Mad Max Renegade

Fan films are often filled with corny gags and campy copies of the source material. Not the case here.

This brief look into the dystopian world created by Miller and Kennedy is probably the most faithful fan nod to source material seen yet.

There are budgetary drawbacks that are evident; some subtle, one not so subtle (hint: right side). But it is very easy to forgive those when you have a good (albeit brief) story, camera-work that is a nice homage to both David Eggby's and Dean Semler's styles, and an action sequence that proves you don't need a lot of cash to deliver the goods.

This has all the hallmarks of the originals, and fits perfectly between the first and second films. You'll want to see more.

Aside from the fact that it completely screws my theory about the series time-line, Renegade is a well made, short film that expands the Mad Max universe and bridges the gap between the first Mad Max film and The Road Warrior.

Everything about it captures the style of the first two films really well, honestly i felt like i was watching a deleted scene from Mad Max. (1)

Normally with a low-budget short film you may expect to see some errors or possibly some questionable acting, but Renegade was quite good and the only issue i really noticed was a certain point where Max and Jess' (Max's wife) accents were really odd, nothing that really ruins the experience however.

Full film available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phFDAJep1jo

Paul Miller's film has a really good Mad Max story. Its not just a random or stand alone event in the Mad Max universe. There is a reveal in it that's unexpected, surprising and dare I say...fun! When this happens in the movie it gives two things to the audience, the first thing being a moment of perfect entertainment, a plot pay-off if you will. Secondly, this is an event that has ties with and expands on the Mad Max mythology. For the delivery of those two elements Mad Max Renegade rises to the challenge and succeeds in the promise of what a good fan film should be. Kudos to the director for packing so much quality and effort into this short movie.

Add to that a fine portrayal of Max by Liam Fountain and good production values and of course being set in the world of Mad Max there is action, violence and some really cool looking cars!

I was lucky enough to attend the LA premiere of "Mad Max Renegade" and did not know what to expect being a short (fan) film. One of the toughest challenges for any Writer-Director is to tell a complete story in a very short time frame which Paul Miller was able to do with this clever Mad Max fan film. One of Paul Miller's strengths is having a long history as an Art Director and that really showed as the detail of all the wardrobe, props, and the setting which the film took place was a true homage to the Mad Max films. Miller was even able to have an Australian "Interceptor" star car in the film! Great casting all the way around and a nice twist at the end of the film which got a lot of laughs when it was revealed. Anybody who enjoyed any of the Mad Max films will really enjoy this fan film... it was very well done.

I would love to say this was a great fan film by Mr. Miller - short of a Better Budget and Obvious Shooting Conditions - it is a tremendous fan film worthy of a look and screening by any Mad Max and Road Warrior fans. The actor portrayals were excellent - the story is intriguing and has a nice 'surprise' at the end - I personally enjoyed the premiere - the only negative I offer here, is that the project could have been so much better with more production value and a better sound/audio track - but sometimes this is all even the best of fan films can achieve - I hope you get the chance to see this film - you will enjoy it, and i too hope that Comic-Con gives it a screening this year!