News

Netflix constantly adds great titles every month. That's great for us, of course, but there is one little drawback: we also lose a lot of great titles. These are three of the very best movies you need to catch before they're gone.

To be sure, a few films leaving the Netflix rotation in April won't be sorely missed. I'll just say that when you've reached the third movie in a trilogy, the franchise has usually run out of ideas. There aren't many franchises that close out with a film like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Although if they were being honest, they could probably borrow the title. But overall, a lot of great titles are leaving.

Unlike the three films I highlighted last week, I can't exactly say these three movies are underrated. The first was a box office hit that scored with critics and audiences alike. The...

Gallery 1988 has released prints and original artwork from its “Back to 1985” exhibit celebrating pop culture that turns 40 this year. I’ve highlighted eight genre-related pieces.

“1985” – Jeremy Wojchihosky’s amalgam of the year’s films includes characters from Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Ghoulies, The Stuff, and more. 12×12 open edition prints cost $30.

“Got Brains?” – Amanda Jablonka’s artwork of Tarman from Return of the Living Dead is available as an open edition 9×12 print for $25.

“I am Peter Vincent, vampire killer!” – Christopher Uminga pays tribute to Roddy McDowall’s horror host character in Fright Night. The original 9×12 framed watercolor artwork costs $500.

“Over His Dead Body” – Stephen Andrade imagines Clue as a vintage paperback novel. 11×17 prints come signed by the artist for $30.

“Bub” – Jimmy Read’s draws Day of the Dead‘s most iconic zombie. The 4×4 original colored pencil and ink framed piece costs $50.

“Hero vs. Villian vs. Rebel with a Bike...

Set your notifications. Cancel Wednesday night trivia. If you’re old like me, actually get out your red pen and mark your calendar. Seven movies are leaving Netflix this month, and you’ll want to be sure to watch them before they say farewell.

One of them is an Oscar-winning Best Picture. Another, in the eyes of many, should have been. One is a sheer guilty pleasure.

There’s cutting-edge satire, vitally important social commentary, and quite possibly the best film ever made in its particular sub-genre.

Seven movies to stream on Netflix before they leave in March

I will caution you about one thing: with a minor exception or two, these movies tend toward the violent, from the outright physical to the intensely emotional. There are some comic moments to be found and perhaps a tiny bit of offbeat romance, but these are generally high-octane, in-your-face adventures. However – and...

George Miller is flirting with the idea of taking another trip down Fury Road.

Following his 2015 franchise reboot Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and last year’s Furiosa prequel, the Oscar winner recently revealed he has another installment he’d like to make “if for whatever reason the planets align,” but he has a few other projects on deck.

“We’ve got another script,” he told Vulture of his Mad Max plans. “But having been doing this long enough where I’m habituated to storytelling, I find myself with way too many stories — not only in my head, but in the form of screenplays or at least very detailed notes that are within reach of screenplays. I’m a professional daydreamer, really. This was seen as my big deficit as a kid: ‘George would do better at school if he didn’t daydream so much’ was on my report card.”

Miller added,...

In 1961, Richard Matheson published a short story called "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" that became a cornerstone of TheTwilight Zone franchise. Rod Serling's original series included an instant-classic adaptation that has been endlessly referenced, and remade twice. 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie, and Jordan Peele's 2019 reboot series both tackled the tale in contrasting ways, and watching the three versions together reveals much about why the Matheson story is so special.

The 1963 Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" featured a performance from William Shatner that makes up for the low-budget creature he sees on the wing of his plane. 20 years later, George "Mad Max" Miller remade the story with advanced FX for Twilight Zone: The Movie, and in 2019 the reboot series included "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet," a modern take that may be the most paranoid of them all.

Richard Matheson's Story Was Monstrously Influential Image via CBS.

Author Richard Matheson's...

For those who’ve been holding their breath since 2013, Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii plays like a spiritual successor to the beloved Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. But the game, historical accuracy and reality be damned, is also the most delightfully bonkers pirate simulator that you’re likely to ever play. It’s so successful on that front that the traditional Like a Dragon storytelling weaving in and out of the pirate material almost feels intrusive. But it’s a necessary evil—if one even wants to call it that, given that the traditional Like a Dragon elements here are as delightfully chaotic, weird, and overly earnest as ever.

After an amnesiac Goro Majima wakes up on a secluded Hawaiian island with nothing except a pair of pants to his name, a young boy named Noah, accompanied by the pet tiger he insists on calling a cat,...

