Almost a decade after director George Miller last ventured into the wasteland with Mad Max: Fury Road, the director is back with Furiosa. An explicit prequel to Fury Road, Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character, who was played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road. While plot details are still somewhat scarce, we know that the movie is set 15 years before the events of Fury Road, and that it co-stars Chris Hemsworth as a warlord named Dementus.
The movie is set to hit theaters on May 24, and in advance of its release, we’re starting to get a sense of its critical response. While formal reviews have not yet been published, social media responses are now live, and they’re overwhelmingly positive.
Let’s dive deep into the social media reaction to Furiosa
While many of these reactions have compared the movie to Fury Road, it’s clear that Furiosa is forging its own path.
Fury Road is widely considered to be one of the best action movies ever made, and that was always going to be a high bar for Miller and his team to clear. Thankfully, it seems they’ve sidestepped those expectations somewhat by deciding to make an entirely different kind of movie.
As Indiewire‘s David Ehrlich writes, Furiosa is “really, *really* f–king good.” Ehrlich adds that the movie “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.”
Erik Davis from Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes gave a more unqualified rave: “George Miller’s #Furiosa is 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.”
Davis 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 #MadMax movies and I loved this film. Start your engines!”
While the box office prospects for Furiosa are still uncertain, the movie is eyeing a $45 million-50 million opening weekend. In spite of its incredible reputation and its success at the Oscars, Fury Road was only a moderate box office success, making $380 million worldwide over the course of its run.
Furiosa would likely be happy to hit similar numbers over the summer, and given the relatively light release calendar, it should have plenty of space to do just that. As for its awards chances, those will depend in large part on how much of a phenomenon it becomes and whether it can live up to the critical hype that Fury Road received in 2015.
You can read some additional responses to the movie below:
George Miller’s #Furiosa is 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.… pic.twitter.com/tLEADO3Zc2
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) May 7, 2024
brings me great joy to report that Furiosa is really, *really* fucking good.
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.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 7, 2024
Well, I saw Furiosa tonight and it was great.
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) May 7, 2024
FURIOSA is not FURY ROAD and that’s ok. It’s not trying to be. What it is is something uniquely gnarly and yes, epic. I can’t wait to see it again and again and really dig in. All hail George Miller.
As for performances, Anya and Hemsworth are fantastic. Tom Burke impresses. pic.twitter.com/QpMpUOBmAg
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) May 7, 2024
FURIOSA is a visceral triumph. An epic trip through Miller's scorched wasteland that spans decades. The emotional journey is intimately personal and deeply moving. Action is ferocious, wild and unrelenting. Hold tight and brace for fury. pic.twitter.com/r8OOSCsrNt
— Screen Brief (@ScreenBrief) May 7, 2024
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 👍 pic.twitter.com/1C7NWHqUJ7
— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) May 7, 2024
https://twitter.com/bamfpire/status/1787656961288458255
Saw @MadMaxMovie FURIOSA last week and loved it. It's a totally different film from FURY ROAD and would more aptly be compared with the first two MAD MAX films. Likely not quite as easy for casual viewers to jump in, but should still perform well over Memorial Day weekend. pic.twitter.com/5tH9wyEuyj
— EmpireCity Box Office (@EmpireCityBO) May 7, 2024
