Overall, the genre has mostly become tiresome and repetitive. Especially with the zombie genre. (At moments I feel that if I have to see one more trite zombie story my head is going to explode.) It seems the apocalypse had its heyday in the 70s and 80s along with the rest of the horror genre. But luckily there is one movie that is pumping some hope--and some truly high octane excitement--back into the apocalypse sub-genre.
Mad Max is a film series that, wouldn't you know it, got it's beginnings back in the 70s and 80s. The first film came out in 1979. It was written and directed by George Miller and starred Mel Gibson. Gibson played a vengeful cop who was out to take down a bicycle gang.
While this first film didn't take place after the apocalypse it set a standard for car chases and battles. In 1989 Mad Max returned in Road Warrior, a post-apocalyptic film. Mad Max also made a final appearance in 1985's Beyond Thunderdome.
George Miller wrote all of the scripts for each of the movies. Additionally, he wrote a fourth script that was never made into a movie due to many setbacks and problems over the past . . . until now.
Max is branded and used as a "blood bag." But when someone steals Immorten Joe's harem of women Max is dragged out of the citadel and caught up in a blood filled car chase across the desert.
He meets a women named Furiosa who is the one responsible for stealing the woman and ushering them out of the citadel. Max, a lone wolf, reluctantly joins them in their quest for freedom and hope.
So many action films are bogged down in boring love scenes, dialogue, or a trite plot. Mad Max takes it's audience to the edge of their seats from the very beginning with its action and, just like any good movie in the genre, doesn't let up until the final moments.
Over 80% of the special effects in this film were practical effects. Except for some enhancements to the overall picture and some work on removing stunt rigs this movie was mostly true to the roots of using less CGI and more real stunt work. As is often the case the practical effects look better on screen (one of the elements that made 2013's Evil Dead so appealing as well).
The real cars and real explosions made for a truly gritting and exhilarating film experience. And seeing it in 3D made all of the best elements pop right off the screen. And a few good and bloody scenes made this a film to remember.
Summing it Up
Deaths: X
Language: 3
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 2
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 5