With Mad Max; Fury Road being released this weekend I thought it would be fitting to review the other films in the franchise. So without further ado...
Mad Max
Since the apocalypse, the lengthy, desolate stretches of highway in the Australian outback have become bloodstained battlegrounds. Max (played by Mel Gibson) has seen too many innocents and fellow officers murdered by the bomb's savage offspring, bestial marauding bikers for whom killing, rape, and looting is a way of life. He just wants to retire and spend time with his wife and son but lets his boss talk him into taking a peaceful vacation and he starts to reconsider. Then his world is shattered as a gang led by the evil Toecutter (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) murders his family in retaliation for the death of one of its members. Dead inside, Max straps on his helmet and climbs into a souped-up V8 racing machine to seek his bloody revenge.
This is an amazing film. First off let me say that George Miller is an amazingly underrated director who knows how to tell a story and he does just that with this film. If you watch this movie you can see a lot of plot points and story-archs that are used in movies today. I also really enjoy the performance of Mel Gibson and it proves that he can act beyond reasonable doubt. It presents an interesting look at a possible dystopian future. The film does have lot of great action and visuals that worked really well in 1979, but it honestly doesn't hold up well as a film. I'll also say that the pacing in the film is all over the place in the sense that it really moves along slowly, but then it'll instantly become fast paced and action packed and then go back to the slow methodical pace. Overall I really enjoy the film as a whole, but the pacing of the film takes me personally out of the film and at points the film can be pretty boring. I give Mad Max an 8 out of 10.
Mad Max: The Road Warrior
Several years after the deaths of his wife and child, Max (played by Mel Gibson) has become an alienated nomad, wandering an Australian outback that has fallen into tribal warfare conducted from scattered armed camps. After a road battle with psychotic villain Wez (played by Vernon Wells), Max meets up with the odd Gyro Captain (played by Bruce Spence), who takes him to the camp of a sympathetic group led by Pappagallo (played by Mike Preston). As Pappagallo's people are camped at a refinery, Max plans to take their oil -- more precious than gold in this world -- but eventually joins them to fight a band of marauders led by the evil Humungus (played by Kjell Nilsson).
This film is simply amazing. I honestly don't great things to say about this film that will do the film justice. One of my complaints with the first film was that it didn't have a well laid out pace and this film improves on that in so many ways. It sticks to a high-octane and fast-paced action style that your are in sheer amazement that you are watching the sequel to Mad Max. I also really enjoyed the cinematography work in the film is breathtakingly beautiful and it the camera work is smooth an precise that you can't see a flaw in the film itself. I can say however that the one flaw I found was that the plot isn't as strong as the first film and the filmmakers covered that up by giving you so much action that you can't recognize it. Overall this film is remarkable, I just wish the plot was a little stronger. I give Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior a 9.5 out of 10.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
About 15 years after the events of Mad Max 2, nuclear war has finally destroyed what little was left of civilization. Grizzled and older, former cop Max (played by Mel Gibson) roams the Australian desert in a camel-drawn vehicle -- until father-and-son thieves Jebediah Sr. (played by Bruce Spence) and Jr. (played by Adam Cockburn) use their jury-rigged airplane to steal his possessions and means of transportation. Max soon winds up in Bartertown, a cesspool of post-apocalyptic capitalism powered by methane-rich pig manure and overseen by two competing overlords, Aunty Entity (played by Tina Turner) and Master (played by Angelo Rossitto), a crafty midget who rides around on the back of his hulking underling, Blaster (played by Paul Larsson). Seeking to re-equip himself, Max strikes a deal with the haughty Aunty to kill Blaster in ritualized combat inside Thunderdome, a giant jungle gym where Bartertown's conflicts are played out in a postmodern update of blood and circuses. Although Max manages to fell the mighty Blaster, he refuses to kill him after realizing the brute is actually a retarded boy. Aunty's henchmen murder Blaster nonetheless, then punish Max for violating the law that "Two men enter, one man leaves." Lashed to the back of a hapless pack animal and sent out into a sandstorm, a near-death Max is rescued by a band of tribal children and teens. The descendants of the victims of an airplane crash, the kids inhabit a lush valley and wait for the day when Captain Walker, the plane's pilot, will return to lead them back to civilization. Some of the children, refusing to believe that Max isn't Walker and that the glorious cities of their mythology no longer exist, set off in search of civilization on their own. Max and three tribe members must then rescue their friends from Bordertown and the clutches of Aunty Entity.
This is another spectacualr entry into the franchise. My main problem with the first film in the franchise was that while the balance between action and story is terrific, the film becomes boring because nothing about the action or story in memorable. My problem with Mad Max 2 is that it is too action-packed with little to no story and my biggest problem with this film is too much story and not enough action. The film like its predecessors present an interesting look at a dystopian future, but this time the film introduce the twist of civilization still existing in the dreary future. I love the addition of the Thunderdome and the whole concept behind it is just brilliant. I also love the performances of Mel Gibson and Tina Turner and although they are enemies in the film, the chemistry they have togehter is just unbelievable. The film had a lot of pressure on it trying to follow up the masterpiece that Mad Max 2 is and I think this one did the franchise justice. Overall I love the story of the film, but I just wanted a little more action that way I could stay on the edge of my seat. I give Mad max: Beyond Thunderdome a 9.5 out of 10.
Overall Average Franchise Rating: 9 out of 10.
