Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Beyond Thunderdome is a masterfully directed fantasy, convincing down to the smallest detail in its vision of an alternate existence, and it has gone beyond the relentless sadomasochism of The Road Warrior; Max has now taken up with children, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is suitable for them. [9 July 1985]

This middle portion of the picture becomes dangerously preachy, but just before we and Max are bored, director Miller returns Max to his roots, a screaming chase sequence through a desertlike Australian landscape.

Leaner and meaner, "The Road Warrior" had more nonstop thrills. But Miller was right not to try to top that act: he's opted to expand the moral geography of his funk Wasteland. With crazy and beautiful Mel and Tina backed up by a raging gallery of mutant humanity, only a glutton could complain he didn't get his fill. [29 July 1985, p.58]

The battle between Max and The Blaster in Beyond Thunderdome may be the best the series has to offer.

The Thunderdome sequence is an amazing display of imagination and technical skill, but the film falls apart with the climactic chase scene.

The directors, George Miller and George Ogilvie, borrow from every source they can find; movie buffs can pass the time spotting the Lynch shot, the Leone shot, the Jodorowski shot, and all kinds of others.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a rip-off of punk style. It pretends to be about life after we destroy the world -- or about the despair and degeneracy in the world as we know it now. In fact, it's mostly one big fashion show. Science-fiction flicks about contrasting good and bad societies have been done for a long time and done better. If you're 14 and angry, dig it. Otherwise, stay far away. [10 July 1985, p.D6]

This movie is not like by a lot of Mad Max fans and they say it is the worst movie in the franchise. I say those should see a real bad sequel like Highlander 2, Star Trek 5 or Star Wars The Last Jedi. If this is the lowest point than you should thank Hollywood that they did not butcher the franchise and that it is one of a few franchises with no weak movie. The movie has a good story, more character development than the prequels and solid action. Of cause it is a bit different form the first 2 movies and cant compete with Fury Road but that is still nowhere near a disaster or even average. Like all movies of the franchise it is set in a post apocalyptic future were the world is a barren wasteland / desert and the survivors struggle to survive. Our civilization, technology and morals are just stories of the past or abstract concepts. The story follows again (Mad) Max Rockatansky who travels through the wastelands when his car and all belongings were stolen by a pair of thieves with a smart approach that I wont spoil. When he follows them to a settlement called Bartertown to get back his stuff he is involved into the power struggles of the town. He will be dragged down into the fragile balance of power and things will change. This is the set up to the story. Actually I liked the story. They add a lot to the lore, introduce good characters and have some natural development. A lot of this movie enter pop culture knowledge. Like for example “Master Blaster”, “Two men enter one man leaves” etc. I watched it a few times and do not know why people dislike this movie. It is no 10/10 but definitely good. We have also a strong cast. Mel Gibson returns as Mad Max and fully delivers his signature role. Tina Turner as Aunty Entity was a positive surprise. She rocks every scene she is in and feels natural. Then we have Angelo Rossitto as Master and Paul Larson as Blaster. Together as Master Blaster they are an interesting combo and work well. The rest of the cast is strong too with Gary Stephen “Angry” Anderson as Ironbar Bassey, Adam **** as Jedediah Jr, Bruce Spence as Jedediah and Helen Buday as Savannah. All together give a truly strong performance. Of cause the costumes, sets and locations look convincing. They give exactly the right feeling of a post apocalyptic future where civilization ended and the weak are eaten by the strong. Again nothing to complain. The soundtrack is excellent with Tina Turner giving us the classic “We don't need no other hero” which is still played today and sometimes covered. The rest is good too with “One of the Living”, “Bartertown” and “The Children”. Overall this was an enjoyable movie that I can recommend and did rewatch a few times. Not a 10/10 but definitely at least an 8/10 for me.

Mel Gibson climbs back into the black leather pants for a third run-around as George Miller's dusty, dystopian desert-goer, in what would be his curtain call with the franchise. Something of a paradox, Beyond Thunderdome is both a different beast from the other Max movies and, at the same time, cut from the same cloth. The budget has certainly ballooned, lending a mainstream sheen to the formerly scrappy, seat-of-pants production. That influx of cash goes a long way, enabling Miller's vision to blossom into a genuine dash of unrestrained wasteland genius (the wardrobe, vehicle and environment designs are way ahead of their time), but the non-action scenes feel far softer and less confident than before. Chalk that up to the extra director, I guess, who kept an eye on the shop while Miller concentrated on getting the adrenaline-driven shots just right. There's still no shortage of inspired, alien weirdness, but it feels less essential, less purposeful. Tina Turner's bejeweled junkyard princess is a good example, talking and acting tough but lacking the conviction and follow-through to really make the role mean anything. Max's mid-act sidetrack to meet an oasis-dwelling troupe of forgotten children is equally hollow, like someone dropped the pilot episode of a spin-off series in the midst of the original film. At least it all comes together for an appropriately white-knuckled sendoff: another epic, high-octane pileup with a colorful fleet of spike-trimmed desert buggies and flame-belching hot rods. I was beginning to wonder what'd become of all the eight-cylinder death machines that were so pervasive in preceding chapters.

Beyond Thunderdome features an appealing setting, with improved world/social structure-building compared to its predecessors. However, the character and story development feel weak. The disjointed second act directly impacts the viewing experience of the third act, significantly diminishing the overall effect.

L’ambiance post-apo est toujours aussi bien rendue dans ce troisième Mad Max et a inspiré nombre de films et de jeux vidéo par la suite… il constitue certainement un jalon mémorable du genre post-apo, surtout lorsqu’on prend en compte le film précédent. Une ambiance et un monde stupéfiants, fascinants. Mel Gibson campe (ici pour la dernère fois) l’anti-héros avec aisance et conviction et a bien compris l’espèce d’aura que dégageait ce personnage vagabond sans peur mais avec beaucoup de reproches… Certes bourrin et brutal mais toujours (en fin de compte) le coeur sur la main, le père Max ! Hélas, mille fois hélas, le scénar est ici typique d’un nanar à la petite semaine et il a été bricolé par des crevards à côté de leurs pompes… Oui, c’est à ce point mauvais, terriblement mauvais, quasiment du début à la fin… un peu moins à la fin tout de même puisque l’action y est (enfin) très présente… Pour donner un ordre de comparaison, ce troisième épisode est aussi cassé que le troisième de la première trilogie Star Wars, soit l’épisode 6… oui, l’épisode ruiné par les **** ours en peluche (ridicules) ! Incroyable mais vrai donc : Mad Max 3 est volontiers niaiseux… Mais en plus (comme si ça ne suffisait pas !) il est tiré vers le bas par une chanteuse ringarde (déjà à l’époque) qui joue comme un pied ! qu’est-ce qu’elle fout là, on se le demande, d’autant plus qu’elle a une sale gueule et qu’elle est gaulée comme un vieux cageot d’endives. Enfin bref… Mad Max est un ratage (presque) aussi raté que son ‘reboot’ quelques décennies plus **** mais pas pour les mêmes raisons…

Mad Max: family friendly edition. I don't even know. The film is basically Mad Max meets Indian Jones, with the inclusion of Tina Turner. **** U Tina Turner and your beyond thunder-dome song. Mad Max is usually violent, gritty and basically metal as **** The best way to describe the film is kinda like if all of a sudden the band Mayhem decided to collaborate with ****ing One Direction. It just doesn't ****ing work.