Back in 2015, the Mad Max franchise returning after a three-decade absence with Mad Max: Fury Road, which earned critical acclaim and won six Academy Awards and nominations in four other categories, among other accolades. Although Tom Hardy succeeded Mel Gibson as the new Max Rockastansky, it was Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa who stole scene after scene in the movie, which can be streamed with a Max subscription. So much so that rather than make a Fury Road sequel, director and writer George Miller decided to wind the clock back and chronicle Furiosa’s origins in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, with Anya Taylor-Joy playing the younger version of the character.
Now this prequel is a little over a week away from hitting the 2024 movies schedule, but various critics have already gotten to see it early. But if you were hoping that like with Mad Max: Fury Road, there’d be an overall agreed-upon consensus for Furiosa, well, buckle up, because opinion for this movie are all over the place. So let’s go over what the critics have to say about this soon-to-arrive movie, which was already catching attention for “windsurfing bombers.”
To start things off on a positive note, BJ Colangelo from Slashfilm gave Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga a perfect 10/10 score, saying that it is “somehow bigger, more imaginative, and yes, better,” than Mad Max: Fury Road, even going so far as to call it George Miller’s magnum opus.
Furiosa will undoubtedly go down as one of — if not the — greatest prequel films ever made. Not only does it stand on its own as a masterful action-adventure blockbuster, but it also exemplifies Miller’s thesis as a whole: that survival “in extremis” reveals the true essence of a person. Fury Road is an even better movie because of Furiosa, and George Miller has gifted the world with his magnum opus. Witness him.
On the more mixed end of the critical spectrum is Owen Gleiberman from Variety, who felt that Furiosa didn’t come close to reaching the same heights as Fury Road. Gleiberman believes that the movie “seems more invested in Miller’s elaborate and, at moments, overly digitized extensions of the Wasteland than in the people who inhabit it.”
The most important thing to say about Furiosa, however, is that what it all adds up to is a movie that can be darkly bedazzling, and that will be embraced and defended in a dozen passionate ways — but it’s one that, to me, falls very short of being a “Mad Max” home run.
IGN’s Lex Briscuso joined Slashfilm in giving Furiosa a perfect 10/10 score, complimenting Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and the other actors for their performances, and declaring that the prequel ties together with Fury Road “seamlessly.”
Weaving together top-notch worldbuilding, an emotionally resonant directorial eye, searing performances, sharp cinematography, and a Hell-raising score, this is a remarkable hero’s journey punctuated by incredible action scenes and an utterly stunning reflection on life and love prevailing beyond the fall of civilization.
Meanwhile, THR’s David Rooney also felt that Furiosa was a “big step down” from Mad Max: Fury Road, noting that while there are “mind-blowing action sequences,” the writing leaves a lot to be desired.
Anya Taylor-Joy is a fierce presence in the title role and Chris Hemsworth is clearly having fun as a gonzo Wasteland warlord, but the mythmaking lacks muscle, just as the action mostly lacks the visual poetry of its predecessor.
Germain Lussier from io9 is among those who felt positively about Furiosa’s camp, writing that in some ways it’s “better” than Fury Road, and overall “it’s at least just as good, and that’s saying a lot.” In Lussier’s opinion, Furiosa is “bigger,” has “more heart,” “more meaning” and “even more bonkers, you-won’t-believe-your eyes action.”
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is another George Miller masterpiece. You’ll want to watch it again and again and then watch Fury Road right after it again and again. It’s a top-to-bottom cinematic stunner.
Finally, Collider’s Therese Lacson stamped Furiosa with a 7/10 score, feeling that while both Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne play the title character quite well, and the former has good chemistry with co-star Tom Burke, there just isn’t enough to make it superior to Mad Max: Fury Road.
For the first time in this franchise, the story is centered around a female character and feels so wholly fleshed out and explored it’s brilliant. But Furiosa still lacks a spark. It’s being weighed down by Miller’s world-building, doing a disservice to Furiosa’s origin.
These are just a handful of the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga reviews that have been published, so feel free to look around elsewhere for what other people had to say. You’ll be able to pinpoint where on the critical spectrum you land on with the prequel when it’s released on Friday, May 24. Until then, look over our ranking of the previous four Mad Max movies.