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Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

List Price: $14.97
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Third best of the trilogy, but fun watching anyway.
Review: The Mad Max films finish their transformation from the edgy, ultra-violent first movie to this kid-friendly adventure picture with slick production values and flawless photography. The violence is toned down and the fantasy elements are played up; unfortunately, this means the post-apocalytpic kick of the second movie (just about one of the greatest action flick -- EVER!) has vanished. "Thunderdome" has some fine moments, especially the well-directed scenes with the tribes of children and the haunting images of the coda, as well a couple of good action sequences, such as the face-off in the Thunderdome arena, but it doesn't stay in your memory the way the first two films do. It is still worth seeing if you enjoyed the other movies in the series. Tina Turner's performance is certainly interesting, similar to Grace Jones turn in "Conan the Destroyer," which was made at about the same time.

Of course, if you've never seen a Mad Max films, don't start here. Go back to the first one (available in a great deluxe DVD), then work up to the best of three "Road Warrior" (available in a not so deluxe DVD), then you'll be ready for this finale -- and this DVD doesn't have much in the way of extras on it either.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MAXimum Action
Review: This last film in the trilogy continues to follow the fortunes of the wandering loner, Max Rockatansky, a.k.a. Mad Max.

This time, Max comes across the desert city of Bartertown. Its rousing slogan hanging over the gate says: "Building a Better Tomorrow." Bartertown is a thriving (but cutthroat) community run by the imperious Aunt Entity (Tina Turner). The action makes its appearence when Max is forced to fight for his life in the arena Thunderdome. ("Two men enter, one man leaves.")

When Max breaks the rules he is sent to the desert to die. But Bartertown hasn't seen the last of him...

This film is a great conclusion to the Mad Max Trilogy. Though not as energetic as the previous film, there are still great scenes of action and an exciting chase sequence towards the climax.

The tribe of children who rescue Max from the desert speak like the characters in the post-nuclear book "Riddley Walker". There is a certain irony in this as the children believe Max is the messiah Captain Walker.

Bruce Spence reappears as the pilot who helped Max in "The Road Warrior". His teeth don't look as rotten this time. Or is it a different character? There were excellent performances by all the actors.

The Mad Max Series and "Gallipoli" are the only films I've seen of Mel Gibson's. I think I also saw his first movie "Summer City" (1977). Earlier in the year I heard a rumour about a fourth Mad Max film without Mel Gibson. I hope it's not true!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nearly as good as _The Road Warrior_
Review: The original _Mad Max_ suffered badly from its tight budget, but _The Road Warrior_ more than made up for it. The third and final film in the trilogy is, to my tastes, almost as good.

In some respects it's superior. I like Brian May's scores, but this one (by Maurice Jarre) is better. There's a lot more action in this one too; the plot sails along swiftly and we get to see quite a bit more of the postapocalyptic world (the politico-economic constraints of which are well embodied in the iconic Bartertown). And Tina Turner (who also sings on the soundtrack) as Auntie Entity is a fine piece of casting.

Good stuff, and Mel Gibson is in top form as well. Still, it just seems to me that a bit of the wind has gone out of the sails. Maybe it's because of the untimely death of producer Byron Kennedy (to whom this film is dedicated). Maybe it's just because this film is clearly intended to be more 'mainstream' than its two predecessors. But in some respects it just doesn't quite have the Mad Max 'feel'.