Mel Gibson, the actor who played "Mad Max" Rockatansky in the first entries of the franchise created by George Miller, has revealed which of the films in the dystopian universe is his favorite. Although Gibson has recently shown his power to divide, it's fair to say that this time we agree with him.

Per the report by Screen Rant, Gibson recently appeared at MegaCon Orlando, where he spoke about his run in the Mad Max franchise from 1979 to 1985. Gibson made a total of three Mad Max films: 1979's Mad Max, 1981's The Road Warrior, and 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. During a panel, the actor/director behind classics like Braveheart and the Lethal Weapon franchise revealed that his favorite Mad Max movie was the second entry, The Road Warrior:

I think the second installment was the best. It was just pure. It was just a chase. From an audience point of view,...

Mad Max: Fury Road's action was viscerally gritty, thanks to George Romero's obsession with stuntwork and practical effects. Actor Nicholas Hoult said he saw this first-hand behind the scenes.

Nicholas Hoult said Mad Max: Fury Road went above and beyond to sell its death-defying action scenes. Speaking at a Megacon Orlando Q&a, he revealed the outdoor sets had insane ramps built for stunt practice. That's expected in a film heavily reliant on real vehicle chases, but it must have been awesome to see the stunt crew polishing their tricks. "We would turn up in the morning in the desert and they built these motorcycle ramps for stunt doubles to practice doing jumps 30-40ft in the air," he said. "I was like 'This is a weird place.'"

Q: “In Mad Max you had a high energy role, what was the wildest moment on set?â...

The Mad Max franchise contains some excellent and intense performances. The earlier Mad Max movies appeared to be more of a gritty and dystopian epic, with more of a focus on stunts and imagery than character, but things have changed. There are five movies in the Mad Max saga, while the Mel Gibson Mad Max movies became cult hits, Mad Max: Fury Road changed the game. Fury Road significantly expanded the wasteland universe of Mad Max, introducing new cultures, characters, and possibilities for the franchise.

Each original Mad Max movie took Max to a different place. However, the world of Fury Road had so much potential that the most recent two movies have been set in the same area of the wasteland, with finally some sense of continuity. The best Mad Max villains have always been exciting and memorable, even outshining Max at times, but the most recent movies have...

Director George Miller is best known for the Mad Max series of films, but his singular Oscar win actually came from a different franchise altogether, Happy Feet. With Mel Gibson in the titular role, the original Mad Max debuted in 1979 to critical acclaim and a successful box office run. As a result, Miller, who also served as co-writer, joined Gibson in achieving mainstream recognition. This led to several more Mad Max movies being released across the years.

The most recent of those was Mad Max: Fury Road, which came thirty years after the Tina Turner-starring third outing, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The movie saw Tom Hardy take over the titular role from Gibson. And he was joined by the likes of Charlize Theron as Furiosa, a character that would later receive her own prequel. Despite Mad Max: Fury Road's long production turnaround, it received some of the best...

There have been many momentous milestones in cinema over the last six decades. These films serve as markers of technological advancements, but more importantly, showcase the evolution of creative storytelling. Even for the most casual movie-goer, there is something out there for everyone to enjoy — cementing cinema as one of the most impactful art forms in the media landscape.

In addition to the return of major movie franchises throughout 2025, many classic films have massive anniversaries to look forward to, which could signal special edition releases or some other form of recognition. From the iconic works of Alfred Hitchcock to modern classics like Back to the Future and The Shining, these films are treasured by audiences worldwide. It is only fitting to honor the milestones of these cinematic masterpieces from the past six decades.

Mad Max: Fury Road 10th Anniversary On May 7, 2025

Warner Bros. Pictures

Mad Max: Fury Road will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in May.

The first Mad Max film was an extremely low-budget movie written and directed by visionary filmmaker George Miller. After its success in 1979, Miller directed two more Mad Max movies. Mad Max: The Road Warrior came out in 1981 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released in 1985. The two sequels expanded the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, but then no more movies were made for 30 years.

The Mad Max franchise was thought to be dead, but Miller revived the series in 2015 with Mad Max: Fury Road after years of setbacks. In Fury Road, Tom Hardy replaced Mel Gibson, who had previously starred as the titular wasteland dweller. Fury Road received outstanding reviews, which led to another Mad Max movie being greenlit.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Is One Of The Most Popular Movies On Netflix The Movie Deserves To Find An Audience

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is currently one...

