Mad Max (1979):
The first entry in the trilogy, director George Miller takes us to rural Australia, where oil supplies are rapidly running out, and violent gangs are terrorizing what remains of society. A motorcycle gang member called Nightrider (Vincent Gil) leads Main Force Patrol officers on a wild chase, leaving everyone from Roop (Steve Millichamp) to Charlie (John Ley) to Scuttle (George Novak) to Goose (Steve Bisley) in the dust. Thankfully, Max (Gibson) is able to cause Nightrider to crash. Unfortunately, Nightrider’s gang, the the Zed Runners, remain on the prowl. They terrorize a couple out for a Sunday drive, only to have Max and Goose find them petrified. When their attempt to have one of the gang members jailed fails, and he is released, he comes after Goose with a vengeance. Devastated, and considering resigning, Max decides to take some time away with his wife Jessie (Joanne Samuel) and their infant son to think about his future. However, after the Zed Runners attempt to kill Max’s family, he becomes a one man army, determined to get his own style of revenge.
While Mad Max has some serious holes when it comes to character development and plot it still a fun action flick. The action sequences have real creativity, and from the moment Mel Gibson appears on the screen, it’s clear he was meant to be a star.
The Road Warrior (1981):
The Road Warrior, known simply as Mad Max 2 throughout the remainder of the world (and, incidentally, in the film’s own opening credits), is for my money, the best film in the series. It’s now perfectly clear that the world has been devastated by a nuclear catastrophe. The only law left is that made up by those crazy enough to behind the wheel on the blood spattered streets. Amazingly, Max (Gibson), still reeling from tragedies of the past, rediscovers his humanity when he comes upon a group of survivors. Against all odds, they are attempting to escape the desert and keep control of the precious gasoline, a.k.a. ‘juice,’ coveted by the Lord Humongous (Swedish body builder Kjell Nilsson) and his band of thugs.
The plot is a simple tale of good vs. evil tale, but it’s what director George Miller does with it that makes The Road Warrior a standout. Max locates his long forgotten humanity—in a sea of inhumanity—to help these survivors get away from evil. Miller crafted some mythological overtones in what is a simple scenario, couple that with some incredible action sequences, and you have an undeniable classic.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985):
The third installment of the series, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, finds Max stripped of nearly all his possessions, and located in Bartertown, run by Aunty Entity (Tina Turner) and her loyal followers. Everything runs on gas from pig feces. Master (Angelo Rossitto) runs this process, and has his own loyal cohort, Blaster (Paul Larsson) which is the source of some tension between him and Aunty. Max makes a deal with Aunty to rid the town of Blaster. In exchange, Max will get his possessions back.
The film’s most famous sequence is the face-off between Max and Blaster inside Thunderdome (“Two men enter, one man leaves”).Ultimately, Max refuses to kill his opponent, leaving Aunty to turn against him and banish him to the desert. Max is saved by some feral children, who’ve been living in an enclave hidden away from the ravaged world. In the end, Max is the hero, saving the kids.
There’s no question that the Mad Max films are violent. But if you dig beyond the surface, they offer a little more than meets the eye. As the trilogy begins, Gibson’s character is out to provide for others, and then becomes very self-focused, only to occasionally get in touch with his humanity and reach out to people. No matter how hard he tries, Max is essentially a person who holds on to the positive remnants of society that remain, even in the face of chaos.
Each of the three titles is presented in sharp 2.40:1 1080p, with little or no original grain. The Australian desert is depicted very nicely, you’ll almost feel your there. The lighting also creates the necessary emotions, and none of the transfers show any real digital anomalies. Fans of the films should be pleased.
Mad Max provides DTS-HD Master Audio Australian English options in 5.1 and 1.0, as well as an American English dubbed 1.0, plus French Stereo and Spanish 1.0. The Road Warrior provides DTS-HD Master Audio selections in English 5.1, Dolby Digital French 2S and Spanish 5.1 and 2S. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome offers DTS-HD Master Audio selections in English 5.1, a Dolby Digital French 2.0 and Castillian (2.0) and Latin (1.0) Spanish options.
Obviously, given all the action scenes, audio is a crucial element of the Mad Max films and what’s provided here does an excellent job and adds to the overall experience.
The three-disc set is packaged in a normal Blu-ray case but comes enclosed in a nicely decorated tin. The special features have been ported over from previous releases:
Mad Max
- Audio Commentary with DP David Eggby, art director Jon Dowding, special effects supervisor Chris Murray and film historian Tim Ridge
- Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon (25:35)
- Original Theatrical Trailer #1 (1:53)
- Original Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:09)
The Road Warrior
- Audio Commentary with director/co-writer George Miller and cinematographer Dean Semler
- Introduction by Leonard Maltin (3:37)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:31)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
- Original Theatrical Trailer (1:29)
