Mad Max: Fury Road will be named 2015's film of the year by International Film Critics. The award will be handed out at the San Sebastian film festival in Spain on September 18, 2015.

The honor is chosen by a panel of 493 of the world's top critics. Previous winners of the award have slanted towards more indie and art-house minded titles with last year's winner - Richard Linklater's Boyhood - being a chief example.

This time however, the voting committee has chosen to give the award to George Miller's fourth entry in his long running post-apocalyptic action saga. The film stars Tom Hardy in the titular role made famous by Mel Gibson decades ago and Charlize Theron as the scene stealing Imperator Furiosa.

Fury Road has been one of the biggest successes of the year, bringing in a respectable $375 million at the global box office and earning numerous critical plaudits along the way. It sits at a staggering 97% fresh rating on movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Many have hailed its non-stop action, beautifully realized universe, and strong feminist themes as huge positives.

Alex Pappademas of Grantland said:

'Fury Road is also one of the best action movies of the decade, a punk Last Judgment with manic invention and depraved wit on display in every frame.'

The festival where the film will be awarded is held each year in San Sebastian, a picturesque seaside resort on Spain's northern Atlantic coast. Originally established as a showcase for Spanish language films, it has since grown to be one of international cinema's most prestigious festivals.

Those hungry for more Mad Max action can also check out the recently released video game set in the same universe as the film.