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Mad Max Customer Reviews (40 - 42 of 53 Reviews)

It's a Mad, Mad (Max) World
MGM jumped on the DVD bandwagon rather late in the game, and the studio has been struggling to keep up ever since. Traditionally, MGM has released bare-bones, movie-only DVDs with bad transfers and horrid sound - but, thankfully, tradition seems to be losing out to what consumers want. Mad Max: Special Edition is the latest offering from MGM's film vaults to make its way onto DVD in a restored, high-performance disc, and it's about time, too.

Mad Max will probably go down in history as the film that made Mel Gibson a star, but that would gloss over the film's many other virtues. A post-apocalyptic tale of good vs. evil, Mad Max features the title character, Max Rockatansky, in his job as an "Interceptor," a kind of cop struggling to maintain order in a world where the government has all but collapsed and ruthless biker thugs and warlords have made normal life impossible. When Max kills a member of the gang, their leader, the Toecutter, turns around and butcher's Max's family. As a result, Max gets very mad and goes straight to kick-ass mode. The story is slick and well-told, with enough fast cars, gun battles, and extreme chases to keep you tied to your chair. It's basically a Western set in a decaying Australia, and it's a welcome change of pace for action fans, too.

MGM presented us with a two-sided, dual-layer DVD that has two versions of the film: a gorgeous 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen transfer, and a full-screen copy on the same side for those who don't like to see the whole movie. For the first time, American audiences get to watch the film with the original Australian dialogue (it was dubbed with American actors for the US and never released with the original accents before now), either in the old-school mono mix or a completely redone, deep and dynamic DD 5.1 remix. On the other side you get two mini-documentaries, one about the Mad Max series and how the crews made the films (informative), and one about Mel Gibson's rise to stardom (blah). Round that out with a pop-up video style "trivia track" (really just a subtitle option), and you've got a great disc.

The pop-up video track is one of the best and most innovative new features in a long time; I hope other DVD companies take note, because it's fun, informative, and you can watch it again and again, unlike most commentary tracks and other "extras." Overall, Mad Max is an excellent disc, and at its current price, it's worth adding to your shelves. If you're an action fan or a post-apocalyptic-film fan, then this disc is a must.

All time classic
A rookie director, a dirt poor budget, and a no name cast didn't stop Mad Max from becoming one of the most revered action films of all time. A pre fame Mel Gibson stars as cop Max Rockatansky in a post-apocalyptic future where he, his buddy partner, and his wife and child, try to maintain a sense of civilization while ruthless biker gangs rule the road. When his family is slaughtered, Max goes over the edge, and the movie manages to get better and better. MGM has thankfully released Mad Max the way it was meant to be seen on DVD, with the original Australian language track restored in place of the dubbed American accents that were infamously incorporated into the film for years on home video and television. The stunt work of the film is a definite highlight, as is the young Gibson's performance as the hell bent for vengeance Max. Two sequels would follow, the first of which entitled The Road Warrior, managed to surpass this film and remains what many consider the greatest action movie ever made.

DVD Makes this Movie and the Aussie Voice Track...Finally
This DVD is like watching a brand new version of the film with crisp imagery in letterbox format. For those who haven't seen this movie, it's the original story of Max and how he eventually becomes the "Road Warrior" as portrayed in the sequel. The film was done on a lower budget than its successor, but contains great action with some terrific stunts. The main attraction of the movie is his work as a pursuit officer on the highways where outlaws are running havoc over an understrength police force. Max and his peers are almost as rough as the outlaws, creating a gray area between justice and crime. The story centers around Max's aggressive pursuit of an escapee named the Knightrider, resulting in the outlaw's death in a violent car crash. The Knightrider's motorcycle gang then come looking for Max in retaliation, and Max's family suffer the consequences. Max then transitions from police officer to vigilante, going after the bike gang on his own terms.

The movie is high-energy with souped-up Australian Fords and Kawasaki motorcycles screaming across barren landscapes in lethal chases. Max and his car, an evil-looking black supercharged coupe, wreak destruction on the outlaw bikers near the end and it's pure adrenaline by this point. The film may not be as polished or as wild as the "Road Warrior," but it has cult appeal with the same flavor.

This edition of Mad Max features the original voice tracks of the Australian actors that was never before available in the U.S. This surprisingly quite changes the atmosphere of the movie, making the characters more realistic in a sense, and far less animated when compared to the American dubbed version that feels more like an imported martial arts flick. I personally prefer this version.

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