‘Furiosa’ is a “ferocious” prequel to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, say critics

The early reviews of Mad Max spin-off Furiosa are coming in, and the film is receiving positive first reactions.

The film, officially titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is set to be released on May 23. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, the movie will serve as a prequel to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and Zoë Kravitz.

Some critics have already seen the highly-anticipated film, and have gone online to share their views. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich described the film as “really, really fucking good.”

He wrote how it “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.”

Meanwhile, Collider’s Therese Lacson wrote: “I would and could easily watch 15 hours of Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne as Furiosa, however much of her film struggles with inconsistent pacing due to the segmented story.”

She continued: “This won’t match up to Fury Road‘s splendour but it also doesn’t need to.”

Fandango’s Erik Davis described the movie as “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.”

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. I love the Mad Max movies and I loved this film. Start your engines!”

Comparing the film to its prequel, Davis continued: “They are different experiences – both very entertaining, both do things the other does not. I love them both – first thing I wanted to do after watching Furiosa was to watch Fury Road. Will make for a great double feature”.

Forbes’ Simon Thompson praised the cinematic effect of the film, writing: “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.”

He continued: “Echoing cinematic elements from the ’50s through the ’80s, it’s a rich, smart vision the cast revels in”.

In other news, last month it was revealed that one action scene in Furiosa took 78 days to film.