Mad Max

[eja]

Is anyone else here a big fan of the MAD MAX movies starring Mel Gibson?

[themirrorthief]

I recall going to see road warriors and having no idea although I had seen mad max ...I didn't know this was a sequel. anyhow, as I was buying my popcorn I heard the loud roaring of the engines out in the lobby and I recall thinking...hmmm, this might be interesting. It was

[kemp]

I only found out after I had watched Fury Road that Hugh Keays Byrne, who portrayed Toecutter in the original Mad Max movie from 1979, also played Immortan Joe in the 2015 film.

[andys]

Yes. I even like the one with Tom Hardy, although I've always felt that the only way that movie could be even better was if you had Mel playing Max in that one, too. I also recently finished the video game, which has a Max who looks nothing like Mel or Hardy. There's some limited appearance customization, so I gave him a huge beard and goggles so I wouldn't have to see his face very much.

[johnnypt]

At least we here in the states can watch it now without having to hear the goofy dubbing they thought was necessary back in 1980 so we could understand the Aussies better. Problem was by 1982 and Road Warrior (one of my Top 5 films of all time), Mel was becoming a known quantity here and we knew what his voice sounded like. It took until the mid 2000s before we got the DVD with the original voices.

When Road Warrior premiered on HBO back in 1983, they ran Mad Max (with the dubbing) the same month but at all odd times. It's a good film but Miller was just getting his footing. By the time of MM2: RW, he had a vision in his head and it showed up on screen.

Thunderdome...it's a disappointment in may respects, but for a film that not a lot of people admit to liking, it gets quoted a LOT (two men enter, one man leaves I hear quite a bit).

Fury Road...it seemed like a retread of RW and BT to me, but apparently the Academy didn't think so. If you had told me back in the 80s that they'd make a Mad Max film someday that would win 6 Academy Awards, I'd have said you were nuts. I sort of look at it as a film that takes place in the world of Mad Max, but it's not necessarily him.

[themirrorthief]

the road warrior and Mad Max stuff created a genre back in the day...there were a ton of similar flicks out there. Remember Steel Dawn with Patrick Swayze...one of many. Of course one might say Death Race 2000 was around before Max

[Peter]

Yes I loved the first two Mad Max movies, and I did enjoy Fury Road.

I remember seeing the original at the drive-in as it was R-rated here in Australia, and I was 15 so I couldn't see in at the theatre, loved it instantly.
His XB Hardtop with the big blower was the star as well.
"I am the Nightrider!!!" That chase scene was good.
Toecutter's manner was very well done, and I reckon we all knew someone who was slightly familiar to him.

The second movie was very good as well, "You want to get out here, talk to me". Mel was very comfortable in this role by now. It was very big here in Australia.
I would have liked to see more Max adventures done at that time frame, or just after this movie.

I reckon the first Max movie was an exaggerated version of Aussie outer suburban culture of the "70s. The cars, the bikes, the racing, the pub atmosphere.
"what cha got under the hood mate, ya reckon it would havva go?" That's not out of the movie btw.

I wasn't really fussed on the Thunderdome movie, it seemed more "80's Hollywood than the previous two, and it lost a bit of it's Aussie character for me. I do still re-watch it from time to time though.

I enjoyed Thunder Road very much and look forward any further installments.

I would dearly love to see the XB Hardtop resurrected.

[eja]

Toecutter was an amazing villain.

[andys]

Aug 12, 2019 14:04:28 GMT -5 johnnypt said:

Fury Road...it seemed like a retread of RW and BT to me, but apparently the Academy didn't think so. If you had told me back in the 80s that they'd make a Mad Max film someday that would win 6 Academy Awards, I'd have said you were nuts. I sort of look at it as a film that takes place in the world of Mad Max, but it's not necessarily him.

What gets me about Fury Road is that it's a prime example of how real action filmmaking is quickly becoming a lost art. The cameras are stable, the editing is clear and restrained, and scenes are designed to give the audience a great sense of geography so you always understand where the characters are in relation to everything else. Virtually NO movies do this anymore, at least not in Hollywood.

[Erik]

Fury Road was my favorite movie from 2015. I rarely buy movies these day, but I sure bought that one on blu-ray. I also own the Mel Gibson ones, which are also great. Road Warrior was a favorite of mine as a kid in the 80's.

[moonlightshadow]

I just recently watched all four movies again.
The original "Mad Max" is a fun "ozploitation" movie.
When I saw it it in the theater in 1979/80 the audience went nuts.

"Mad Max 2" aka "The Road Warrior" is even better, an undisputable classic of action and science fiction cinema and one of the best movies of the 80s.
This is how a Conan movie should be done. The lone hero meets some people, gets entangled in their problems, takes their side at first because he wants something from them but then also because their opponents just piss him off. He kicks a lot of asses and in the end he goes his way, as lonely as he was in the beginning.
To the "civilized" people he leaves behind he becomes a legend. Robert E. Howard would have loved this movie.

"Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" is a big budget bore.
I fear this is something like we would get if Disney would attempt a "Conan" movie. It takes many superficial elements from "The Road Warrior" but it feels like the film makers had no idea what made that movie great.
Plus it's rated PG-13 to appeal to the masses.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is better, mainly because of the insanely good action scenes.
OTOH the character of Max is badly written and Tom Hardy's portrayal is pretty unimpressive.
Max often feels like a supporting character in a "Furiosa" movie.
Probably that's George Miller's attempt to appeal to the feminist zeitgeist.
Still I have to admit that Furiosa is a great character and Charlize Theron is fantastic as always. I just wish she wouldn't be the center of the movie.
In a "Mad Max" movie Max should always be the coolest character.

