Casey Chong ranks George Miller’s Mad Max saga…
George Miller’s works may have been diverse from horror (Twilight Zone: The Movie) to drama (Lorenzo’s Oil) and comedy (Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet), but he’s always been synonymous with post-apocalyptic action genre that made him a household name in the first place. His Mad Max movies have influenced many filmmakers, whether it’s the genre itself or the car chase sequences.
Now, with his highly-anticipated Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga arriving this week [read our review here], we rank all four Mad Max movies from worst to best…
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
We don’t need another hero. We don’t need to know the way home. All we want is life beyond the Thunderdome.
The closing credits, which features Tina Turner’s catchy and powerful anthem “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” is not only the best thing in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome but also one of her greatest songs ever heard. If only the movie is as good as the song itself. The third and final Mel Gibson-starred Mad Max trilogy marks a radical departure for franchise mainstay George Miller, who co-directed with George Ogilvie.
The first half of the movie, however, does retain the tone and feel of a Mad Max movie, albeit in a more polished visual sheen since the directors have a larger budget at their disposal. We see Max (Mel Gibson) ends up in a place called Bartertown ruled by Aunty Entity (Tina Turner in a showy performance). He gradually finds himself in a battle of life and death in the titular Thunderdome gladiatorial arena.
It was fun and all until the movie shifts gear after Max is exiled to a desert wasteland. The lighter PG-13 tone takes over once a tribe of lost children is introduced. Everything nosedives from here and while the second half feels the need of concluding Max’s grim character arc with a renewed sense of optimism after all the things he has been through since the first movie, the overall drastic tonal shift remains awkwardly misplaced. The final third act does pick up the pace with a thrilling desert chase sequence but by then, it’s all too little and too late. No doubt Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the weakest entry in the original trilogy and beyond (no pun intended).
Mad Max (1979)
Who could have thought an ultra-low budget movie, reportedly costing $350,000 would go on becoming one of the most influential post-apocalyptic action films ever made? Mad Max puts then-unknowns George Miller and Mel Gibson on the map and the rest, as they say, is history.
The story centers on Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), one of the cops of the Main Force Patrol (MFP) in a near-future Australia. He has a lovely wife (Joanne Samuel) and an infant son but his happy family life abruptly ends after a group of ruthless motorcycle gang led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) run them down mercilessly. Max’s world comes crumbling down, leaving him with nothing but full of hatred and anger as he vows to seek vengeance against the motorcycle gang.
The first movie is admittedly a slow-burn that spends time establishing Max from a dedicated cop who is skillful behind the wheels and a family man to an empty shell of a person with a singular aim: revenge. It was a necessary move to make us understand what makes Max such a cynical loner in the first place. Gibson was only 23 years old at the time of its release and his rugged good looks ooze a movie-star quality, coupled with his piercing blue eyes that speak volumes, reflecting his expressive rage and sadness during the subsequent pivotal moments in Mad Max.
The movie may have been rough around the edges but Miller has a flair for cinematic visuals even working on a limited budget, as evident right from the thrillingly staged chase scene and spectacular crash. The overall vehicular stunts are technically impressive, offering us a clear indication that Miller has what it takes to succeed as one of the most exciting young filmmakers at the time.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Thirty years is a long wait ever since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome came and gone as the inferior trilogy-closing chapter that didn’t do as well as the first two movies. But Mad Max: Fury Road marks a return to form for the franchise as George Miller pulling out all the stops and it shows. The vehicular action is as breathtaking as ever with real stunts, insisting in shooting them in-camera on the actual location in Namibia, South Africa, and Australia with minimum CG effects.
Like the last two movies, Max (Tom Hardy, replacing Mel Gibson) is a wanderer caught in the middle of the war and this time, it’s between the Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The former apparently helps Immortan Joe’s five wives (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton) escape in a War Rig truck across the desert wasteland.
And that’s about it since Mad Max: Fury Road focuses on what matters the most: the chase. The entire movie is a series of chase at its cinematic best and Miller shot them in a distinctive visual palette, unlike his original trilogy. Colors pop on the big screen with predominantly shades of orange-yellow and blue used for the day and night scenes.
Interestingly, Tom Hardy’s Max plays second fiddle to Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, who unexpectedly steals the show with her no-nonsense warrior woman performance. Miller also goes as far as approaching his fourth Mad Max movie in a uniquely feminist angle and it works so well that her character is given her own movie served as both prequel and a spin-off. Hardy is a good actor but he lacks the rugged charm and brooding personality that Mel Gibson immortalized the role in the trilogy.
Mad Max 2 a.k.a.The Road Warrior (1981)
Originally titled Mad Max 2 but it was otherwise known as The Road Warrior in the Stateside, this superior sequel boasts a bigger budget, allowing George Miller to stage some of the most spectacular action set pieces ever captured on celluloid. The final 20-minute chase scene seals the deal as we see the determined Max (Mel Gibson) driving the tanker truck along the freeway with the enemy vehicles led by Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his mohawked lieutenant, Wez (Vernon Wells) pursuing from behind, left, and right. The result is an exhilarating and visceral thrill ride even re-watching it today. The combination of Miller’s dynamic camerawork and great vehicular stunts, all impressively shot in-camera.
Unlike the deliberate 1979 original, the story is stripped to its essentials with Miller vividly envisioned the post-apocalyptic wasteland, where oil becomes scarce and the world is filled with savages. Gibson, who reprised his role as Max, is caught in the middle of the war between Lord Humungus and Pappagallo (Mike Preston), a noble leader with settlers living in the confines of a heavily-fortified oil refinery.
Miller depicts Max that echoes a dystopian version of Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name – a brooding anti-hero with a skill of his own. Whereas Eastwood’s character is fast on the draw, Max’s proficiency lies in his driving skill. He is also a man with few words as little as 16 lines of dialogue throughout the sequel’s lean 96-minute runtime.
What’s your favourite Mad Max movie? Let us know how you’d rank the saga over on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