At any rate, it's a very cool film and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good postapocalyptic thriller.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We Don't Need Another Hero! Max'll Do Just Fine!
Review: The exciting conclusion to the popular Mad Max Trilogy finds our hero still alone, still wandering, and losing his possessions to an airplane thief (played by Bruce Spence, who played the Gyro Captain in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, but these are two totally different characters). To find some justice, Max enters Bartertown, a growing civilization of wanderers and rogues and makes a deal with Aunty Entity, played beautifully by rock sensation, Tina Turner. She wants him to kill Blaster, who's part of the duo, Master Blaster. Master is a little person and the one with the brains. Blaster is the muscle to back him up. By having Blaster killed, Aunty will gain total control over Bartertown and Max is the key. The duel takes place in Thunderdome, a place where "two men enter, one man leaves" and is one of the most exciting scenes in the whole movie, with Max fighting Blaster in this oval shaped cage with weapons placed in various positions. Needless to say, Max doesn't make out the way he'd hoped and is subject to exile in the nearby desert where he is rescued by a tribe of children who think he's their long lost Captain Walker, back to take them all home. Soon he sets them straight, but a few resist and set out to find civilization, with Max forced to go after them. They end up back in Bartertown where they decide to free Master, who is now a slave to Aunty Entity, and break out on a train while being pursued in what is one wild climax to the story. People will note that the violence tends to get cartoony, whereas in Mad Max 2 it was straightforward violence. My thinking is that in part 2 there was little to no humanity left in society. In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, humanity has found its way back into peoples lives, including Max himself. He finds himself caring for these children who saved his life, something he hasen't been able to do since the death of his own little boy who was killed by a biker gang in the original Mad Max movie. This is the reason for the more cartoonish violence and why this film received a "PG-13" rating instead of an "R" rating like the first two films in the trilogy. Although clearly not for everyone, especially thoughs who wanted another Max film more like "The Road Warrior", Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is a strong ending to one of cinemas greatest heroes and trilogies. And Warner Brothers did a tremendous job remastering the sound and picture quality. Perhaps if a special editon DVD comes out they will include a commentary with the cast and crew and maybe also include the Music Video to "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" performed by Tina Turner. Who knows, maybe even a box set will be released of all three films together. Until then, We Don't Need Another Hero! Max'll Do Just Fine!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: classic
Review: I grew up with the mad max trilogy, and i have to say this is one of my favorite movies. Yes it does not totally fit in with the first 2, but personally its still a good movie. Mel does an excellent job as always, and i was very impressed with tina turners performance, not to mention the children being just absolutely fun and witty for their roles. Yes the last road battle was sorta a letdown compared to mm1 and 2, but mm3 had a different tone to it, more optimistic and cheerful, which i didnt seem to mind. The musical score is very nice, and overall id say pick this one up if u get mm1 and 2- but dont be expecting a dark, road rage type of film that road warrior excelled at being. I still have many questions like- why were all those children on that plane?- err did they grow up in the crack in the earth never having "the things that were worth knowin" (or whatever savanah says lol)- all in all i highly reccomend this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A terrific masterpiece
Review: Let me tell you two or even three words on this one, dude. I was a big fan of both MAD MAX and THE ROAD WARRIOR, coming back in the early '80ies. When I heard Miller was aimed at doing a third, unnecessary installment, despite Byron Kennedy's death (the producer and film-making genius) I was highly disappointed. My expectations were high, and I was almost sure they would have messed up with it.
Oh man, I was wrong.
BEYOND THUNDERDOME is a brilliant, refreshing, provoking movie which successfully mixed-up violence and irony, well-crafted production and rawness, a solid and philosophical plot and the most stunning stunts ever seen at that given time. It's a "millennary" visionary epic all packed into a '90 minutes movie. One unique flick where the whole is far BIGGER then the sum of its parts, despite an uneven structure. That's fantastic!
Everything is great here. From the mystical and weird children/kids bearing their culture to the unforgettable centerpiece of the movie, Bartertown. From Tina Turner as Aunty Entity, who delivers the good in what could be pointed as an "outstanding performance" to the final chase scene, an energetic, creative and wonderful homage to the gianteous car sequence we saw in THE ROAD WARRIOR.
At last, but not the least, this is MEL GIBSON's finest performance in the action/adventure genre. He had the golden chance to push his legendary character towards new horizons, and he actually did it! MAD MAX rules.
Do a favour to yourself. This movie is truly a cinematic experience, something so impossible to replicate nowdays. I suggested BT to a lot of people, and everyone enjoyed and loved the movie to death too. Don't miss it. 6 stars out of five.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mad Max Beyond Mad Max
Review: First off, this movie can be best summed up into the following recipe:
First take all of your expectations of the first two Mad Max movies and then begin gutting them out. Clean out all the insides until you have just a shell. Next begin stuffing it with a generous helping of Gladiator and any one of Tina Turner's Hits from the 80's. Add a dash of Dune and then fully set aside. In a separate container mix a GIGANTIC helping of Hook with some Home Alone until blended. Add a bit of Throw Momma from the Train and Airplane and then carefully combine all ingredients and bake for one hour. Afterwards, lightly sprinkle with The Road Warrior and then serve chilled! This low fat meal yields just enough servings to satisfy most mainstream moviegoers. Does nothing for the connessieur, however.

