Mad Max (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: A surpurb, gritty masterpiece
Review: I loved this movie when I first saw it, and still love it, after seeing it about 30 times. So who cares if the trick blower can't be made? Everytime I think about replacing my gas guzzling 454 truck, this film reminds me that there really ain't many things in life as sweet as a rumbling V8. A perfect guy movie. For whatever reason, most women just don't get it. BE WARNED though. The original release was overdubbed with cheezy american voices. Amazon does not carry the restored version. We all know what Mel Gibson's voice sounds like, and listening to some bad voiceover now makes me want to puke. Please Amazon, carry the original, uncut, letterboxed version on VHS.

Rating:
Summary: A Star is Born...BUT
Review: When I first saw this movie, in 1980, it was the best thing since sliced bread. Mel Gibson, in my opinion, became a star that year. Since the movie's release to video and TV, many key scenes were cut from the original theatrical version. For instance, the scene where Max gets a chance to test drive the black beauty Interceptor and chases one of the bikers; he's full Nitro, the red light starts flashing, he's pushing the Interceptor to the limit, and then...she stalls out. Though devastated, this brought many a laugh from the audience. Another key scene: the abandoned Hall of Justice (police station); the brutal slaying of Max's fellow officers and Boss by the bikers. I've got both versions of this great film (foreign and domestic) and neither have the scenes that I just mentioned. Again, a great film...lets lobby for the original, uncut, Director's cut, whatever, of this film on its 20 anniversary!!!

Rating:
Summary: Mad Max is Cult Classic
Review: How can you not love this cheesy low-budget film from down under? Mel is great as Max, whose family is killed by a nomadic biker gang. The heartless and stone cold Max sets out bent on revenge, hence "Mad" Max. Violence is as plentiful as the high-octane chase scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing more than car crashes
Review: Why on earth would anyone give this movie three and a half stars (out of the traditional four star system)? I kept watching this tedious film, hoping that perhaps the answer might be found in the next scene. This is a confused, jumbled mess. It's an unintelligible, incoherent, impenitrable story that makes absoloutley no sense and goes from nowhere to nothing. Each scene seems to have nothing to do with the one before or after it. As best as I can figure it out, it's a wierd cross between "Duel" and "Death Wish", but no where near as good as either. The action is disappointing too,unless you like seeing vehicles getting wreaked.

Rating:
Summary: To understand how it all started watch Mad Max.
Review: I say that Mad Max is not as good as the others but you need to see it to understand whats going on and you need to watch Road Warrior first.

Rating:
Summary: worst of the three
Review: Normally I would say the first in a trilogy is the bestbut Mad Max is an exception.In fact Mad Max I think is the worst of the three.The Road Warrior is a much better movie.

Rating:
Summary: IF SHAKESPEARE WORE LEATHER, HE WOULD HAVE DONE MAD MAX
Review: If you don't have Mad Max already, get it. When you do, see it for the fun, the violence, Mel - and then see it for the story construction. Mad Max is a classical and elegent heroic epic. The film is actually three films. The first focuses on the fall of Goose, Mad Max's foil. The second is the fall of Mad Max, from family man to rogue samari. The third is Mad Max's revenge. Road Warrior is good, but not as carefully constructed. However, Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome is a wonderful addition to the triology because it is essentially a modern retelling of Exodus. Mad Max is a type of Moses who leads the children to the promise land(Sydney) from the hands of "ignorance" and brutality "Romans/Egyptians". This is a film of Mad Max's redemption.

Rating:
Summary: Often imitated never duplicated.
Review: This film set the standard for Post apocalyptic violence... Almost along the line of Kubric's Clockwork Orange. The movie is unforgettable and launched Mel Gibson into the lime light. With a low budget they managed to come up with a very unique movie that was captivating and horrific. Many tried to cash in on copying this movie, but failed to capture its orignal spirit... The Road Warrior was a decent sequel with a much higher budget... It would recieve 5 stars, but the middle section of the movie is a bit sappy... and dubbing over the Australian accents was a mistake.

Rating:
Summary: Dubs are BAD
Review: Do not, under any circumstances, get this movie dubbed if you have the same opportunity to get it in its original sound format, with the original voices. The original is far superior to the dubbed version, no matter how difficult the thick Australian accents of its actors may be to understand. While it is a good movie even with the dubbed voicing, it is a far better movie with all its original voices intact.

Rating:
Summary: Dubbed into American English
Review: This DVD is the U.S. release, in which the original Australian dialog (including Mel Gibson's) was replaced with dubbed dialog in "American English".