Mad Max (1979)

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In the grand scheme of films and their sequels, 'Mad Max' is one of the only examples I can think of in which everything following the first film is much better than the original. Although 'Mad Max' has its own following, its 'Road Warrior,' and 'Thunderdome' that people seem to remember more fondly than this precursor, which was probably better for its time. Watching this movie today, at least for me, proves kind of difficult. It might just be a "me" thing, as this film is still highly rated. But for the life of me, I'm not entirely sure why it is.

Set in what was supposed to be the near future at the time (So, I guess, mid-80s), the film plays with the concept of widespread oil shortages forcing Australia into civil unrest, and creating a dystopia. Although none of this is really explained throughout the film, 'Road Warrior' covers it, and it makes the film a touch more simple to explain. Again, maybe it's just a "me" thing, but all in all, I found this chapter to be pretty confusing and all over the place throughout its execution. But then again, I also got bored a lot, so we can probably blame my attention span on this moderately rough review.

In the wake of it all, a poorly funded police unit called the "Main Force Patrol" (or "The Bronze" by their enemies) try to keep the remaining civilians who are just trying to live their lives safe from violent motorcycle gangs. Top among them is Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), who essentially introduces himself by chasing down a gang member who goes by the name "Nightrider" (Vincent Gil); a cop killer. Max succeeds in dispatching Nightrider, but it comes with the cost of Nightrider's fellow gang members seeking revenge.

Said gang, lead by "Toecutter" (Hugh Keays-Byrne), begins their revenge plot by seeking out and attempting to kill more MFP officers, while constantly stealing fuel, terrorizing the last of the innocent townsfolk, vandalizing property where they can, and doing a whole lot of psychopathic hootin' & hollerin'. That sounds like a criticism, but that's about all I can give the movie credit for - the series stuck to its guns and evolved from these concepts, and I must admit that for as much as I don't really like the original, what we have today may be nowhere without it setting a few standards.

Anyway, it takes a very long time to get to it - like, practically the last half-hour of the movie, but it does get pretty cool for that last little bit. Eventually, the gang messes with the wrong people, namely Max's wife, Jessie (Joanne Samuel), and things spiral into a pretty sweet action-fueld chase between Max's Ford Falcon XB GT Coupe "Interceptor" and a bunch of motorcycles. Only problem is, that's about the only cool part of the movie, it's short-lived, and the film ends very abruptly.

I think what this all boils down to is the timing of the film's release, itself, and me looking back on it with a present-day perspective on what action has become. With that said, I'm very hard-pressed not to give the film full credit for one particular detail - the action sequences, stunts and effects were essentially all real, save for some bloody and gory makeup. I will always route for practical effects over CG, and again, its presence here has followed through to every film since (until 'Furiosa,' but more on that with that review).

This is definitely one of those middle-ground films for me. I can't help but give it credit for what it created, and how it was executed as far as things like effects go. However, the critic in me still sees what is mostly a fairly bland movie in comparison to its sequels. I truly believe that if one feels the need to do a backtrack like I'm doing here, one can probably just start with 'Road Warrior' and be fine. I personally find this chapter to be a little confusing and all over the place, but that's just me. It's a classic in its own right, and I can't take that away from it. It's just that I find everything after it so much more enjoyable.

3/5

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