The year may have just turned, but Netflix is kicking off 2025 with an explosive start by adding Mad Max: Fury Road, a high-octane dystopian action thriller. Debuting at #4 on the streaming chart, Fury Road revived the franchise following its thirty-year deafening silence since Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985.

Directed by George Miller and starring Tom Hardy, the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland ruled by the tyrannical Immortal Joe. Furiosa leads Joe's five wives on a daring escape after forming an alliance with Max Rockatansky, a former captive grieving the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. Together, they face relentless pursuit by a horde of delusional zealots hell-bent on hunting them down.

On Tuesday, Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in the franchise with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, soared to the fourth spot on the streaming chart just a day after its Netflix debut,...

Back in the day, when the likes of Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and Harrison Ford were ruling Hollywood’s cinematic industry with their outstanding performances, Mel Gibson made sure he was one of the names counted among those A-listers as well. Within a few years of making his professional acting debut through The Sullivans, he earned his breakthrough with Mad Max.

Since then, he went on to score roles among numerous masterpieces, further cementing himself as a household name and establishing his reputation as one of the most admirable actors in the entertainment industry. If anything, in his prime, Gibson pulled off some really iconic wonders as he not only became the recipient of some major awards but also had some epic salary highlights.

Mel Gibson. | Credits: Monster Summer / Pastime Pictures.

While his controversies — including multiple legal issues and controversial statements — had his popularity as an actor cum filmmaker declining considerably in Hollywood,...

The Mad Max franchise has evolved over the course of time, and ranking George Miller's movies from worst to best creates a clear hierarchy in terms of their quality. The Australian director launched what is now considered to be one of the better action movie franchises in 1979 with the original low-budget film starring Mel Gibson. With five Mad Max movies released over more than 40 years, the franchise has managed to sustain itself through mostly stellar reviews, strong reception from audiences, and Miller's ability to continue to push the envelope as viewers, Max, and others navigate the post-apocalyptic world.

Thanks to the varied quality of the franchise and the different eras individual chapters belong to, ranking the Mad Max movies is sure to result in a different order depending on each person's enjoyment of the films. Whether it is a fondness for the Mel Gibson era of the franchise...

Tubi viewers have been rediscovering one of the greatest dystopian sci-fi movies of all-time, sending Mel Gibson’s original Mad Max riding to success on the free streamer’s chart. The low-budget George Miller-directed movie that kicked off a 45-year franchise is finding a new audience once again, possibly boosted by the recent revival of the franchise with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, and this year’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Although Mad Max has previously seen success on other streaming platforms, there is something about being able to pick a movie to watch for free that drives audiences to some films that appeared to have had their time to shine long ago. Mad Max’s position as a pioneer of the post-apocalyptic thriller genre that would continue to enthrall cinemagoers with tales of future horrors makes its story always relevant in our tumultuous and volatile world.

The...

There are a few harsh realities to rewatching Mad Max: Fury Road, even though the movie remains a post-apocalyptic masterpiece. The 2015 sequel was directed, co-produced, and co-written by George Miller, who wrote the original movie with Byron Kennedy. Although Australian producer Byron Kennedy passed away in 1983 after working on just two Mad Max movies, Miller continued to lead the Mad Max movie franchise. In hindsight, some elements of Mad Max: Fury Road could have been improved, while other elements may sadly never be recreated.

Miller's return to the Mad Max universe in 2015 led to one of the best action movies of all time. Mad Max: Fury Road occupies a mysterious place in the Mad Max timeline, for one. It appears to be set a long time after the last Mad Max movie, but Max hasn't aged. The strange timeframe of the movie indicated a fresh approach on behalf of its makers,...

A fantasy movie about dragons might evoke preconceptions of epic battles, medieval landscapes, and scaled giant creatures wreaking havoc. In a fresh approach, 2002's Reign of Fire incorporates these stereotypes with a Southern twist and thrusts them into "the future," 2020 to be exact, for a dragon-filled escapade. Instead of a man in tights, we see Matthew McConaughey as Denton Van Zan, leader of the dragon-slaying troop, the Kentucky Irregulars.

It was inevitable that with X-Files movie director Rob Bowman involved, the film wouldn't be your typical dragon lore fare. With a co-lead in the shape of Christian Bale, support from Gerard Butler and CGI dragons, all topped with the moody setting of Ireland's Wicklow mountains, Reign of Fire can be a little daft in places, but it's better than you think.

'Reign of Fire' Is a Futuristic Take on Old Folklore

Buena Vista Pictures

It's Man vs Dragon,...