So ladies and gentlemen what are your thoughts and opinions on the Mad Max franchise, what would you rate it, are you excited for Mad Max: Fury Road and what did you think of my reviews? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
Mad Max
Since the apocalypse, the lengthy, desolate stretches of highway in the Australian outback have become bloodstained battlegrounds. Max (played by Mel Gibson) has seen too many innocents and fellow officers murdered by the bomb's savage offspring, bestial marauding bikers for whom killing, rape, and looting is a way of life. He just wants to retire and spend time with his wife and son but lets his boss talk him into taking a peaceful vacation and he starts to reconsider. Then his world is shattered as a gang led by the evil Toecutter (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne) murders his family in retaliation for the death of one of its members. Dead inside, Max straps on his helmet and climbs into a souped-up V8 racing machine to seek his bloody revenge.
This is an amazing film. First off let me say that George Miller is an amazingly underrated director who knows how to tell a story and he does just that with this film. If you watch this movie you can see a lot of plot points and story-archs that are used in movies today. I also really enjoy the performance of Mel Gibson and it proves that he can act beyond reasonable doubt. It presents an interesting look at a possible dystopian future. The film does have lot of great action and visuals that worked really well in 1979, but it honestly doesn't hold up well as a film. I'll also say that the pacing in the film is all over the place in the sense that it really moves along slowly, but then it'll instantly become fast paced and action packed and then go back to the slow methodical pace. Overall I really enjoy the film as a whole, but the pacing of the film takes me personally out of the film and at points the film can be pretty boring. I give Mad Max an 8 out of 10.
Mad Max: The Road Warrior
Several years after the deaths of his wife and child, Max (played by Mel Gibson) has become an alienated nomad, wandering an Australian outback that has fallen into tribal warfare conducted from scattered armed camps. After a road battle with psychotic villain Wez (played by Vernon Wells), Max meets up with the odd Gyro Captain (played by Bruce Spence), who takes him to the camp of a sympathetic group led by Pappagallo (played by Mike Preston). As Pappagallo's people are camped at a refinery, Max plans to take their oil -- more precious than gold in this world -- but eventually joins them to fight a band of marauders led by the evil Humungus (played by Kjell Nilsson).
This film is simply amazing. I honestly don't great things to say about this film that will do the film justice. One of my complaints with the first film was that it didn't have a well laid out pace and this film improves on that in so many ways. It sticks to a high-octane and fast-paced action style that your are in sheer amazement that you are watching the sequel to Mad Max. I also really enjoyed the cinematography work in the film is breathtakingly beautiful and it the camera work is smooth an precise that you can't see a flaw in the film itself. I can say however that the one flaw I found was that the plot isn't as strong as the first film and the filmmakers covered that up by giving you so much action that you can't recognize it. Overall this film is remarkable, I just wish the plot was a little stronger. I give Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior a 9.5 out of 10.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
About 15 years after the events of Mad Max 2, nuclear war has finally destroyed what little was left of civilization. Grizzled and older, former cop Max (played by Mel Gibson) roams the Australian desert in a camel-drawn vehicle -- until father-and-son thieves Jebediah Sr. (played by Bruce Spence) and Jr. (played by Adam Cockburn) use their jury-rigged airplane to steal his possessions and means of transportation. Max soon winds up in Bartertown, a cesspool of post-apocalyptic capitalism powered by methane-rich pig manure and overseen by two competing overlords, Aunty Entity (played by Tina Turner) and Master (played by Angelo Rossitto), a crafty midget who rides around on the back of his hulking underling, Blaster (played by Paul Larsson). Seeking to re-equip himself, Max strikes a deal with the haughty Aunty to kill Blaster in ritualized combat inside Thunderdome, a giant jungle gym where Bartertown's conflicts are played out in a postmodern update of blood and circuses. Although Max manages to fell the mighty Blaster, he refuses to kill him after realizing the brute is actually a retarded boy. Aunty's henchmen murder Blaster nonetheless, then punish Max for violating the law that "Two men enter, one man leaves." Lashed to the back of a hapless pack animal and sent out into a sandstorm, a near-death Max is rescued by a band of tribal children and teens. The descendants of the victims of an airplane crash, the kids inhabit a lush valley and wait for the day when Captain Walker, the plane's pilot, will return to lead them back to civilization. Some of the children, refusing to believe that Max isn't Walker and that the glorious cities of their mythology no longer exist, set off in search of civilization on their own. Max and three tribe members must then rescue their friends from Bordertown and the clutches of Aunty Entity.
This is another spectacualr entry into the franchise. My main problem with the first film in the franchise was that while the balance between action and story is terrific, the film becomes boring because nothing about the action or story in memorable. My problem with Mad Max 2 is that it is too action-packed with little to no story and my biggest problem with this film is too much story and not enough action. The film like its predecessors present an interesting look at a dystopian future, but this time the film introduce the twist of civilization still existing in the dreary future. I love the addition of the Thunderdome and the whole concept behind it is just brilliant. I also love the performances of Mel Gibson and Tina Turner and although they are enemies in the film, the chemistry they have togehter is just unbelievable. The film had a lot of pressure on it trying to follow up the masterpiece that Mad Max 2 is and I think this one did the franchise justice. Overall I love the story of the film, but I just wanted a little more action that way I could stay on the edge of my seat. I give Mad max: Beyond Thunderdome a 9.5 out of 10.
Overall Average Franchise Rating: 9 out of 10.
So ladies and gentlemen what are your thoughts and opinions on the Mad Max franchise, what would you rate it, are you excited for Mad Max: Fury Road and what did you think of my reviews? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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