The first reactions to ‘Furiosa: From the Mad Max Saga’ have not been long in coming. The film by veteran Australian director George Miller, whose preview will take place during the next Cannes Film Festival that will begin next Tuesday, May 14, will serve as a prequel to ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015). Professional critics, who have been able to enjoy an exclusive screening, have already praised the film, stating that it is “powerful action cinema at its finest.”
George Miller created the science fiction film saga in the late 1970s with the release of his first film, ‘Mad Max. Highway Wilds’ (1979), starring a young Mel Gibson. The film, set in a post-apocalyptic future, followed the adventures of a police officer, Max Rockatansky, in charge of maintaining security on the highways. Gibson led the cast during the original trilogy. Twenty years after the release of its third film, the saga underwent a rebirth with the aforementioned ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Now, for this new installment, the Australian director has hired Anya Taylor-Joy, who will recover the role of Furiosa, previously played by the South African Charlize Theron. The cast is completed by names such as Chris Hemsworth or Tom Burke, but the director also wanted to rescue some of the performers who also worked on his predecessor, such as Angus Sampson or Nathan Jones.
An instant classic
The first reviews from critics who have been able to see an exclusive screening of the film have spread like wildfire on social networks, unanimously highlighting the quality of the film, but keeping their distance from ‘Mad Max: Fury road’. IndieWire reviewer David Ehrlich wrote on the social network ‘ (in ways that I suspect will frustrate some people), but he also manages to further enrich the film while carving out his own legend in the wasteland.”
For his part, Erik Davis, critic of the Fandango film portal, defined Miller’s new film as “a fierce epic with a relentless pace that expands the story of Furiosa (…) while offering the craziest chases, the most bombastic and simply stunning cinematography.” Davis also emphasized that “Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth equally immerse themselves in the wasteland and both deliver incredible things. There’s a War Rig sequence that blew me away – an instant classic. I love the ‘Mad Max’ movies and I loved this movie. Start your engines!”
Finally, critic Simon Thompson reacted in X after his assist on the pass: “Jesus, George Miller! ‘Furious’ envelops you. At times it almost seems to exceed the canvas of the IMAX format: it is so big and yet at times it has a deeply moving intimacy. Echoing cinematic elements from the 1950s to the 1980s, it is a rich and intelligent vision that the cast delights in.”