Furiosa flopping at the box office could actually be a blessing in disguise for the franchise, as it could lead to a Mad Max television series. George Miller began the long-running apocalyptic series in 1979, and has developed the world in five Mad Max movies. Mel Gibson played the titular wasteland dweller in the first three movies, but after a 30-year hiatus, Tom Hardy portrayed the character in Mad Max: Fury Road. 2015's Fury Road breathed new life into the series, and proved that there are more stories to tell in the wasteland.

After Mad Max: Fury Road, Miller started planning the next entry in the saga. For the fifth movie in the series, Miller surprisingly turned away from the character of Max and focused on Furiosa, who was previously introduced in Fury Road. The story of Furiosa follows the titular character after being kidnapped from her home and forced to...

Although the Mad Max movies were somewhat derailed by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s box office underperformance, The Road Warrior might hold the key to the franchise’s future. The Mad Max franchise’s timeline has always been hard to follow, but the most recent installment in the series did nothing to make matters easier. According to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the prequel takes place 45 years after the apocalypse. However, 1979’s Mad Max takes place before the off-screen end of the world, which makes it hard to work out how Max is not in his late 60s by Fury Road.

Related Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Ending Explained

Furiosa ends in a way that ties up the title character's storyline, relaying her origins. We break down the biggest moments from Furiosa's ending.

Of course, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’s box office underperformance can hardly...

Justin Kurzel wants to make a 'Mad Max' prequel.The 'Assassin's Creed' director, 50, has always been "curious" as to what happened before the events of the original post-apocalyptic action film, and has now revealed he has considered approaching franchise creator George Miller, 79, about the possibility of him helming a prequel to the 1979 cult classic, which starred Mel Gibson as the titular character.Kurzel told Collider: "I’ll tell you what, maybe because it was such a big influence, but I’ve always been curious about what happened before the first 'Mad Max' - what was that world with the Nightrider, pre-'Mad Max'."I’ve always been very curious about that and very tempted to talk to George about the possibility of a world that is pre-'Mad Max' one and what that is. That’s been one that I’ve...

The visionary director George Miller might not have as many movies under his belt in comparison to other filmmakers, but he gave audiences his magnum opus: The Mad Max Saga. Miller's imaginative vision for allegory made each new film in the Mad Max Saga more and more refined. Over time, he built an exceptional fictional world, with compelling characters and important themes. However, the true identifiable trait of Mad Max cinema is the action sequences.

In 1979, Miller and his team set out to make an action movie inspired by the car-action of the '60s. This ended up planting the seeds for what would become one of the greatest action-sci-fi epics in cinema. Honing his craft and expanding his universe led to a complete vision with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The 1981 sequel portrayed immense world-building and authenticity as it gave audiences unique action sequences throughout "the Wasteland." From there,...

The Mad Max movies got off to an incredible start in 1979 with George Miller's original Mad Max, but Max only got really mad relatively recently. The Mad Max movie franchise has retained an amazing consistency in tone and aesthetic since 1979. It has pioneered its unique world, style, and message. These small miracles are due to George Miller helming the franchise from its very beginning, writing the story with Byron Kennedy, penning the screenplay, and then directing the movies. But despite this consistency, one thing did evolve over the years - Max himself.

Across the Mad Max timeline, Max Rockatansky is the titular antihero, only giving the spotlight to Furiosa once in the 2024 movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Originally played by Mel Gibson, Max Rockatansky fronted Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Playing Max between 1979 and 1985, Gibson defined the franchise and carved...

A fan theory for the Mad Max franchise manages to fix the series' timeline issues, which have confused viewers for years. The first Mad Max film was released in 1979, and followed Max, who was then played by Mel Gibson, in a war-torn Australia after oil has been depleted from the world. In the first film, Max was seeking revenge against a biker gang after they killed his wife and son. However, from the second film on, Max was presented as a much more mysterious wanderer of the wasteland.

Mel Gibson returned to portray Max in the second and third Mad Max movies. However, after a 30-year break, director George Miller returned to the franchise with 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road and cast Tom Hardy as Max. While this decision made sense, since Gibson was much older, moments in Fury Road and its prequel film, Furiosa, made the Mad Max timeline even more confusing.

Mel Gibson was once no stranger to franchise filmmaking. As one of the biggest stars of the 80s and 90s, Gibson was front and center in not just Academy Award-winning movies like Braveheart but also tentpole series like Lethal Weapon and Mad Max. Unfortunately, both those franchises had dried up by the early 2000s, and when Mad Max was finally set to make its return after a series of starts and stops, Gibson was no longer welcome back.

