Mad Max

The film is a drama with action and adventure elements. Unlike later films where the apocalyptic and ultra-violent world is already established, this one is much more "down to earth". There is a standard civilization here, however, there are violent criminals. The film shows experienced police officers facing a sinister motorcycle gang. There are a lot of cool chase scenes here, which are the highlight of the film.

The performances range from simple to some good. Highlight goes to Mel Gibson, who is charismatic and does well in the role.

The villains are detestable, and from the second to the third act we hope that Max can stop everyone in his path. The ending of the film is brutal, fun and remarkable, and certainly inspired a famous series of horror films involving a cutting saw (I think you already know what I'm talking about). If the film had a little more action in the first act, and some more interesting characters besides Mel Gibson and two or three others, I would give it a higher rating. Either way, it's a cool movie.

Dr. George Miller's low budget Mad Max franchise impacted on Australian culture and altered the perception of Australia and Australians overseas in a way that no other Australian film had done. The films explores themes such as 'man and the environment', 'fear provoking post-apocalyptic future, family', 'masculinity in crisis', 'good versus evil (Max as an iconic hero), Australian ethos and car culture; themes often featured within Australian films yet presented in a stark and dramatic way. The cinematographic impact is powerful; the human and emotional appeal is timeless.

Australia's barren deserts presented the ideal setting for a post-apocalyptic environment. The film set is more identifiable as Australia as it was filmed around the city of Melbourne. Long deserted roads feature significantly in the film and the cinematographic device of taking long distant shots of Max demonstrates how small he is in the scale of the environment that he is living. It is a relentless, unforgiving environment which demands defeat or survival and marks the characters which play upon its stage.

Just as the physical setting is stark and desolate, the time setting and its associated events create an atmosphere of fear and foreboding which plays on the minds and emotions of contemporary viewers. In this fear provoking post apocalyptic future the few survivors of the nuclear holocaust are in warfare with one another, the rebel bikers and the police.

Good versus evil is a dominant discourse in many film genres and one which embraces the Australian ethos. Max possesses some highly valued "Australian" traits; in particular, those of the underdog, the battler, the hero. External forces beyond his control stop him from "winning" completely. Contrary to the Hollywood hero, the Australian hero is a pawn in the game of others, which explains why Max can never quite "win" in absolute terms. There is little public glorification of success in Australia; heroes are remembered for their style rather than for their achievements. (Venkatasawmy, 1996) Mad Max represented a tradition hero, a hero to whom many diverse cultures are able to relate, as a story of a lone hero is a story that goes back through centuries of storytelling, and as a consequence the film achieved colossal success within Australian and around the world. The Australian cultures and lifestyles shown throughout these films give Australians an understanding of their country in the landscape, the language, and the way we treat people, life and life in exceptional circumstances.

Reference Venkatasawmy, R. (1996), Australian Film in the Reading Room: The Hybridity of Film-making in Australian National Cinema: Formulating a Cinematic Post-Diaspora. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/rama/CHAPT4.htm

It was the very rawness and budgetary constraints of this little flick that made it what it was. A new kind of action hero in a new kind of world! Gibson's laughably underpaid (though unavoidably so) contribution cannot be underestimated. He imbued Max with more than the script actually merited. An attitude perhaps that struck a chord with many office-desk (wannabe) vigilantes. After all, Max takes control of his own life - is not cowed by authority. Max is everyman, the one inside us that few get the chance to let loose. He is part Jesus, part Che, part James Dean, all Australian yobbo! But this guy gets the job done - drop Max into Iraq next month and see how far Saddam Hussein gets trying to stock up on sarin!

Raw energy is what MAD MAX was all about! Distilled, tempered and inflamed by the time THE ROAD WARRIOR came around but at this juncture. a man on a mission and with the best tricked-up car since....well, THE CAR ! For those of you incidentally, totally mortified that his glorious black-hearted Interceptor was rendered dead-meat in MAD MAX 2, be comforted by the fact that it DOES in fact reside still in a museum in London (Why there and not Sydney I know not...perhaps for the same reason Australia still is not host to the cricket-ashes urn!) What chance of either's return when Greece can't even get the Elgin Marbles back?

Much has been made (and remembered) of the high-power car chases in this film, held by many in absolute reverence. In fact after the main cops vs The Nightrider work-out in the first few minutes of the flick, its pretty much all downhill in the action stakes - nothing subsequently in MAD MAX (1) comes near this brief sequence. This situation (with a way bigger budget) was inarguably reversed by the time THE ROAD WARRIOR came along. The stunts in THAT film have never been surpassed and remember this was without CGI fx.

MAD MAX has that indefinable 'something" the sequels didn't...perhaps just a raw innovation couldn't be duplicated - rather like ur first kiss. It might not have been the best, but it sure IS fondly remembered.

Like many other much-loved action movies that have become staples of late-night TV, Mad Max isn't as good as you remember. Especially if viewed when sober and attentive, rather that just back from the pub.

The version recently shown in the UK on ITV4 uses the original Australian dub of the soundtrack (I think), and it spoils large parts of the film. The music swerves from schmaltzy to bombastic, often drowning out the dialogue which is too low in the mix.

Only half the cast can act, with Hugh Keays-Byrne nearly stealing the film as the Toecutter, while Joanne Samuel (Jessie) and Steve Bisley (Goose) are also very watchable. Mel Gibson works on an early version of his 'handsome crazy guy' routine that would serve him so well in the Lethal Weapon series.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the best of the film's many action sequences is over and done with at the beginning. The car and bike stunts are spectacular but oddly scheduled through the movie - the climactic revenge taken by Max seems pretty low-octane compared with what's gone before.

In the end it's a odd mixture: cheap horror-movie crash zooms, white-knuckle stunt work, gentle romantic sequences, homo-erotic leather gear. It put Australian movie making on the map, albeit briefly, and spawned many sequels, even if no-one's quite clear about where or when any of it is set: is this post-WW3, with society struggling to survive? Is it a dystopian near future? Is this just what the Northern Territories are pretty much like already?

Don't think about it too hard. Just enjoy the stunts and the strangeness, ideally after an evening on the beers.

This classic is set a few years from now, a dangerous, desolate world of the future where rules the strongest law and useless Halls of Justice. It concerns about a police named Max (Mel Gibson), some cutthroats and revenge takes place. Max lives along with his wife (Joanne Samuel) and son. The nasties attack , rape, ravage to hapless and unfortunates. But vengeance will be terrible against some bands of depraved crazies thirsty for blood on high facility roads.

This exciting picture packs kinetic action , thrills, chills, shocks and lots of blood and violence. Spectacular stunt-wok plenty of motorcycle races with bounds and leaps and explosions . Top-notch Mel Gibson as revenger angel at one of his first main roles, he embarks a criminal vendetta against vicious murderous. Rumbling and screeching musical score by Brian May. Special and weird futuristic atmosphere created by the cameraman David Eggby. The motion picture is stunningly directed by George Miller, author of the excellent post-apocalypse ¨Mad Max¨ trilogy along with the writer and producer Byron Kennedy. It's followed by ¨Mad Max 2, the Road warrior¨ with Gibson , Bruce Spence, Vernon Welles and Mike Preston ; and ¨Mad Max beyond Thunderdome¨ with Tina Turner, George Ogilvie, Frank Thring and again Bruce Spence. In addition, numerous imitations, rip offs, and exploitations ,especially Italians products. Rating : Good, better than average, this is the most successful Aussie movie of all time.