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Mad Max Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 53 Reviews)

Mad Max: The Beginning
Mad Max was Mel Gibson's breakthough film back in 1979. This low budget film really packs a whallop and set new standards in filming breathtaking car chases. It's essentially a pulp comic book brought to life. A raw and exciting film that set the stage for two powerful sequels.

The police, sporting black leather uniforms and driving colorful high speed cruisers that are stationed at the Halls of Justice and are constantly under siege. The bad guys are a malicious motorcycle gang led by a crazed and psychopathic goon named Toecutter. After one of Toecutter's cronies is killed by Max, Toecutter is looking for some serious payback, but he's messing with the wrong cop...you don't wanna get Max mad.

The production design coveys a world that's gone to hell and captures the grim atmosphere perfectly. Brian May's (not the guitarist from Queen) exciting music score gives the film a larger than life quality. Director George Miller makes the most of his small budget. The chase sequences and editing is terrific.

This DVD edition is taken from the original video release.

An Outlaw Biker's Worst Nightmare
Mad Max is a very imaginative, wild, and satisfying film. It's sequel The Road Warrior is a bit more thrilling, but Mad Max delivers the goods. The film is set in the post apocolyptic Australia, where savage biker gangs and outlaw drivers rule the roads. The film begins with policeman Max Rockantsky(Mel Gibson) who engages in a thrilling highway chase between him and a crazy driver called Nightrider. When Nightrider is killed in a firey crash, his psychopathic friend, Toecutter, is enraged, and wants revenge in blood, Rockantsky blood. Toecutter and his vicious biker gang are known for terrorizing towns, tying people to speeding motorcycles, and much worse (as seen in the film). For a while in the film, they stalk Max, his wife Jessie, and his infant son in very weird, creepy scenes. Then when Toecutter and the gang run Jessie and her baby down on their motorbikes, Max is beyond enraged, thus becoming the title character, Mad Max. The end of the film is a sensationalized thrillfest as Max dawns his leather road outfit, two guns, and hunts down the gang in his new Police Interceptor, running some down, shooting one, and I won't mention what happens to Toecutter. Mad Max is very bizarre, very brutal, and very very entertaining. The stunts are quite impressive, the villains are very well cast (particularly Toecutter and Johnny)and Mel Gibson is the ultimate Mad Max. The only snag: the film goes at a snail's pace. Otherwise, go rent this movie, make some popcorn, and get ready to hit the road.

Not a classic, but it's got its thrills and stunts.
The Road Warrior is one of the best action films ever made. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome explores post-apocalyptic societies better than any film ever has. Where does this leave Mad Max? What it remains is a flawed, but remarkable low-budget film. On a reported cost of $ George Miller has staged some truly impressive chases and stunts. Not a penny was wasted in this production. There are even some very tense moments, such as the scene where the gang tries to run over an injured Max as he desperately reaches for his gun.

But the film still has its flaws and I can't just ignore them because of the low-budget or the cult classic status this movie has received. The problems range from some poor acting to scene transitions that are somewhat done in a disjointed manner. The only good performances seem to come from Mel Gibson and Joanne Samuel. Most others don't exactly get a lot of time to flesh out their characters.

And then, there's the pace, which begins in lightning speed with its opening car chase, but slows down considerably quite a bit before regaining its action momentum in the finale. The Road Warrior began slowly, but it built itself up to a breakneck pace half-way through, rather than in the finale.

So, Mad Max may not be a classic like its sequel, and it is the weakest of the series, but it's still very much worth watching for Gibson fans and those looking for some truly gritty and realistic action.

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