The reasons for Mel Gibson's exile from the role of "Mad" Max Rockatansky are plentiful, even if none of those justifications were ever spoken of or addressed during 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road. There were creative considerations that went into the decision, but first and foremost was the mess Gibson had made of his professional career following a difficult stretch in his personal life in which the man's demons were brought kicking...

Paramount has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports coming to the Paramount+ streaming service in November. The Paramount Plus November 2024 schedule includes Taylor Sheridan’s Landman, which navigates the fortune-seeking world of Texas oil rigs.

Sports fans can also enjoy an incredible spread of games over the holiday week, including the Nwsl Championship and UEFA Champions League marquee matches, as well as NFL on CBS and Big Ten on CBS action.

Landman

In November, audiences will be treated to the premiere of the new original series Landman, from Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of Yellowstone and starring Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton, Golden Globe nominee Demi Moore, and Emmy Award winner Jon Hamm.

Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, the series tells the gripping story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires in the world of oil rigs fueling a boom so big that it’s reshaping our climate,...

The Mad Max franchises shockingly consistent Rotten Tomatoes scores, with the same level of critical acclaim across 45 years, prove that Furiosa deserved to be a much bigger hit. Mad Max is one of the only big movie franchises thats been spearheaded by the singular vision of the same filmmaker through every single incarnation. George Miller began the Mad Max series with his low-budget independent directorial debut in 1979. Across almost half a century, as the franchise has grown from gritty Australian thrillers to big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, Miller has guided Mad Max every step of the way.

Whats even more impressive is that Miller has kept the quality so consistent over more than four decades. George Lucas stuck with the Star Wars saga through the prequels, but they were met with a much more mixed reception than his original trilogy. Steven Spielberg returned to the directors chair for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,...

Mel Gibson was once the face of the Mad Max franchise, but in Mad Max: Fury Road, he was replaced by Tom Hardy, and some fans may have wondered why. One of Mel Gibson's earliest and most iconic characters was Max Rockatansky, the titular hero from the Mad Max franchise. Gibson first started playing Max in the series' first film, in 1979. He would go on to play Max twice more, in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. For decades, Gibson was the face of Max, but it all changed in 2015.

Related Mad Max Movies In Order

There are multiple Mad Max movies that span several decades, and that creates different viewing options based on release and chronological orders.

When Fury Road was released, Tom Hardy became the second actor to play Max Rockatansky. That decision came as a bit of a surprise to Mad Max fans at the time,...

After a huge box office flop, the Mad Max franchise faces an uncertain future, with legitimate concerns about whether Mad Max: The Wasteland is a movie that should be made. Despite being the follow-up to the massive critical hit of Mad Max: Fury Road, featuring strong lead stars, and simply being a good movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga saw shocking losses at the box office. While there have been plans for an additional Mad Max sequel for some time, people are now questioning it.

Furiosa underperformed for numerous reasons that had little to do with the actual quality of the movie, including marketability and competition, as well as the changing movie landscape where many expect that they will soon be available to stream. However, Furiosa's failure highlights several logistics and story challenges to the proposed Mad Max 5, making it a risk Warner Bros. and George Miller might not want to take.

The Mad Max franchise has some of the most iconic, leather-clad villains in movie history, but not all of them were as compelling as others, and only one can be considered the best. Throughout the Mad Max timeline, villains like Lord Humungus, Dementus, and more have been terrorizing the world of Mad Max. They're incredibly important to the franchise, as they show the lows humanity has stooped to in the apocalypse, and they contrast the heroics of Max and Furiosa. Some of them accomplished those things better than others, though, and only one of them played the villain best.

While every Mad Max villain brought something unique to the franchise, they can still be compared. The franchise's best villain will be one who serves as a good antagonist on their own, but also one who fits perfectly into the series best. The Mad Max franchise has such a distinct style and overarching theme,...

Since the American film industry's founding, Hollywood has consistently proven itself to be the face of American creativity, fame, and prosperity, with everything from classic dramas to modern superhero films. While audiences today are used to blockbusters being made on hundred-million-dollar budgets, some even needing to earn billions to be profitable, that isn't always the case. A variety of cult classics and even box office mega-hits were made on a shoestring budget.

Hollywood has seen many directors come and go who have shown how to make do with less, with the limitations of small budgets sometimes forcing innovation and creativity. Many of these films redefined their genre, pushing the industry in a new direction for years to come -- despite being made for next to nothing. Not every filmmaker can replicate this success, but those who manage it show a good movie doesn't need a nine-figure sum to be iconic.

