Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga First Reviews: Anya Taylor-Joy Fires Up the Screen in a Crowd-Pleasing Spectacle

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most successful action movies of this century in terms of its box office, Oscars recognition, and Tomatometer score. Nearly a decade later, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hopes to continue that success and maintain the incredible legacy of the franchise. Once again directed by George Miller, the Fury Road prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy in the titular role and Thor’s Chris Hemsworth as her latest nemesis. According to the first reviews of the movie, Furiosa is another crowd-pleasing banger with awards-worthy technical achievements and a career-elevating performance by Taylor-Joy.

Here’s what critics are saying about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga:

How does it compare to Fury Road?

All the praise heaped upon Miller the last time around — that he realizes the pure kinetic potential of the medium with more expertise and unbridled glee than anyone alive — still applies.
— Charles Bramesco, Decider

They really are two pieces of the same puzzle, different in their scope but connected not just by characters, but by ethos and aesthetic. It’s the ultimate double feature.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

Scene for scene, Furiosa is very much a complement to Fury Road, yet the new movie never fully pops the way the earlier one does.
— Manohla Dargis, New York Times

Its biggest hindrance is that it has to follow one of the greatest blockbusters of all time, and hews too closely to that template to truly find its own identity. While it’s absolutely a blast at the cinema, the dizzying heights that Miller drove us back in 2015 aren’t quite matched a second time around.
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

Furiosa is a big step down from Mad Max: Fury Road. Whereas the 2015 instant action classic had grit, gravitas, and turbo-charged propulsion that wouldn’t quit, this fifth installment in the dystopian saga grinds on in fits and starts, with little tension or fluidity in a narrative whose shapelessness is heightened by its pretentious chapter structure.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by Jasin Boland/©Warner Bros. Pictures)

Where does it rank in the franchise?

It’s not like any other Mad Max film… It’s one that, to me, falls very short of being a Mad Max home run.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Furiosa is closer in spirit and time frame to the films that started the franchise, Mad Max and its exhilarating direct sequel, released in the U.S. as The Road Warrior.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Has George Miller still got it?

After 45 years in the business, George Miller is still showing everyone how it’s done. What a privilege to witness him.
— John Nugent, Empire Magazine

I’ve long thought of him as a great filmmaker it’s only with Furiosa that I now understand he’s also one kick-ass prophet of doom.
— Manohla Dargis, New York Times

(Photo by ©Warner Bros. Pictures)

Does it feel necessary?

Because its development was simultaneous with the first film, it feels much more connected to it, perhaps even essential. And in the rough-and-tumble desert that is film in the year 2024, a prequel that doesn’t feel like a blatant effort to exploit corporate IP is truly special.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

As much as I loved the character of Furiosa in Fury Road, do we really need to see her tangled, deep-dive-that-somehow-stays-on-the-surface origin story? It’s an impulse, at heart, that grows out of franchise culture, and maybe that’s why Furiosa, for all the tasty stuff in it, is a half-satisfying movie.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

How does the movie look?

The mammoth scale and vision of Miller continue to delight, and Furiosa absolutely deserves to be seen as big and loud as possible, a feat of technical prowess and cinematic ambition that only comes along once every few years (if we’re lucky!).
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

It must be said that while the stunts are frequently spectacular, the visuals point up the downgrade from master cinematographer John Seale to Simon Duggan, who’s certainly capable but can’t quite whip up the majesty to disguise a lot of glaringly obvious CG and soundstage work.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures)

Does the action meet expectations?

There is, once again, an astonishing standard of stunts and visual effects sustained throughout these 148 minutes, with at least six audacious set-pieces that must be seen to be believed. Quite often your eyes will not fully comprehend what you are watching, or how it could be possible.
— John Nugent, Empire Magazine

The stunt set pieces are exhilarating and inventive, if not quite as awe-inspiring as those in Fury Road.
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

The action mostly lacks the visual poetry of its predecessor… That’s not to say there aren’t mind-blowing action sequences.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Though it contains a handful of awesome action moments, the action doesn’t dominate the way it did in previous Mad Max films.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

How is Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa?

Anya Taylor-Joy is a fierce presence in the title role.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Taylor-Joy, in particular, is phenomenal.
— John Nugent, Empire Magazine

And Chris Hemsworth as the villain?

It’s genuinely fearless work, a bit reminiscent of Chris Evans getting to explore his evil side in The Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man (except this movie is actually good).
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence

Hemsworth is clearly having the time of his life.
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

How is the script?

Miller’s world-building is where the film truly comes alive. Although the Mad Max universe expands only slightly here, every addition feels thoughtful and genuinely interesting.
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

The myth-making lacks muscle… The plotting is so sludgy and lacking in strategic detail.
— David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

(Photo by ©Warner Bros. Pictures)

Are there any major issues with it?

The film seems more invested in Miller’s elaborate and, at moments, overly digitized extensions of the Wasteland than in the people who inhabit it. In that way, it’s got a touch of Marvel-itis.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Does it leave us hopeful for the franchise?

High on exhaust and the limitless capabilities of cinema, this no-brakes franchise keeps careening onward as if it could run forever.
— Charles Bramesco, Decider

90% Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) opens in theaters on May 24, 2024.

Thumbnail image by ©Warner Bros. Pictures
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