[kemp]

Aug 13, 2019 4:10:04 GMT -5 Peter said:

Yes I loved the first two Mad Max movies, and I did enjoy Fury Road.

I remember seeing the original at the drive-in as it was R-rated here in Australia, and I was 15 so I couldn't see in at the theatre, loved it instantly.
His XB Hardtop with the big blower was the star as well.
"I am the Nightrider!!!" That chase scene was good.
Toecutter's manner was very well done, and I reckon we all knew someone who was slightly familiar to him.

The second movie was very good as well, "You want to get out here, talk to me". Mel was very comfortable in this role by now. It was very big here in Australia.
I would have liked to see more Max adventures done at that time frame, or just after this movie.

I reckon the first Max movie was an exaggerated version of Aussie outer suburban culture of the "70s. The cars, the bikes, the racing, the pub atmosphere.
"what cha got under the hood mate, ya reckon it would havva go?" That's not out of the movie btw.

I wasn't really fussed on the Thunderdome movie, it seemed more "80's Hollywood than the previous two, and it lost a bit of it's Aussie character for me. I do still re-watch it from time to time though.

I enjoyed Thunder Road very much and look forward any further installments.

I would dearly love to see the XB Hardtop resurrected.

I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, so I agree with you on that score, and I wouldn't live permanently anywhere else. The locations were shot in and around Melbourne and other parts of Victoria, especially in the west of the state ( both inland and along the coast ). 

Seems most people ( including me ) rate the second Mad Max movie as the best of the bunch. Still liked Beyond Thunderdome, although I also think it had a more generic action movie feel about it, kinda lost some of that Australian character in the process. 

I knew the movie went by Road Warrior name in the states, but was surprised to learn that the Aussie accents had been dubbed out. I don't get that. Films and tv shows should be left in their original accents, be that American, Australian or British. 

Read something on a follow up movie after Fury Road called Mad Max: The Wasteland, script only at this point. 

[moonlightshadow]

Aug 14, 2019 8:31:55 GMT -5 kemp said:

Aug 13, 2019 4:10:04 GMT -5 Peter said:

Yes I loved the first two Mad Max movies, and I did enjoy Fury Road.

I remember seeing the original at the drive-in as it was R-rated here in Australia, and I was 15 so I couldn't see in at the theatre, loved it instantly.
His XB Hardtop with the big blower was the star as well.
"I am the Nightrider!!!" That chase scene was good.
Toecutter's manner was very well done, and I reckon we all knew someone who was slightly familiar to him.

The second movie was very good as well, "You want to get out here, talk to me". Mel was very comfortable in this role by now. It was very big here in Australia.
I would have liked to see more Max adventures done at that time frame, or just after this movie.

I reckon the first Max movie was an exaggerated version of Aussie outer suburban culture of the "70s. The cars, the bikes, the racing, the pub atmosphere.
"what cha got under the hood mate, ya reckon it would havva go?" That's not out of the movie btw.

I wasn't really fussed on the Thunderdome movie, it seemed more "80's Hollywood than the previous two, and it lost a bit of it's Aussie character for me. I do still re-watch it from time to time though.

I enjoyed Thunder Road very much and look forward any further installments.

I would dearly love to see the XB Hardtop resurrected.

I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, so I agree with you on that score, and I wouldn't live permanently anywhere else. The locations were shot in and around Melbourne and other parts of Victoria, especially in the west of the state ( both inland and along the coast ). 

Seems most people ( including me ) rate the second Mad Max movie as the best of the bunch. Still liked Beyond Thunderdome, although I also think it had a more generic action movie feel about it, kinda lost some of that Australian character in the process. 

I knew the movie went by Road Warrior name in the states, but was surprised to learn that the Aussie accents had been dubbed out. I don't get that. Films and tv shows should be left in their original accents, be that American, Australian or British. 

Read something on a follow up movie after Fury Road called Mad Max: The Wasteland, script only at this point. 

I think only the first "Mad Max" was dubbed for the US market, not "Mad Max 2".

[johnnypt]

Aug 14, 2019 9:38:04 GMT -5 moonlightshadow said:

Aug 14, 2019 8:31:55 GMT -5 kemp said:

I grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, so I agree with you on that score, and I wouldn't live permanently anywhere else. The locations were shot in and around Melbourne and other parts of Victoria, especially in the west of the state ( both inland and along the coast ). 

Seems most people ( including me ) rate the second Mad Max movie as the best of the bunch. Still liked Beyond Thunderdome, although I also think it had a more generic action movie feel about it, kinda lost some of that Australian character in the process. 

I knew the movie went by Road Warrior name in the states, but was surprised to learn that the Aussie accents had been dubbed out. I don't get that. Films and tv shows should be left in their original accents, be that American, Australian or British. 

Read something on a follow up movie after Fury Road called Mad Max: The Wasteland, script only at this point. 

I think only the first "Mad Max" was dubbed for the US market, not "Mad Max 2".

Correct




For MM2, they only changed the name since Mad Max had made just a little impact in the cult circuit in the states.  This way people would go see a summer action movie instead of a sequel to a film they probably didn't know existed.

[andys]

Aug 14, 2019 1:43:45 GMT -5 moonlightshadow said:

"Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" is a big budget bore.
I fear this is something like we would get if Disney would attempt a "Conan" movie. It takes many superficial elements from "The Road Warrior" but it feels like the film makers had no idea what made that movie great.
Plus it's rated PG-13 to appeal to the masses.

IIRC, the problem with Thunderdome is that Brian May had died shortly before they started making it, and George Miller was so affected by the loss that he agreed to only direct the action scenes, which (SURPRISE!) are by far the best parts of the movie.