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Mad Max

Mad Max

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hi octane dubbed(! ) action a few years from now....
Review: Mad Max is set in a world sometime in the future, where society as we know it has crumbled close to barbaric proportions. Ruthless Biker gangs wreak havoc and mayhem, with only a small scattering of pursuit special police to stand up against them. Mel Gibson (in his second feature film) plays Max Rockachansky, a cop who wants to quit the road, but is drawn back in when his family is slaughtered. Having grown up in the country of this movies origin, I was always going to approach this particular title with some doubt. Mostly due to fact that the dialogue for Mad Max in Australia remains untouched, unlike the US where it has been dubbed. But surprisingly enough, I found myself drawn in, mostly because the dubbed dialogue is the same as the original script, with maybe some Australian terminology removed in a few spots, plus changes and additions of new dialogue when the face or mouth of characters are not in the camera shot. So mouth flap is well accounted for, but the dub occasionally stands out like a sore thumb. An example is when Jim Goose(Steve Bisley) is in the cafe at the start, speaking with his mouth full. About 98% of the dialogue is still there, which leads me to ask, "Why did they dub it?". And more importantly, "Why have they not released a DVD version with the original actors voices, given the success of one particular actor?". In any event, the movie, dubbed or otherwise, is still a top actioner. I give a full five stars to the original version.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "You and me, Max, were gonna give 'em back their heroes."
Review: MAD MAX may actually live up to that boast. This was Mel Gibson's first role in an action film, and one of his only Australian films. The movie takes place in a post-apocolptic world where the cops just basically get their [bootys] kicked by road rats, who pretty much rule the highways. "Mad Max" Rockatansky is the only cop who seems up to par against the meanies. His Do-gooding (Or Good-doing......?) upsets one gang so mush, they murder Max's best friend, wife, and child. Well, wouldn't that just [tick] you off too? Of course, so Max is on a hunt for the murderers to enact revenge. This movie had a dirt-poor low-budget, little known actors, and few chances of a sequel. Well, the film was (at the time) the most financially successful australian film ever made, catapulted Mel Gibson into stardom (he later was known for his LETHAL WEAPON films), and produced not one, but 2 sequels, one of which (MAD MAX 2, known in the U.S. as THE ROAD WARRIOR) is even better than the first. The action scenes are fantastic, but one difference between this and your average action film is the character Max, and his futuristic environment. They engage you in a way that not only can you just indentify with the character and imagine yourself as the hero, he's so universal, you can imagine anyone in his shoes, doing exactly what he's doing. A very well made action film

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: That Car, That Beautiful Car!
Review: MAD MAX is one of my favorite Mel Gibson movies. He's just a kid, but he comes across as genuine and ultimately vengeful. Max is a member of a black leather-clad police force in an unspecified future. He's an "interceptor", and a good one. When his partner is burned alive by a gang of insane bikers (led by the notorious "Toecutter"), Max quits the force. When his wife and child are murdered by the same gang, Max leaves his own sanity behind and becomes a killing machine, bent only on revenge. He hunts down the "Glory Riders", slaughtering them in a suped-up, black monster car, complete with a towering V8 and nitrous injection! MAD MAX deserves it's place in movie history. George Miller re-invented the high-speed chase scene. I recommend that you get a copy right this bloody minute...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MAD MAX: Best Movie in the Series
Review: In 1979, an Australian film was released starring 23-year-old Mel Gibson. This movie he is a cop in the future. Only a few years ahead from the present point in time. It was a great hit and had two sequels follow it. Only difference about them was that they were during a post-apocalyptic period. But this one is the best one of all in the entire trilogy. It is a pretty normal movie with regular things happening most of the time. The action doesn't start until the end when Max Rockatanski seeks revenge on a nomad biker gang for the murder of his wife and infant son. Max starts out as a kind loving man. But once everything in his life falls apart and he loses the people who are most important to him, he no longer sees the need to care for the lives of others. The evil bikers led by the Toecutter all suffer painful and terrible deaths for what they had done to Max's family. He starts out as a regular man with a job who has a family and a best friend. But sometime in the movie, Jim Goose, his best friend, is murdered as well. Then Max decides to quit his job due to that one event. He just happens to lose everything he had. All you see of him in the end is Max driving a Canyonero and armed with a shotgun while wearing his police uniform. A courageous hero doing what he can to rid the scum of the area. This is the best movie to watch out of all three.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great road movie
Review: This film has to be one of the greates road movies, save possibly Mad Max II or Death race 2000. the car chase sequences are, in my opinion, better than those featured in Bullit. Despite the lack of dialogue from Mel Gibson or any of the other cast, this still makes entertaining viewing. the right mix has been made with violence and gore and with a little storyline. The 'Cundilini wants his hand back' is a particularly humorous and those with a dvd player or decent video should freeze frame this part. Watch ou also for the fantastic stunts, especially at the start of the film as a V8 pursuit vehicle flies through a stationary caravan. If you liked this stunt, consider getting hold of the banned from T.V version of the vidoe of 'The Cardigans' 'My favourite game'. In this video, you will see many great automotive stunts, especially as a car flies through a parked camper van, Mad Max style. Unfortunately, many videos I have seen, namely the Warner Brother's edition in the three-box set, have been cut in a very crude and thoughtless manner, detracting from this film. I would agree with R KOEGEL and KENNETH MARBURY that a director's cut version, or any uncut version should be launched NOW. SO PLEEEEEASE make an uncut version of this film.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Mel Gibson + tight leather trousers = HELLO!!!
Review: Who wouldn't watch a movie that had Mel Gibson wearing obscenely tight leather trousers, and looking scarily young?

