Mad Max

(1979)



Alexis says:



1.5 STARS



I am going to try really hard to give this movie a fair review, becuase my first instincts are to tell you that it is garbage. But when I try to delve a little deeper and think about the time (the movie was filmed in 1978), the actors (this is Gibson's second movie and first leading role) and the budget ($200,000, Gibson got $5k of that) then I can start to appreciate this movie in a different light.



The idea isn't all that bad, post apocolyptic Australian cops fight against murderous biker gang but the dialogue is lacking and so is most of the acting. But when I think about the fact that even though it was 1978 and Star Wars was being released this is an Australian film and many of the filming techniques used in this film were entirely new to Australian cinema. The chase scenes are actually rather good when you take into account the $200K budget.



So I feel a little mixed, this film is lacking on several levels but at the same time it was groundbreaking for the time and place it was recorded. If you are interested in action films and you don't mind them being a little hokey, this film deserves your viewing.

Todd Says:

3 STARS

Let me start off by saying that Mad Max didn't age well. Yes, by today's standards this movie is definately sub-par. But, it was a B-Movie to begin with. It grew into a cult classic because of it's intensity and originality.

For what they had to work with, and what was around to compare it with at the time, Mad Max actually is a gem. However, with all of that said, the action movie genre has grown by leaps and bounds (no doubt in some part due to movies like this), and Mad Max just doesn't hold up thirty years later.

Is it a good movie? Yes. Will you enjoy it? Only if you approach it with a sense of History.