Review - Mad Max (1979-2015)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. With the new movie Furiosa coming to theaters this summer, I decided to take a look at the Mad Max franchise, which was created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. 

        The original Mad Max, released in 1979, was an independent action thriller which starred Mel Gibson, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Joanne Samuel, Steve Bisley, and Roger Ward. The movie is set in a future Australia in the midst of a total societal collapse, where the Main Force Patrol is the only noted form of law enforcement in a world going batshit crazy. 

        We start off with officers of the Main Force Patrol in pursuit of a crazed driver calling himself the Nightrider. Unfortunately, the MFP officers in pursuit end up losing him, and an officer named Max Rockatansky is able to end the pursuit...with Nightrider's death. Unfortunately, it seems that Nightrider was an associate of a man called the Toe Cutter, and he wants to get back at the man who killed Nightrider. And, the chase is on, as Toe Cutter and his gang go after Max and the Main Force Patrol, and eventually they kill Max's wife and son, leading to Max going on a rampage to get his revenge on Toe Cutter, utilizing the MFP's V8 Interceptor to go after Toe Cutter and his gang. 

        As a low budget action thriller, Mad Max is a thoroughly enjoyable flick. The acting from the likes of Mel Gibson as Max and Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toe Cutter was fantastic, and the direction from George Miller was terrific. This movie also has a lot of heart to it, which is very prominent when we see Max with his wife and son throughout the movie. Overall, I love this movie, and I'm giving Mad Max a rating of 5/5. 

       So, 1981 saw the release of Mad Max 2, released in the United States as The Road Warrior. This movie was, once again, written and directed by George Miller, and sees Mel Gibson return as Max Rockatansky. Newcomers this time include the likes of Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells, Mike Preston, and Kjell Nillson. 

      So, since the events of Mad Max, the world completely fell and is now a vast desert wasteland. Max, still guilt ridden from the death of his wife and son, is a nomad wandering the desert wasteland, with an Australian Cattle Dog as his sole companion. In this wasteland, Max must contend with a gang of marauders, led by Lord Humungus, who are taking as much oil as they can get, as both oil and water are a valuable commodity in the wasteland. 

       Lord Humungus, along with his followers, are harassing a community located inside of an oil refinery. One of the community members, Nathan, is rescued by Max, who returns him safely in exchange for some fuel, but the guy sadly dies upon their arrival. One of Lord Humungus' followers is killed by a feral boy with a boomerang, which infuriates another follower of Lord Humungus, a crazed individual named Wez. So, now the race is on, and Max makes a deal to help get the oil out of the community in exchange for a single drum of oil. And with help from the Gyro Captain, Max manages to trick Lord Humungus into chasing him and going after drums of dirt, while the community members make a clean getaway with the oil. 

       Okay, so The Road Warrior is pretty well known for giving the Mad Max franchise its distinct post-apocalyptic look and unique vehicle designs. Mel Gibson is, once again, fantastic as Max, as are the likes of Vernon Wells as Wez and Bruce Spence as the Gyro Captain. As far as villains go, Lord Humungus definitely has a distinct look, and is very different from the Toe Cutter in the first movie. However, the plot is much more simplistic, resulting in one massive chase throughout the movie. Again, it's not bad, but when compared to the more involved plot of the original, it's kind of a downgrade plot wise. But, it's the environment that really saves the movie for me, so I'm giving The Road Warrior a rating of 4.5/5. 

        The next movie of the Mad Max series is where things went a bit more over the top. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, released in 1985, was again directed by George Miller, and sees the returns of Mel Gibson and Bruce Spence, with the one major newcomer this time being Tina Turner. 

       So, some time has passed since the world fell, and Max Rockatansky has found his was to a place called Bartertown, which is controlled by a madwoman named Aunty Entity. Max needs supplies, and Aunty makes a deal with him. You see, Bartertown is subject to the refinery known as Underworld, which is overseen by the diminutive Master and his hulking bodyguard Blaster, the duo collectively known as Master Blaster, and Master has begun to mount a challenge for complete control of Bartertown. And in Underworld, they turn pig crap into methane. So, the deal is as such: Max gets rid of Blaster, and Aunty will give him the supplies he needs. 

      Max, who befriends a man named Pig Killer, looks around in Underworld, and eventually causes enough of a ruckus to force a fight between himself and Blaster in a caged arena known as Thunderdome. The rules of Thunderdome are simple: two men enter, one man leaves. So, it's pretty much a fight to the death. So, Max and Blaster have a pretty epic fight, but when Max learns that Blaster has an intellectual disability, he refuses to kill him, this leading Aunty to spin a wheel, sentencing Max to exile in the Wasteland. Oh, and Blaster is killed anyway. 

