Mad Max - Oltre la sfera del tuono

Why why why did someone think it was a good idea to fill Max Max 3 with a bunch of annoying kids? Its like half way through the movie the crew was switched and they thought they were making Oliver!

Such a horrible way to end a most amazing trilogy.

Max goes from road warrior to babysitter.

Still any Max is better than no Max.

The first half of this film -- the part with Bartertown, Thunderdome, etc -- is brilliant, not just a repeat of THE ROAD WARRIOR but a totally new concept, thoroughly fleshed out. The second half, with the lost children, isn't as good -- and, more to the point, doesn't quite mesh with the first half, despite Miller's attempts to tie it all together at the end. Still, it's well above average in a genre that has increasingly come to believe (wrongly) that special effects are more important than plot and character.

This movie was much maligned when it came out in 1985, but that was due to the spectacular qualities of its predecessors, "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior." Taken out of comparison with the other two, this movie is still solid post-apocalyptic fun, but it's lighter and slightly less violent than "Road Warrior" (as is evidenced by the PG-13 rating.) The actors' performances are perfectly adequate for the action, and the chase scenes bear all the hallmarks of Miller's craftsmanship (which contemporary directors should seriously consider studying and revitalizing.) You just won't see any arrow-riddled bodies slamming into the pavement at 60 mph or watch manned motorcycles sucked under the wheels of a big-rig. This one is about the kids. Think Hook in the wasteland and that starts to approach it.

If you saw this movie in the theaters 25 years ago and walked out hating it, give it another chance. Just don't see "RW" right beforehand. No reason to hobble your experience with unrealistic expectations.

The first 40 minutes were terrific, but when max meets those kids in the desert it all goes downhill. The first half had this dark gritty look to it even if the violence was toned down. But when Max meets those kids it becomes all bright and lighthearted. But why is this movie 18a here in Canada, all of the violence in this movie is restrained with the exception of the Master blaster fight in the thunderdome.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was a bigger production than its predecessor: Road Warrior. I still think I like Road Warrior better. The nemesis was more nemesisee and Mad Max himself was in more peril.

Beyond Thunderdome was lighter as far as mood (which the presence of children may have caused). This time the nemesis was the incomparable Tina Turner as Aunty Enmity, but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. The character wasn't a real hatemonger and... it's Tina Turner. She was the Beyonce before Beyonce.

One thing I'll give Beyond Thunderdome over Road Warrior is the theme song. It's top ten in my book. In 2002, for Spider-Man, Nickelback sang: "they say that a hero can save us, I'm not going to stand here and wait." Well, Tina Turner laid the groundwork for that in '85 when she said: "We don't need another hero." And she knocked that song out of the park.