It is not easy to make sense of Mad Maxs ever-changing age throughout the franchises four movies, but the age of his actor and apparent chronology of the series can be used to discern this information. The Mad Max movies are a masterpiece of off-the-cuff world-building. Hard as it may be to believe now, the original thriller was only set in the future to save on production costs and was never even intended to be a sci-fi story.

However, since then Road Warriors iconic villains ensured that the Mad Max franchise essentially invented the post-apocalyptic action movie aesthetic and the sunburnt style of the series has endured in popularity throughout the sci-fi genre for decades. Despite this, it is hard to discern the chronology of the Mad Max movies in concrete terms, and even harder to work out the history of their star. Just attempting to discern what age Mad Max...

The 2024 installment in the Mad Max series, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, provided some fascinating context for the dystopian franchise, but despite mostly positive reviews, the movie failed to repeat what Mad Max managed to do with its original run in the 1980s. Mad Max gave Mel Gibson his breakthrough role as Max Rockatansky and became the most profitable movie ever made at the time. While Mad Max has a 90% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior topped it, with a 94% rating and a new post-apocalyptic wasteland setting defining what we know as Mad Max today.

With advancements in CGI and an increased budget for the Mad Max franchise, Fury Road delivered and improved on the themes viewers now expect from Mad Max when it rebooted the Mad Max franchise 30 years after Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Fury Road brought intense action, vehicles that existed on a...

The best film in the Mad Max franchise is exactly the opposite of the one that came before it, and it highlights a big problem the series needs to avoid in the future. The Mad Max franchise has changed quite a bit since director George Miller started it in 1979. In that time, Max Rockatansky was played by different actors, switching from Mel Gibson to Tom Hardy, and the series gained a new protagonist in Furiosa. One of the franchise's biggest changes also led to the best Mad Max movie ever made: Mad Max: Fury Road.

In almost any ranking of the Mad Max movies, Fury Road comes out on top. It's widely considered the best in the franchise, and it's often even included on lists of the best action movies ever. What makes Fury Road's quality so surprising is that it was such a departure from the previous Mad Max movie,...

As is the story with countless others, Mad Max: Fury Road got me hooked on the Mad Max series. For years, Mel Gibson played the lead role of Max in director George Miller's post-apocalyptic saga. Gibson originated the role of Max Rockatansky back in 1979, and reprised it in 1981's Mad Max 2 (Aka The Road Warrior) and then again in 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. By the time Mad Max: Fury Road rolled around in 2015, Gibson was already 69 years old and thus had aged out of playing the action lead.

While it was hard for many to imagine a Mad Max movie without Mel Gibson, George Miller made an outstanding choice in casting Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky. Bringing his antagonist Bane-like energy to a protagonist role, Hardy is great in Mad Max: Fury Road. I would love to see Hardy return to the Mad Max series for any future iterations,...

Quick Links The First Mad Max Started It All Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Is The Best Of The Original Franchise Beyond Thunderdome Was Mel Gibson's Final Mad Max Movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Is A Prequel To Fury Road Fury Road Made the Mad Max Storyline Confusing

The Mad Max movie series is one of the most well-known post-apocalyptic movie franchises, with the series focusing on a traveling loner amid his dark and bleak future. Now, the series has continued with its latest entry, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Focusing on the earlier days of Charlize Theron's character from Mad Max: Fury Road, the movie's exact place in the chronology of the series is fairly questionable.

The Mad Max films have always had a somewhat amorphous continuity, though it's far more set in stone than some viewers think. The same is the case with Furiosa,...

Batman and Mad Max share similarities in loss and vehicle reliance, making a crossover intriguing. Fan art depicts Batman and his new vehicle in the Mad Max universe, blending the two worlds beautifully. The inclusion of Feral Kid as Robin adds depth, and an official crossover between the characters may be possible.

Batman trades his Batmobile for a V8 Interceptor in a recent piece of fan art, as the Dark Knight travels to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Mad Max. While the two characters are from totally different universes, the mashup makes sense when considering the similarities between Bruce Wayne and Max Rockatansky, which could result in an epic team-up.

Reddit user and artist mattmirth shared the crossover fan art: a beautiful piece of artwork that blends the worlds of Batman and Mad Max. The artist treats the piece as if it were a long-lost relic of the past, resulting in some beautifully retro-styled artwork.