      Max eventually finds himself in a secluded oasis, where teens children who were descended from survivors of a crashed Boeing 747 live, and they believe that Max is a legendary figure named Captain Walker, who was the pilot of the 747 who left and never returned. Max, however, denies this, and a few of the children seek to head to Bartertown, believing that something there will lead them to their promised land. Max, knowing the danger, goes after them. Out of supplies, Max and his party join with the party that left, and they all head to Bartertown, where they join up with Pig Killer and Master to make an escape, destroying the refinery and a chunk of Bartertown in the process. Aunty and her forces pursue Max and the others, while Max convinces a man named Jedediah and his son to take Pig Killer, Master, and the kids in their plane to somewhere safe. Jedediah and the others get away, while Max stays behind, and an impressed Aunty returns to Bartertown. The escapees, meanwhile, find themselves in the ruins of Sydney, where they build a small community with other wanderers. 

      So, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a very divisive movie. While Mel Gibson as Max and Tina Turner as Aunty Entity are both good, and the overall look of the movie is cool, the plot is too all over the place, and the other performances are a bit too meh. Not really my favorite of the series, I'm giving Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome a rating of 2.5/5. 

      And now, we come to my personal favorite Mad Max movie: Mad Max: Fury Road. Directed, once again, by George Miller, this movie stars Tom Hardy as Mad Max, and also stars Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keogh, Nathan Jones, Angus Sampson, and Josh Helman. 

      The movie opens with Max, now back in his V8 Interceptor, being chased by a pack of Warboys, the deranged followers of a dangerous warlord named Immortan Joe. The Warboys take Max's car, and make him a universal blood donor. Meanwhile, Immortan Joe prepares to send out his War Rig from his base, the Citadel, to the communities of Gas Town and the Bullet Farm for a supply exchange. And, driving the Rig is Imperator Furiosa. Unfortunately, when she turns the Rig and goes off in another direction, Immortan Joe believes that Furiosa is up to something. Searching in his personal vault, he finds that a group of five young women, referred to as the Brides, are missing, and Immortan Joe puts together that they're on the Rig, and Furiosa is smuggling them somewhere far from his reach. 

      Immortan Joe rallies his entire army of Warboys, and the weakened Nux seeks to join, suggesting they rig his blood donor, who turns out to be Max, to his car. Also, war parties from Gas Town and the Bullet Farm join in, as well. What follows is a massive chase through the Wasteland, including a drive straight through a sandstorm, making their way through a swamp, and eventually finding Furiosa's people: the Vuvalini. Also, one the the Brides, Splendid Angharad, falls and dies. Unfortunately, the place Furiosa was seeking, the Green Place, is no more, and what's left of it was the swamp they came through. When left with a choice, they initially decide to go further East, but Max suggests going back the way they came and head for the Citadel, where there IS vegetation and an underground supply of water, and is unprotected with Immortan Joe and most of his men on the hunt for Furiosa. 

        Another massive chase ensues, and a number of Warboys, the People Eater, and Immortan Joe himself all end up dead, Nux sacrifices himself to save the others, and Furiosa ends up in such a bad way that Max willingly gives her some of his blood to help. The group arrives at the Citadel, shows Immortan Joe's dead body, and all but Max claim the Citadel for themselves, with Max going back to the Wasteland. 

      Okay, so what Fury Road lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in car stunts and visual effects. The various cars and vehicles were all built for real, and most of them were blown up for real. And, in an age dominated by predominantly CGI effects, a R-rated action movie with predominantly practical effects is a nice change of pace. And, let me tell ya, the cars in this movie are definitely cars that belong in the batshit crazy world of Mad Max.

      The performances were also fantastic. Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky is fantastic, and in many ways cooler than Mel Gibson in the first three movies. Charlize as Furiosa was an absolute badass, and Nicholas Hoult as Nux was really good, as well. I liked his progress from being loyal to Immortan Joe to being loyal to Furiosa and the Brides. And, of course, we have Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe. While definitely different from the Toe Cutter, and with a more nightmarish appearance, Immortan Joe is definitely a definitive Mad Max villain, and Hugh Keays-Byrne definitely gives a more terrifying performance, as opposed to the more calm and collected Toe Cutter from the original Mad Max. 

      The best way to describe this movie is a feature length adrenaline rush. I thoroughly enjoyed the nonstop action and kickass car stunts in this movie, and this is, by far, my favorite film in the Mad Max franchise. No surprise, I'm giving Mad Max: Fury Road a rating of 5/5. 

      Alright guys, that'll do for the Mad Max franchise. Join me next month when Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters. Until then, I will be back on Friday for my review of Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Part Two - The Scargiver.