Driving in the wasteland!
Mad Max (1979)
It's a grim future in the Australian outback, but hey at least there are still police around right? One said copper is Mad Max (Mel Gibson) who is decent at driving and gets at odds with a drugged out of their brains criminal bike gang. The story isn't great and its obviously dated badly. There are even shots where characters walk farther away and start to have to yell because there is no mic following them away! Really its just the physical stunt work that this has going for it as after watching it I was amazed that anyone would have green lit a sequel! Not recommended.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
The future from the first film just got a lot darker with a great war really screwing up the world. This time Mad Max (still Mel Gibson) is just looking for some fuel and instead comes across a convoy being harrassed by bandits. With a welcome guest star of scene stealer Bruce Spence, this is a huge step up from the first movie as not only do the amazing stunts persist here but the story is actually a very decent one. It's the best of Mel Gibson's Mad Max movies for a reason! Recommended!
Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome (1985)
After getting robbed Mad Max (Mel Gibson again) needs to trade his skills for gear in the huddled trading post of Bartertown where things just go from bad to worse. Not just for Mad Max, but for the audience too! The story seems to go off the rails and into Peter Pan land with a focus on child actors who are neither endearing or useful, especially when they intentionally speak "broken Australian"? At least there's an interesting finale and Tina Turner gets to flex her acting chops (she should have been in it more) but unfortunately, its not enough for me to recommend this to anyone.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
This film continues the trend of Mad Max (this time played by Tom Hardy) getting a shitty start, being enslaved by the War Boys as a blood bag before fate manages to get him behind the wheel of his own life again. A good (albeit simple) story backed with awesome stunts and an increased level of violence make this a very entertaining spectacle to behold. Easily the best of these four movies which should be no surprise given the amount of technological advancements film wise since the previous one. Recommended!
Thursday 20 June 2024
Mad Max (1 2 3 and Fury Road)
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I am now old, because I remember renting Mad Max on VHS back in college after we'd binged on Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome and were trying to figure out the references. Max Max was extremely raw, in the same way that Clerks was, but you could see the potential. I'm not even sure if Mad Max was even released in the States outside of the East and West Coasts, but it did just enough for Road Warrior to be made.
ReplyDeleteMad Max made Mel Gibson a star, and the movie was popular enough that it entered into popular consciousness. I remember a television commercial by Amoco ripping off the Mad Max character, titled The Road Worrier, and written by people who obviously never saw the film beyond the special effects and Mel Gibson. (A short search on YouTube shows that yes, that commercial still exist on the internet!)
The soundtrack to Beyond Thunderdome was huge the year it was released, as it featured music by Tina Turner. Everybody remembers We Don't Need Another Hero, but for my money the better song was One Of The Living.