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Mad Max (Special Edition)

Mad Max (Special Edition)

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic film...shame about the disc
Review: A cult classic this, personally it's an all time favourite but I know a lot of people who hate it. A plot that is the stuff of westerns, Mad Max is set in the desolate near-future where the police are fighting a losing battle against psychopathic bikers who wreak havoc on anyone they feel like. Even when arrested the law is virtually powerless to contain the thugs and they are generally released without charge. Super-cop Max keeps his cool, even when his best friend is murdered, but when they see off his wife and child Max decides enough is enough, heads out in his super-charged V8 Interceptor (one of the coolest cars in cinema history), and embarks on a zero-tolerance one man campaign to wipe out the mad criminals. It's this finale that is the films main asset - Max is mesmerising as he relentlessly mows down all the bikers without giving them any chance of redemption. But the entire film is a real treat, with a weird atmosphere and some truly bizarre scenes, most of which involve the crazy bad guys, especially hilarious main baddie Toecutter. Unfortunately though this terrible American print which I recently had the misfortune of seeing - or more appropriately, hearing - ruins the film. The dubbing is truly awful, turning the whole cast into ham actors, altering parts of the script and even in occasional instances, bizarrely, omitting some of the sound effects. Oddly, this print is also the one featured in the most recent UK video release. I must stress that the only way to fully appreciate Mad Max is to hunt down a copy featuring the original Australian soundtrack and, preferably, in Widescreen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cult Classic
Review: In the near furture, the high ways of tomorrow are no longer a safe place. Gangs of bikers and kamikaze lunatics roam the long stretches of road that populate the stretch of land known as the Austrailian outback. Mel Gibson soars as the tough futuristic cop Mad Max in this extreme action thriller that started it all. Amazing non-computerized stunts make this movie a treat to watch over and over again. After his wife is brutally murdered by an evil group of bikers, Max sets out on a crazed revenge, earning his heading "Mad". Grinding action sequences and Gibson's cool headed attitude make Han Solo look like second hand trash. Just like what Star Wars did for sci-fi, this movie revolutionized action movies for all time, setting the standard of today.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS I DID - DONT BY "DUBBED"!!!!!!
Review: As I say, don't make the mistake of buying this overpriced dvd. I unfortunately did buy it, and what I found was abysmal.

Instead of the original Australian actor's voices, there are nowpoorly dubbed American voices. I also noticed this version has been cut in certain scenes. I remember one scene in particular, near the biginning. The couple who are later attacked by the biker gang are having sex in a field - one of the good guys appears watching them from a distance and shouts over to them. This scene appeared before the first chase scene, and is missing from this version.

The transfer appears to be a transplant from a poor quality laserdisc version, and the sound is in mono.

What appalled me was the American dubbing - this seems typically arrogant and ignorant to me. In any other country in the world you would not find this, and its unfair and condescending to the portion of Americans who wanted to see the "unbutchered" Australian version. I have seen this dubbing in the States with English programmes as well (leaving the evil characters with the English accents of course) and its frankly offensive to watch.

DON'T BUY THIS DVD - WAIT FOR SOMETHING BETTER TO BE RELEASED!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An exciting action/drama movie
Review: For a long time I was wanting to see "Mad Max" after hearing so much about it being a great movie. After the first hour of the movie, I didn't think I was gonna like it too much because it's not really boring, but it gets off to a slow start. But as soon as Max's (Mel Gibson) wife gets terror stricken in the woods because she saw some of the motorcyclists, this movie gets exciting, fast paced, and turns into a much better movie. Mel Gibson plays the part of Max, a highway cop, and he and his fellow cops are up against relentless and trouble-seeking motorcyclists.

