MAxMad Max
Director: George Miller
Cast: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons

Okay, this is not a horror movie, but can anyone out there deny that Mad Max is made out of 100% pure awesome? This movie basically started the subgenre of post-apocalypse, car based flicks that were in vogue in the early and mid-eighties. It also put Australian films on the map for everyone outside of Australia. Oh and it introduced the world to Mel Gibson long before he became a raving crackpot. In fact this movie so good and so well known that I know you know all about it already, but it is my job to give you at least the nickel tour of it and that’s what I aim to do. So grab your shotgun and get behind the wheel of your V8 Interceptor, we’re heading out to the wastelands to go mad.

The story begins as the beginning of the end, it is a post-apocalyptic world, but one that seems to be happening in slow motion rather than the flash and bang of a nuclear holocaust. At first, Max, our soon to be anti-hero, is a baby-faced cop trying to hold onto his family and sanity in a world spinning out of control. His adversaries here are a thuggish motorcycle gang lead by The Toecutter. When Toecutter and his crazy crew kill Max’s wife and baby, that’s when he becomes Mad Max and a man out for revenge in the best Charles Bronsonian tradition.

Now that’s a brief plot summery, but it does nothing to tell you just how good this movie is, and how revolutionary and influential it was when it came out. It could be said that there might not be the hugely successful Fast and Furious franchise if not for Mad Max. While there were other car movies before this, Max took things to a whole new level with amazing chases and stunts the likes of which had never been seen before. And as I said, this film started the post-apocalyptic craze that was to follow. Those two reasons make this movie as groundbreaking, but it’s the fact that it’s an out and out good movie from start to finish is the reason I love it. Add to that a baby-faced Mel Gibson showing even then what a star he was going to be, to a still wet behind the ears director that even early on had an incredible eye.

On to the extras and special features Scream Factory has included with this beautiful HD transfer. First, for you purists out there, you can watch this movie with either its original Australian audio track (which is how I recommend it), or if Aussie accents are too much for you, you can give it a watch with the unintentionally funny American dub track. There is also an audio commentary track with art director John Dowding, director of photography David Eggby, special effects artist Chris Murray, and film historian Tim Ridge. There are a collection of interviews with actors Mel Gibson and Joanne Samuel, and director of photography David Eggby that all together run 22 minutes. There is a nearly 17 minute long featurette on Mr. Gibson called “Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar.” Yeah, no matter what you think of the man now, there is no denying that he was once that. Another featurette, “Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon” runs 25 minutes and is about the huge influence the movie had when it came out. Trailers, TV spots, and a photo gallery run these extras down to the end of the road.

Mad Max is one of those must have movies, it was a game changer, and this is the best edition of this movie that exists. For those reasons, this new Blu-ray is very highly recommended. Get it.

About Brian M. Sammons

Brian M. Sammons has penned stories that have appeared in the anthologies: Arkham Tales, Horrors Beyond, Monstrous, Dead but Dreaming 2, Horror for the Holidays, Deepest, Darkest Eden and others. He has edited the books; Cthulhu Unbound 3, Undead & Unbound, Eldritch Chrome, Edge of Sundown, Steampunk Cthulhu, Dark Rites of Cthulhu, Atomic Age Cthulhu, World War Cthulhu and Flesh Like Smoke. He is also the managing editor of Dark Regions Press’ Weird Fiction line. For more about this guy that neighbors describe as “such a nice, quiet man” you can check out his infrequently updated webpage here: http://brian_sammons.webs.com/ and follow him on Twitter @BrianMSammons.

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