This summer marks the return of Max Rockatansky with the release of Mad Max: Fury Road. Here’s how I rank the series from favorite to least favorite (some SPOILERS ahead, possibly):
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Feels more like a follow up to The Road Warrior than it does Mad Max Beyond Thunderome, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The production delays had me a little worried, but once I saw the trailers, I knew this was going to be one crazy ride and hell yeah it was! It’s well written, has the perfect amount of humor, and the action is non-stop. Tom Hardy does a remarkable job as Max Rockantansky, and proved himself to be the right replacement for Mel Gibson in the role. Charlize Theron kills it as Imperator Furiosa, the film’s bad-ass female heroine. There’s been praise from feminists for making her such a strong character and for the wives of the film’s antagonist, King Immortan Joe refusing to simply be “breeders” for him. It adds to the film, no doubt. Nicholas Hoult is also great as Nux, a War Boy who has a change of heart and helps Furiosa and Max escape from the clutches of King Joe. You’d think after such a long gap between this and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome it would’ve been disappointing, but not all. It’s really the best in the series. George Miller gave us a phenomenal film and hopefully this does well enough at the box office so he can do the two sequels he has planned.
The Road Warrior (1981)
Basically Mad Max with a higher budget, and even more awesome! It’s a prime example of a sequel done right. The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is perfect and the action sequences are amazing. The climatic chase scene in particular is a stand out. We definitely see Max develop as a character, going from being self-centered to more altruistic, helping the people of the community that is being terrorized by bandits after their fuel. The bandits are just the right kind of crazy. It’s also an interesting dynamic for Max have an ally, the Gyro Captain. This makes for a great double feature with another dystopian action film released the same year, John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.
Mad Max (1979)
It really is an awesome, dystopian action film that launched the career of Mel Gibson, who plays Max Rockatanksy flawlessly. Despite the low budget, there are plenty of great car chases and effects to boot and it’s just so much fun. It also has a solid revenge element to it as we see Max’s best friend and partner, Goose crippled by the film’s antagonists as well as his wife injured and infant son killed by them. The antagonists in this film are over the top and insane, and that’s what’s so great about them. They’re memorable and Miller makes them even more insane in the sequel, The Road Warrior. Over 35 years later, this still holds up perfectly and is one of the best films of its kind.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
The weakest film in the series for sure, but it’s nothing bad like a lot make it out to be. The film’s main flaws are that it’s not as well written as the other entries or quite as fun. What’s also a bit of a letdown is that it got a PG-13 rating instead of an R rating, something that’s never usually a positive for an action film. Tina Turner is an odd choice as the film’s antagonist, Aunty, but she does a good job regardless. The second half of the film with the children has some pacing issues, but the film’s climax is hell of fun, just like The Road Warrior’s.