Before The Passion was brought to the attention of film buffs, and the press, there was Lethal Weapon. And before that, Mel Gibson made his name in the Mad Max movies.

There's nothing on the DVD I got for my birthday, not even a trailer. And I hate watching DVDs with no trailers. I'm fussy me. So I wasn't sure what to expect, or what the film was exactly about. All I knew was that my mum couldn't wait to watch it, and was drooling (along with me) when Mel Gibson appeared shirtless.

Before the amount of money that was spent in the car chase along a freeway in Matrix Reloaded, there was this. A simple, but still effective car chase, which introduces you very briefly to Max. I don't see the point in spending loads of money, when all you need is a bunch of cars that can be trashed, and a camera.

Then you get to see that Max has a pretty young wife and a young child. You can almost see how the rest of the movie pans out after that. It's pretty obvious, he's not mad until something really traumatic happens. I was expecting the whole growling, throwing stuff, but instead, he seemed relatively calm - except for the sweat on his face.

It's NOT obvious that this movie could get another two sequels out of it. Maybe one sequel, but two? And the latter featuring Tina Turner of all people. And there's rumoured to be a fourth, along with a fourth Die Hard, and god knows what else. Something tells me Mel Gibson won't fit into those trousers!

If you think this is going to be a movie based on revenge, you're wrong. The revenge part doesn't start until about half an hour before the end.

It will be interesting to see the sequels. To be honest, this film did nothing for me - unless you count the tight trousers! Very easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All time classic
Review: A rookie director, a dirt poor budget, and a no name cast didn't stop Mad Max from becoming one of the most revered action films of all time. A pre fame Mel Gibson stars as cop Max Rockatansky in a post-apocalyptic future where he, his buddy partner, and his wife and child, try to maintain a sense of civilization while ruthless biker gangs rule the road. When his family is slaughtered, Max goes over the edge, and the movie manages to get better and better. MGM has thankfully released Mad Max the way it was meant to be seen on DVD, with the original Australian language track restored in place of the dubbed American accents that were infamously incorporated into the film for years on home video and television. The stunt work of the film is a definite highlight, as is the young Gibson's performance as the hell bent for vengeance Max. Two sequels would follow, the first of which entitled The Road Warrior, managed to surpass this film and remains what many consider the greatest action movie ever made.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Buy It!
Review: The first movie in the series is good, but, Road Warrior is better. but does that mean it`s bad? Heck no! This is actually one of the best of the sci-fi genre.
It`s about this guy named Max, (duh!) who gets pissed at this motorcycle gang for killing his friend and family and seeks his hellish revenge.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TOTAL TRUTH ABOUT THIS HIT FILM
Review: It is a great movie. Just about the best of it's kind ever mind. Has bravura performances (yeah Gibson's great acting in it but how about some kudos for the nice looking chick playing his wife in this movie----Joanne Samuel), believable futuristic sets, plenty of action, magnificent score, memorable dialogue. It tries hard to be more than just a movie and it suceeds admirably. But now two problems with this honestly magnificent film (maybe minor problems---maybe!). One. The film looks it's made mostly for 15 year olds. I swear. It'a alot of action and emotion (too much at times) and some more story woulda really been nice in parts. Learning more about, say, Max and Jesse's marriage. Also, how civilization fell. Two. The story itelf is uneven. After the gangmember, The Knight Rider, is killed while Max (Gibson) is pursuing he (Max) is told the man's gang is out to get him. Ok. So when Max later meets up with all of them hoods it's because the gang is after him for killing the Knight Rider, right? Wrong! It's Max that is after them for incidentally (to the KnightRider's cause) killing Max's child and wife, both of whom the gang coincidentally met up with while the family of Max (and Max too) were faraway on a vacation! What happened to the gang's original plan to get Max for killing their leader? And talk about your chance meetings and it's a small world after all. These and other uneven bits (some concerning characters, like a hood called Johnny the boy) abound. Like I said story is uneven.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Five stars for Mel Gibson, three for the movie
Review: I like the _Mad Max_ series, but I think the two sequels are better movies than this one.

It's not that it's _bad_. It's just that it consists mostly of an hour and a half of atmosphere. Another film would have had this entire plot take place in the first half-hour and gone on from there.

The idea -- a postapocalyptic mood piece set in the Australian Outback -- is wonderful, and naturally enough the scenery is gorgeous. And considering the shoestring the movie must have been made on, it's very good. It's just not much fun to watch twice, because it takes so bleedin' long for anything to _happen_.

The best thing about it is the young Mel Gibson, who perfected the likeable-handsome-lug persona a generation ahead of George Clooney and who plays Max with just the right combination of rogueish charm and leonine ferocity. When he finally _does_ go 'mad', his puckish humor evaporates and he burns like a slow and deadly fire.

The rest of the cast does well too -- and having previously owned this film on VHS, I'm glad that the DVD special edition includes the original voices. The thick Strine may be a little hard for U.S. audiences to follow at first, but once you pick up the wavelength you won't have any trouble. (Besides, the old U.S. dubbed version is available as an option.)

Anyway, as a longtime SF geek and an avid devourer of postapocalytpic films and novels, I really like the atmosphere and the concept of this movie. I just have a hard time watching it too many times close together. For that, I prefer the two sequels.

But this one is still worth watching, and owning, for the story it tells -- the mythical tale of the birth of one of modern cinematography's great heroes/antiheroes.


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