Praetorian Jack is a standout character in Furiosa for wearing black grease on his forehead. The black grease symbolizes authority among Immortan Joe's crew. The black grease, besides denoting rank, serves a practical purpose of reducing glare while driving.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga explored the backstory of Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) and some of the most important people in her life, among them Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), and they stood out for wearing black grease on their foreheads. In 2015, thirty years after the release of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, George Miller brought the Mad Max franchise back to life with Mad Max: Fury Road. Set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where petrol and water are scarce, Mad Max: Fury Road introduced viewers to another version of Max Rockatansky, played by Tom Hardy.

Max was captured by warlord and cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and taken to his fortress,...

Quentin Tarantino thinks “Toy Story 3” is one of the greatest movies ever, which is why he refuses to watch 2019’s “Toy Story 4.” During an interview on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, the Oscar winner suggested that “Toy Story” could’ve been one of the great film trilogies had the animated franchise not continued with a fourth film. A fifth “Toy Story” is now on the way.

“I don’t watch all the animated movies and stuff, but I’m a big fan of the ‘Toy Story’ trilogy,” Tarantino said. “I think there’s only one trilogy that completely and utterly works to the Nth degree and that’s ‘A Fistful of Dollars,’ ‘For a Few Dollars More’ and ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.'”

“It does what no other trilogy has ever been quite able to do,” he continued. “The first movie is terrific, but...

One of the earliest Alien rip-offs was made for US television. We take a look back at 1981’s The Intruder Within.

Much like Jaws, Star Wars and Mad Max before it, the success of 1979’s Alien prompted studios and producers the world over to make their own hastily-made rip-off movies. Thanks to – shall we say – enterprising filmmakers like Roger Corman and Norman J Warren, we got cheap and cheerful fare like Barracuda (1978), Battle Beyond The Stars (1980) and Inseminoid (1981).

One of the earliest Alien clones to emerge like a shambling monster, though, was The Intruder Within – a low-budget TV movie that cheekily borrowed all sorts of ideas from Ridley Scott’s hit, but transplanted the entire thing from a spaceship in the future to an oil rig in the post-energy crisis early 1980s. As you can probably imagine, it isn’t a lost classic, but it’s fascinating to revisit, both...

There are many standards by which we can measure the influence of the Mad Max franchise. The series consists of five excellent movies, all made by Australian filmmaker George Miller and a host of co-creators. The series launched the career of Mel Gibson who, until his hate-mongering came to light, was one of the most engaging movie stars of the 1980s and ‘90s. And it defined the idea of the post-apocalypse so much that revved-up machinery and bondage gear has become the de facto look of the end of the world.

At their center, though, the Mad Max movies are deeply personal stories about two things: the way humans destroy themselves with their own inventions, namely the motor cars and the gas they guzzle, and the way communities and even empathy endure in the Wasteland.

Although Miller helms each of the entries, the franchise has evolved over its 45-year existence.

Economic collapse and war over vital resources led to societal breakdown in Mad Max. Water and oil are crucial resources for survival in the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max. The phrase "Who killed the world?" in Fury Road refers to mankind's greed and violence.

The Mad Max franchise is set in future Australia as the country is experiencing societal collapse caused by war and shortages of critical resources. Over the course of the Mad Max movies, the environment rapidly devolves until its most dramatic portrayal in Fury Road, when the landscape resembles little more than a barren wasteland. In the original Mad Max, there's still some semblance of law and order, but matters quickly devolve further, leading to questions of how everything became that way.

While the movies don't focus on the larger world issues, focusing instead on smaller conflicts set in this futuristic hellscape, some attention is given to...

Furiosa shaves her head to hide a peach seed from her mom. Furiosa found a clever way to escape from Rictus' abuse thanks to a wig. Furiosa shaves her head one more time to blend in with Immortan Joe's men.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga explores the origin story of Mad Max: Fury Roads Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlize Theron), and it finally answers the question of why she shaves her head. Three decades after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, George Miller revived the Mad Max franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where petrol and water are scarce, Fury Road follows Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), who is captured by cult leader and warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and taken to his fortress, the Citadel.

Max ends up joining forces with Imperator Furiosa (Theron), Immortan Joes top lieutenant, who rebels against him to free his...

Cannes Film Festival this year has been offering audiences a plethora of new films to enjoy and look forward to seeing in theatres this year. One of the premieres of this year’s Cannes Film Festival was ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’. ‘Furiosa’ was premiered as an exhibition at the festival, but was met with a standing ovation. On May 24, ‘Furiosa’ hit theatres for audiences to finally view the newest addition to the ‘Mad Max’ family. Though the film series has been sparingly released since the 1980s, this film brings a new voice to the ‘Mad Max’ films. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment,...