Because of the last 45-50 minutes of the movie, I liked "Mad Max." Mel Gibson does a good job playing as 'Mad' Max in only his second role ever in a movie. If you like movies that involve a lot of driving and some exciting action with a little bit of drama mixed in, I would recommend getting "Mad Max." If you haven't already seen the other 2 movies in the trilogy, it'll make you want to see them, I know I can't wait to see them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a more disturbing film than its given credit for
Review: i agree with the sentiment that an australian version is necessary. that's why its down a notch from five. that would be like dubbing lock stock and two smoking barrels. anyway, onto the film...some may call it a standard action/revenge movie, but i would say it has some elements that elevate it from the norm. its a very bizarre and disturbing film, which to me is a strong point. most characters driven by revenge usually end up sad, they brood, then just set out for revenge. But here max is truly broken, insane not in a wild sense but almost emotionless. he has completely snapped and deserves the title of Mad Max. and to those who haven't seen it SPOILERS AHEAD if you don't want to know...just had to throw it in there...the fact that only his child his killed, his wife is still in critical condition when he breaks off into revenge adds to it. all the more unsettling that way. you have to love DVDs for their tendency toward widescreen. it adds to the experiance. the image is crystal clear and if only they could throw on the original dialogue track...i'd have a definitave version.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The best of the Mad Max triolgy
Review: The Australian dialog was dubbed because it was believed by the director that the Aussie dialog wouldn't be understood by American audiences. This is by far the best of the trilolgy. The leader of the motorcycle gang is absolutely frightening. I think the dubbing and the orchestrated soundtrack actually ADDS to the 'alien' feel of the movie. We are watching cultural shock where ANYTHING goes, and it keeps you on edge throughout the movie. FOUR stars ONLY because it doesn't include the original Australian dialog. The sequels are wannabes and don't deserve a SINGLE star.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cool early effort of Mel Gibson
Review: Mad Max is a very good movie.It's loaded with action,and it's got a good(but kind of strange)musical score that really adds to the feel of the movie.The plot is pretty good.It takes place sometime in the future(at least from when the movie was made)in Australia.The highways of Australia have become very unsafe,with biker gangs running wild.Most of the film is about a very nasty gang,led by a crazy guy called the Toecutter,that is out for revenge on a cop named Max,who they blame for the death of their friend the Nightrider.(he died in a fiery crash toward the beginning of the film,after an excellent chase)After the gang kills Max's wife and baby,he becomes the hunter,and the gang the hunted,and Max gets revenge in the end.This is a very good film,done on a very small budget.The only version I've ever seen is the American,I would love to see the Australian Sometime.This movie is followed by an excellent(and bigger budget)sequal,The Road Warrior.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Criminally stupid mistake to not provide the orginal sound
Review: Don't buy this Video. With DVD technology it would have been a no-brainer to provide both sound tracks, the original Aussie version and the rotten American dubbed version. These dopes chose to give us the one that nobody wants. Perhaps if nobody buys it they'll get a clue.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mad Max A Modern Classic
Review: Considering Mad Max was only both Mel Gibson and the director/producer team of George Miller and (the late)Byron Kennedy's second movie this is truely a modern classic. Filmed on a shoestring budget this movie became the most profitable movie ever at the time,check The Guiness Book of Records. Not much diologue but plenty of action means that you will be engrossed in the movie.All I can say is if you live in the US try and get old of an old laser disc copy,which the original Aussie dialogue,get a VHS copy from Australia or wait and see if MGM releases the original version in the States later this year! I hear an undubbed version is doing the rounds at selected cinemas in the US now. Go check it out!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Warning - badly dubbed dvd
Review: Prospective purchasers should note that this dvd is the dubbed version where American actors replace the Australian actors on the soundtrack. I understand that the decision to overdub the part was done when the movie was first released in the US (an Australian friend recalled his shock at the dubbing when he saw it in a US cinema at the time) but I would have thought that the studio could have dug up the original Australian version and released that instead. Because of this irritating and pointless feature of an otherwise fine movie (the best of the Mad Max series), I can only rate the dvd 2 stars.


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