Such a frustrating disappointment

One of my all time favorites.

Absolutely the worst movie.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Mad Max3 And A Half Out Of 5Mad Max is a sci-fi thriller about an inadequately working officer who is a worried vulnerable family man that is on the verge of going rogue due to its surrounding that literally defines dog-eat-dog world. The effort and hard work that went on creating the future world pays off and the primary reason to that would be its accuracy and lunacy towards the resemblance with practicality which is not created to please the viewers but stand on its definite ideology. It is rich on technical aspects like choreography of all the chase sequences, background score, sound effects, art design and editing. The script is unpredictable, thought-provoking and goose-fleshing filled with nail-biting action sequences and three dimensional characters that are perfectly cooked and served to the audience. The screenplay by James McCausland and George Miller (the director) keeps the audience engaged with unexpected twists and turns and mind-shattering visuals where Miller's brilliant execution not only supports but celebrates it into a whole new level. The performance is decently handled by Mel Gibson although it could have been a lot better. Mad Max is sanely ingenious and bolder as much as glorifying and adventurous the journey is, for this is a long drive that every moviegoer has been waiting for buckling its seat.

There are parts of this I like, but the movie as a whole just fails to connect with me. The premise is good, the setting's alright, but it only gets interesting during the second half. Even Mel Gibson, who I like as an actor, doesn't have a lot of screen presence here, granted it is only his second role, so I'll give him some slack there. It's not for lack of trying, some parts are good, the action especially, and it helped start Gibson's career as well as help the Australian movie scene. I can respect it for that, but this is for a different audience than me.

Mad Max is a film that spawned a new genre of post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies and the career of Mel Gibson. This movie also gave birth to three sequels and a variety of spinoffs. Its been years since I first learned of this franchise, but it took me awhile to actually get around into seeing these movies. I have now seen this movie twice. The first time, I did not really like the film. While still an imperfect film, I appreciated the film much more. The story isn't spectacular-it's a just a road trip action/thriller with Mel Gibson killing all the bad guys who get in his way, but the characters are what make this movie work.So Mel Gibson plays a man named Max, a cop in the wastelands of post-apocalyptic Australia. To say Max is a savage cop to those who undermine him is like saying I only merely like watching movies. This man is ruthless when it comes to his career, but what makes Max a bigger character is the other side of himself. He is a happy family man with a loving life and child and they mean the world to him. But his world crashes down on him when a family tragedy occurs thanks to the work of a vicious motorcycle gang led by a dude named "The Toecutter" (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Then the story turns into a revenge movie and a rather good one at that.This movie starred Mel Gibson before he was a well-known movie superstar. This was only a small Aussie film and at the time, Gibson was only known in his Australian continent and then just barely as he was new to acting. But you can see why he blossomed into such a lovable (for a time) movie star. He added the emotional gravitas that his character needed. Gibson made Max his own and he really kicked ass when it came down to it.One thing you have to understand about the movie is how utterly violent it can be. You wouldn't expect this much violence to be in a 1980 film, but give credit to George Miller because he did not hold anything back. From the opening chase sequence to witnessing the harsh actions of The Toecutter and his gang, it can be hard to watch. But the action is built for high-octane action, raw power, and insane speed. That is really all we want in a film like this.My biggest issue with the film is how outdated it can get. This film was released in 1979 overseas and 1980 here in the States, so it's an older film obviously. But sometimes I was jolted away from the film thanks to the old-fashioned costuming and hairstyles. The cinematography is fine for when it came out, but it really does not hold up too well and it can be distracting when there are not any high-speed chases going on.I thought Mad Max was a thoroughly fun film. I viewed the film as an experiment and it works very well in that regard. After all, it came out with three sequels and dozens of similar sci-fi films. Even though the film is filled to the brim with brutal violence and crazy action scenes, it really works because of the emotional themes at its core about family. That really made Max the hero worth watching. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for the low-budget unknown film it was at first.My Grade: B

Mad Max is quite easily the most famous Australian franchise that ever was. It's seen iterations in not only sequels to this classic movie, but also comic books and video games. And it all started with George Miller's groundbreaking 1979-dystopian-innovation of a film: starring then newcomer, Mel Gibson. The film is HIGH-OCTANE stuff, fast and furious (WELL before Vin Diesel's franchise; pun intended) and mean in a very very memorable way. Bikies, fast cars, revenge, and Madness supreme! Mad Max is a bit of an upsetting film, but this film broke new ground at the time. Its brutality in theme and content was unsurpassed at the time it came out, so much so that it was initially banned in countries New Zealand and Sweden. Of course it would come out later in those places but this censorship proves how much of an impact and shock Mad Max left in its wake. And let me tell you; this film is cinema history. Without this we wouldn't have things like post-apocalyptic fiction in games, comics or t.v. even.If you haven't seen the movie, give it a watch and continue the Mad Max series if you so desire.