The latest movie in the “Mad Max” franchise will soon be ready to watch at home. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is coming to Max on August 16.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” debuted in May at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival and received a seven-minute standing ovation there. After coming to theaters it earned a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it wasn’t as successful at the global box office and earned $172.8 million against a budget of $168 million.

The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa, who was played by Charlize Theron in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and Chris Hemsworth. The film’s plot synopsis reads, “Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led by the warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel, presided over by the Immortan Joe. As the two tyrants fight for dominance,...

Max Rockatansky rarely speaks throughout the Mad Max franchise, and he's gotten quieter in recent years. Director George Miller believes minimal dialogue helps audiences focus on action, and Max's quiet nature helps with that. Max has never had more than 90 lines of dialogue in any of the five Mad Max films.

Though he appeared in five separate Mad Max movies, Max Rockatansky didn't actually have many lines of dialogue. Over the franchise's 45-year history, several different actors have played Max Rockatansky. Each of them, from the main stars to stunt doubles and voice actors, have added something unique to the character, but they all share something in common. Even Mel Gibson and Tom Hardy have been very quiet during their time as Max, mainly because Max has so few lines of dialogue over the course of five films.

George Miller, the director of all five movies in the Mad Max franchise,...

From survival horror to science fiction, post-apocalyptic films hold up a mirror to the cynical side of human nature, with each offering a different spin to the dystopian formula. Many paint a dark picture of the future, suffocated by war and ecocide. But none does it with more glitz and automotive fury than the Mad Max franchise. The brainchild of director George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy, Mad Max gave a new meaning to the phrase "anarchy on the roads." Society may collapse, and people may lose their humanity, but nothing stops the revving of engines and the smell of burnt tires in this post-apocalyptic action franchise.

Set in the Australian Outback, dubbed as the "wastelands" in the films, the Mad Max franchise follows the drifter Max Rockatansky as he continuously gets embroiled in the affairs of vicious gangs and the common folk. The original trilogy featured Mel Gibson in the titular role of Max,...

Nailing the final entry of a classic cinematic trilogy is always the most difficult to get right. Tasked with sticking the landing and tying the narrative strands across three movies together requires a precise amount of pre-planning that must be executed in ways that both trump its predecessors and satisfy fans at once with a compelling conclusion. Every once in a while, we get perfect trilogy-enders like The Good, the Bad and The Ugly, The Return of the King, or The Last Crusade. But more often than not, we get limp and lackluster results like The Godfather Part III, Jaws 3D, Terminator: Rise of the Machines, Alien 3, Back to the Future 3, Men in Black III, and countless other movies that fail to live up to the first two instalments. That begs the question, where does Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome register on the scale of all-time good or bad final chapters in movie trilogies?...

Furiosa's box office failure might mean there will be no more Mad Max movies due to limited financial viability. Mad Max films have always been niche, with limited mainstream appeal, making them less likely to succeed as blockbusters. Despite the potential for more stories in the Mad Max universe, the franchise's future seems uncertain.

Furiosas failure at the box office means there probably wont be any more Mad Max movies and if thats the case, Ill be heartbroken. George Millers post-apocalyptic franchise has been a staple of action cinema since the 70s. 1979s Mad Max, set in a dystopian near-future, is an ultraviolent masterpiece with uncompromising brutality and a bleakly satirical view of society and human nature. It was a landmark in independent filmmaking and, according to Guinness World Records, the most profitable film ever made (until it was dethroned by Blair Witch in 1999). It got the franchise off to a terrific start.

Mad Max is a popular post-apocalyptic action film franchise that has produced several movies since its inception in 1979. Throughout the series, the main character, Max Rockatansky, has driven various vehicles that have become iconic in the world of cinema. Here are some of the most memorable cars Max has driven in the Mad Max movies: 1974 Ford Falcon Xb Sedan (Mad Max): Max's first vehicle in the series was a yellow, red, and blue patrol car for the Main Force Patrol. It had a 351 cubic inch Cleveland V8 engine and was one of the few cars that wasn't wrecked onscreen. 1975 Holden Hj Sandman Panel Van (Mad Max): This custom van was the Rockatansky family's personal vehicle. It had a custom mural painted on the right side and was the setting for Max's last happy days before tragedy struck.

Max Rockatansky's cars define the world of George Miller's Mad Max...