‘Furiosa’ First Reactions Say It’s a Stunning Powerhouse (But No ‘Fury Road’)

The first reactions are here for George Miller’s latest venture into the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

The embargo broke for social media reactions to Furiosa, the eagerly anticipated prequel to the 2015 stunner Mad Max: Fury Road.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

• Anya Taylor-Joy Wears Transparent Gold Dress With Giant Spikes to 'Furiosa' Premiere

• Ali Abbasi's Trump Drama 'The Apprentice,' Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Kinds of Kindness' Set for Cannes Competition

• George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth Debut High-Octane 'Furiosa' Footage at CinemaCon

This new entry has Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (taking over for Charlize Theron) and Chris Hemsworth as a devious warlord in a story that takes place 15 years before the previous film.

Early social reactions (below) can sometimes be a bit different (typically more enthusiastic) than official critic reviews, and surely there are many more to come soon. But based on the first batch Monday evening, Furiosa is a visual stunner with “ferocious, wild and unrelenting” action and a story that “spans decades” and boosts strong performances from the two leads.

The question going into the movie’s Memorial Day weekend launch is whether Miller’s epic can jump start the Hollywood box office after a sluggish few months, with disappointing returns from broad-appeal titles such as The Fall Guy and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Furiosa is eyeing a $45-50 million opening in early tracking.

And critics who compared the film to Fury Road (which set a franchise record by earning $380 million at the box office), did so with a bit of qualification. Furiosa is in “a different gear” and “won’t match Fury Road‘s splendor” in a way that “might frustrate” some audiences. One critic said Furiosa felt more like the first two Mad Max films (which is interesting, because when Fury Road was released some initially griped that the film wasn’t enough like the first two Mad Max films).

Different than is not necessarily bad, however, and this might be a case of viewers having a tough time shaking off their expectations when going into the theater (the Furiosa trailers, after all, sell the new film as being rather exactly like Fury Road). In any case, many consider Fury Road one of the best action films ever made — certainly one of the best this century — so any comparison, even one where Furiosa comes up a notch or two short, is still highly complimentary.

Check out some of the first reactions below. Tickets go on sale Wednesday. Furiosa opens in theaters May 24.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

• 13 of the Best Chase Scenes in Movie History

• Here Are All 13 of Taylor Swift's Documentaries and Live Concert Movies

• 11 of Pedro Pascal's Most Memorable TV Shows and Movies