This movie is best likened to the Terminator series. First one is Awesome. Second is UNREAL! Third one just doesn't seem to fit in with the others. Still it's a decent movie on it's own, just not like the other two. It's worth at least a rental for both fans and non-fans of the series. But if you're expecting that RAW, gritty, hard-edged, white line, high-revved, highway actioner like the last two. you simply will not find anything like that here. And that's the problem I have with this. This is simply too jolting from the winning formula of the first two. The first two movies were so raw in their presentation you immediately became absorbed! So simple, so primal, you coudln't help but watch. In fact you were even terrified and a bit threatened as you watched the crude violence and savage nature of the antagonists. It immersed you, entertaining your animalistic feral side! That is a true achievement in moviemaking and very few movies are able to do that! None of that can be found here though. And that's truly a shame! This one is much, much more watered down. Also Max does not develop like he did in the past (eg. from cop/family man to cold viscious roadwarrior in the first movie, roadwarrior to undisputed hero and somewhat compassionate bizarre fatherly-type figure in the second). Instead he seems to just run around looking understandibly lost for most of the movie. Ad the spotlight review states above, it just seems to lack the heart of the first two.

But there is good here still. The Thunderdome scene was nicely done with a great climax, yet curiously there simply isn't enough here to warrant the movie's name! The "Lost Boys" scene, although confusing, I couldn't help but think of how creative this was. It seems the filmmakers created this strange culture, aged and developed it along, and then recreated it in the film. The language is astounding and deserves closer study! The stunts! Woa the stunts are AMAZING, especially in the train scene (a train??? oh lordy, why a train???). Some of the things these guys were doing were stunning! Knowing it was all real and not CG is enough to boggle your mind! Guys jumping from cars to trucks and then onto trains all while going 60mph is truly a sight to behold! This movie is a stunt Masterpiece! Next, Tina Turner. Although at first you're thinking "What the..." she actually turns out to be pretty well suited in her role! Her "Raggedy Man" phrases are her best in the film! She says them with much relish, as though she's fully embraced her character and really enjoying herself.

As I've said there's enough here for at least a single viewing, but die hards beware: This is NOT classic Max! Yet it's still entertaining. nonetheless!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pockyclipse Now
Review: Unlike many of its contemporaries from the mid-80's glut of sci-fi action pics (usually starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren or Gov. Schwarznegger), "Beyond Thunderdome" has aged well and holds up as a genuine genre classic. This is definitely the slickest entry (production-wise) of the "Mad Max" trilogy; not quite as reliant on the action sequences, but enhanced by a little more complexity of plot that gives the story a grander, almost "Lawrence Of Arabia" sweep. The film's visual centerpiece is the imaginatively realized, believably organic (refreshingly CGI-free) frontier city "Bartertown", whose inhabitants are a sort of S&M/punk rock version of George Lucas' infinitely more cuddly vison of a "rough" bar crowd. Tina Turner (nor her famous gams, nor her huge hair) will never be more perfectly cast than she is here, playing the very strict "Auntie", Bartertown's unofficial mayor (actually closer to Chief Dominatrix-contrary to what some reviewers have insinuated, this one is NOT for the kiddies!). Mel Gibson sets a new record for hair extensions but stays faithful to the character he had created in the two previous films, an interesting morph of Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name", Toshiro Mifune's Samurai in "--" (pick your film) and David Carridine's enigmatic drifter from "Kung-Fu". Excellent transfer/sound on the DVD; no extras, but fairly priced.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Desert Warrior?
Review: Movie:
I must admit this movie is the least of the Mad Max trilogy. Anyways, several years after the events of "The Road Warrior", "Mad" Max is still wandering the wastlands of the post-apocalyptic Australia. He shows up at a "semi-civilization" called, Bartertown. Where through events that would take to long to describe, he ends up being forced to fight in a arena called, Thunderdome. Where he soon escapes (creating alot of havoc for Bartertown) and escapes in to the desert. Where he is found bya bunch of Goonie-like kids. etc etc. The way I'm describing it must not seem to make alot of sence, but see it. Actully see it twice. The first time you see it, it really is not that good. But see it a second time, and POW! you like it! (POW ?) The worst thing about this movie is, the lack of highways, and roads, and Tina Turner as the leader of Bartertown, very bizarre. But Mad Max is Mad Max, so it can't be BAD, right? Lets pray Fury Road is as good as The Road Warrior. Movie-4 out of 5
DVD: The DVD is pretty [weak], a Theatrical trailer well what can you expect.
DVD-2 out of 5

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic
Review: Love this movie! Hadn't seen it in a while, but when I watched it again, I was pleased all over again!


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