Furiosa: Early reviews call Mad Max prequel ‘powerhouse action filmmaking’
First reactions to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the long-waited prequel to the Mad Max series, are rolling in with critics hailing the movie as “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best”.
Directed by George Miller, the film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa the younger version of Charlize Theron’s Mad Max movie character, and Thor star Hemsworth as the lead villain, Dementus.
The last instalment of the franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road went on to gross $380 million worldwide and win six Oscars. Furiosa is expected to make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival on 15 May.
However, early screenings of the film have already branded it as Oscar-worthy as its predecessor despite its differences, with particular praise for Taylor Joy and Hemsworth’s performance.
Rotten Tomatoes critic Erik Davies called the movie “powerhouse action filmmaking at its absolute best”.
“A ferocious and relentlessly paced epic that expands the story of Furiosa and the Wasteland while delivering the craziest chases, the most bombastic characters and just plain stunning cinematography, “ he continued.
“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.”
Journalist Simon Thompson added, “Furiosa engulfs you. At times it almost seems to exceed the canvas of the IMAX format it is THAT big.”
Others branded the movie “Heavy metal cinema” adding that Furiosa has “all the fire and brimstone of Fury Road but still delivers something entirely unique… Furiosa is why we go to the movies.”
The Atom Review concluded, “The whole cast is phenomenal (Chris Hemsworth’s most bold performance yet) but the clear standout is no surprise, the lead herself…. say her name. ANYA TAYLOR-JOY gives an all timer performance that will go down in the history books. That Oscar is yours.”
Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the titular character (© 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Another Twitter critic praised the movie for its atmosphere and world-building.
“Furiosa is EPIC in every sense of the word! The world building and lore expansion of the Mad Max universe is front and centre to a bombastic film that has some explosive, exciting action. Taylor-Joy is great, but Hemsworth truly shines in a way he hasn’t before!”
Entertainment journalist David Crow called the movie a “visual feast and spectacular marvel”. Comparing the movie to Fury Road, he described Furiosa as its “antithesis”.
”Where that film is sparse this is verbose and epic, and where once was a nigh silent film is now a massive canvas of dystopia, despair, and glory.”
Furiosa will be released in cinemas on 24 May.
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