Director Edgar Wright sees a lot in common between Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and a classic Hollywood epic.

Per IndieWire, Wright gave a glowing review of George Miller's Mad Max spinoff on his X page, praising the Australian filmmaker's craftsmanship and visual storytelling skills in this origin story for Mad Max: Fury Road's Imperator Furiosa. "Even though I understand what it takes to make a film, I still don't understand how Dr. George Miller does it," Wright wrote. "I was lucky enough to see Furiosa a month ago, and I'm still reeling at how films like his exist. It's so intricate, detailed, and immersive. The planning and love that have gone into the staging, blocking, and design are just unreal. Hats off to George and team for giving us 45 years of imaginative, visceral cinema. The movie is a feast for your eyes and ears, a full circle to the first Max adventure in 1979."

Assessing Furiosa as a "revenge epic," Wright felt the best comparison was the original 1959 Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston, "where a long fuse of revenge burns for years and pays off with (no spoiler) the sweetest vengeance. Filmmakers and fans will leave with their heads spinning. I felt both inspired and envious! There was a point during a midway set piece where I leant over to a friend and said, 'How the fuck does he do this?' The Cornetto Trilogy director also revealed that he was partially responsible for Anya Taylor-Joy playing Furiosa, as Miller expressed interest in casting her after watching Joy star in a pre-COVID cut of Wright's horror-thriller Last Night in Soho.

Edgar Wright Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of His Own Breakout Film

Last month marked the 20th anniversary of Wright's own breakout post-apocalypse film, the cult classic zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Prior to that anniversary, the director helped executive produce Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a subversive remake of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels -- which Wright adapted into Scott Pilgrim vs. the World -- with the entire film cast reprising their roles. Furiosa, meanwhile, is Miller's latest film after Three Thousand Years of Longing and his official return to the Mad Max Wasteland since Fury Road, largely regarded as one of the best action films of all time. Trailers for the prequel frequently highlighted Furiosa's revenge-driven motives, vowing to return to the "Green Place" after being kidnapped and forced to survive the Wasteland, ultimately bringing her into conflict with Fury Road's Immortan Joe and new character Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

Following its premiere, early reactions for Furiosa have been overwhelmingly positive, though a Rotten Tomatoes score hasn't dropped yet. Despite the narrative shift away from regular protagonist Max Rockatansky (played by Mel Gibson in the original Mad Max trilogy, then Tom Hardy in Fury Road), Miller confirmed that Max will briefly cameo in the film.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga releases in theaters on May 24.

Source: X, via IndieWire