Furiosa received a warm welcome following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, landing a six-minute standing ovation for the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel. The enthusiastic reception came as the first glowing reviews for the new movie arrived, including our own 4-star Furiosa review.
Per Variety, during the standing ovation, Furiosa star Anya Taylor-Joy "blew kisses into the camera" and Dementus star Chris Hemsworth "looked teary-eyed". Director George Miller addressed the audience briefly and said: "We worked very hard on this film, and it’ll be very interesting to see what you make of it. Thank you for having us."
The early reviews have been mostly positive, landing Furiosa an impressive early Rotten Tomatoes score. It currently sits at 88%, based on 40 reviews, which only falls behind Fury Road in the franchise’s scores on site. Our review writes that Miller has "done it again" with the new prequel. "This action franchise set in sun-blasted sandscapes is evergreen," our verdict concludes. "A special place in Valhalla awaits George Miller."
The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis writes that "Miller is such a wildly inventive filmmaker that it’s been easy to forget that he keeps making movies about the end of life as we know it... It’s only with Furiosa that I now understand he’s also one kick-ass prophet of doom."
Meanwhile, Polygon’s Rosie Knight calls it "a searing film that refuses to play by any of the tried, tested, and tired rules that franchise films follow."
However, not everyone was so keen on the latest action adventure. Kevin Maher of The Times writes: "A thundering beginning and a searing sense of place fail to compensate for the wearisome repetition and empty theatrics that slowly swamp this much-awaited blockbuster."
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in UK cinemas and US theaters on May 24. For more, check out our guide to the best action movies of all time, and the all the upcoming movies you need to add to your calendar.
