted. “Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth equally dive all the way into the Wasteland, and both deliver some incredible stuff. There’s one War Rig sequence that blew my mind – an instant classic. I love the ‘Mad Max’ movies and I loved this film. Start your engines!”

Anya Taylor-Joy takes over the title role from Charlize Theron in this prequel, which follows Furiosa as she’s kidnapped from her home as a young child by the Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and his Biker Horde and seeks vengeance and a reunion with her family and her homeland.

Journalist Simon Thompson added in his reaction: “Jesus George Miller! ‘Furiosa’ engulfs you. At times it almost seems to exceed the canvas of the IMAX format it is THAT big – and yet at times has a deeply affecting intimacy. Echoing cinematic elements from the 50s through the 80s, it’s a rich, smart vision the cast revels in.”

Speaking to Total Film magazine last month, Miller’s longtime producing partner Doug Mitchell let it slip that “Furiosa” contains “one 15-minute sequence which took us 78 days to shoot” and required 200 stunt people on set daily.

“George and I would have these big conversations about why this particular set-piece was so long,” Taylor-Joy told the publication. “It’s because you see an accumulation of skills over the course of a battle, and that’s very important for understanding how resourceful Furiosa is, but also her grit. It’s the longest sequence any of us have ever shot.”

“Furiosa” will open in theaters May 24 from Warner Bros. after its Cannes world premiere.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Advertisement