Fury Road was an amazing experience, one that I've rarely felt in a movie theatre or in my home theatre. My re-watch of Thunderdome, on the other hand, was a big disappointment, but hey, I saw it coming.
Young Mel Gibson, making a go of it in the
post-apocalyptic Australian wastelands
The original Mad Max was one of those movies that my high school pals and I used to rent on VHS back in the days when you'd also rent the VCR. Back in the early 80's, of course, when life was simpler. I'd seen it at least a few times before the 90's were over, but when I came back to the original Max movie this week, I'd forgotten much of the story, other than the explosive final scene. It was a little odd to see that it was actually a very quiet, uneventful tale up until the final fifteen or twenty minutes. A bit of a slow burn, something I don't normally mind, but I didn't really expect it here. Anyway, the big revenge sequence that wrapped up the movie was a doozy. Read my full review here.
The Road Warrior, AKA Mad Max 2, came along two years later, in '81, and WOW... what a huge leap forward in over-the-top mayhem. Right from the opening scene, Road Warrior set new standards for insanely exciting action, and it was incredible to see how skillfully director George Miller sustained that intensity throughout the entire picture. Definitely not a slow burn this time around. The film was mostly a non-stop car chase. But that barely describes how thrilling the visuals are.... definitely one of the top action adventures of the 80's. Full review here.
The third "chapter", Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, was a massive let-down, though. When I first saw it in theatres, I wasn't sure about the whole thing. The vision and tone of the first two Max movies were dropped in favour of a kid-oriented story. The dark, creepy and violent dystopian world of Max I and 2 never entered the picture here. Thunderdome was so slick and soft that it was sickening. Star actor Mel Gibson almost sleep-walked through the movie, barely interested in the events around him. I don't think he was impressed with the new direction of the series either. I go into more detail in my review here.
My CD movie soundtrack from the first Mad Max
film, scored by none other than rock royalty Queen's
guitarist Brian May
Thirty years later, director Miller brought Max back to the silver screen. With a new actor, Tom Hardy, in the title role, Mad Max: Fury Road is an even more amped up gig than The Road Warrior... as if we even thought that was possible. The action is relentless, the characters weird and unsettling and cool, and I was particularly struck by the movie score, which was often tribal drumming and crazed heavy guitar... and perhaps some electronic soundscaping to chill us to the bone. All very effective, unnerving, and unforgettable. The stuntwork was beyond anything I'd seen before, and I took into account the fact that the car chases and destruction were real practical effects, no CGI glitzing things up. Very wild and entertaining. Could this mean a sequel or two in the future?
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