Mad Max’s Road Through A World of Fire and Blood

Oil, the world’s most precious resource, is running out. Wars are waged between countries, between governments and their citizens, between cities and civilizations, and between desperate, devastated people. The once vibrant earth is now a wasteland, poisoned by radiation, deprivation, and violence. The fabric of humanity is stretched tight. The narrow line between chaos and order is blurred and broken. 

Forty-five years ago, Mad Max swept the world into a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Wasteland unlike any in previous cinematic history. Over the course of more than four decades and five spectacular movies, George Miller’s iconic franchise has paved the way for – and been the inspiration behind – countless other movies, TV shows, comics, novels, and video games. Examples include the 1995 movie Waterworld, the comic series Tank Girl, Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines trilogy, and video games such as Borderlands and Fallout. With its barren, unforgiving setting, unapologetic exploration of a damaged and dying world, and a tiny but resilient glimmer of hope, Mad Max is a phenomenon that stands the test of time and keeps us looking toward the future.

Still from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) starring Mel Gibson as Max

George Miller brought Max to life with writer James McCausland in 1979 with his first movie, Mad Max. A then-unknown Mel Gibson played Max Rockatansky and the movie set a Guinness World Record for the most profitable movie. Mad Max is hailed as the start of the New Wave of Australian cinema and its cultural impact hasn’t waned in the forty-five years since its release. The original trilogy comprised Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). In 2015, Max roared back onto our screens in Mad Max: Fury Road, widely held to be one of the best movies of the 2010s. The most recent installment, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), shows that the Mad Max franchise has lost none of its brilliance or its impact.

Max Rockatansky is a product of the violent, chaotic world he lives in. After the murder of his family, Max embarks on a quest for vengeance. Over the course of the movies, he finds himself entrenched in various conflicts, causes, and injustices. Max is the classic anti-hero; damaged, destructive, and teetering on the edge of insanity, he nonetheless strives to help those in need.

The first two movies of the franchise stunned the world with their violent, unapologetic exploration of a world on the brink of collapse. Mad Max (1979) was Miller’s first movie and made on a small budget, without the filming permits, special effects equipment, and massive cast and crew that later installments would enjoy. It moved at a slower pace, detailing the constant struggle between chaos and order in a world on the edge. Mad Max 2 (1981) was the movie that put the franchise into the international spotlight. Known as The Road Warrior in the US, this is the movie that inspired so many of the best known dystopian, post-apocalyptic works in pop culture history, from movies to TV series to comics and beyond. The unstable loner called upon to help the downtrodden in a crumbling world is now a familiar archetype, but in the early 1980s, it was revolutionary. 

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) was a different kind of movie. George Miller stepped away from the project following the sudden death of his close friend, Byron Kennedy, who had helped produce the first Mad Max. George Ogilvie took the helm and the result was a PG-13 movie that stayed true to the spirit of Mad Max, albeit a slightly softened and less violent version. However, the movie’s importance in the franchise can’t be understated; through its incredible world-building and introduction of key civilizations, it laid the foundation for Mad Max: Fury Road. 

Mel Gibson as Max in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

No one thought it would take thirty years for the franchise’s fourth installment to become a reality, least of all Miller. World events, location changes, and Miller’s awe-inspiring vision for the movie all conspired to delay production. At last, in 2015, it was ready. Fury Road took us back to the Wasteland and onto the road for one of the most impactful movies of the last decade. Tom Hardy’s Max is joined by Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa who has freed the five wives of Immortan Joe – and Joe is angry. Pursued by Joe and the War Boys, Max and Furiosa cannon across the Wasteland in desperate search of safety and redemption.

Still from Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) starring Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa

Fury Road shook the movie industry to its core. Bigger, bolder, and more spectacular than anything Miller had ever done before, it is a visceral, furiously-paced plunge into the insanity of a dying world. From the overexposed visuals to the 150 stunt performers and unprecedented use of practical effects, it has topped lists of the best movies of the 2010s. More than that, it has redefined the hybrid of action/science fiction movies. Its setting is pivotal to the story; humans are poisoned by radiation, driven to insanity by pain and deprivation, pushed so close to the edge that they only have one option – keep going. Female characters claim back their power in Fury Road, with Furiosa outshining Max in this desperate, vicious battle for freedom. Words are not important in this movie; the action and the visuals tell the story, unhampered by exposition and side plots. Miller spent 30 years making Fury Road a reality and he created a masterpiece.

George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Suffice to say, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) had big shoes to fill. This prequel follows the life of Furiosa, now played by Ana Taylor-Joy, prior to the events of Fury Road. But any fears fans may have had about the movie’s ability to live up to its incredible predecessor have been solidly laid to rest with a movie being hailed by critics as “an absolute masterpiece”. Once again, Miller surpasses himself with a movie in constant motion, full of vivid, visceral colors, and told, again, through very little dialogue, letting the setting, the actors, and the action speak for themselves. At the time of this article, Furiosa has a 90% critic score and 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite its outstanding reviews, its box-office performance has unfortunately fallen short of its actual brilliance, which may affect the budget and scope of Miller’s future work. 

Still from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) starring Ana Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa

And what might that future work be? Mad Max 5: The Wasteland, if Miller has anything to say about it. According to TIME, The Wasteland is set one year before the events of Fury Road and follows Max’s story of that time, in the same way that Furiosa filled in the background for our favorite imperator. Yet again, a number of events have delayed the movie’s production, including the 2024 Furiosa movie, a lawsuit between Miller and Warner Bros., and Tom Hardy’s other filming commitments. So far, there has been no indication of when production might start or when we’ll see Max back on our screens.

For over four decades, Mad Max has been a continuous force in the science fiction/action genre and a pioneer in dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories. Miller’s vision of a not-so-distant future of deprivation, desperation, and lawlessness is close to our very bones. But there is always a glimmer of hope, a glimpse of humanity in even the most barren of landscapes. Along with powerful characters, stunning visuals, and poetic, artistic cinematography, that hope makes Mad Max timeless, compelling, and a phenomenon that will not be forgotten.

Have you watched the Mad Max movies? Which ones do you think best showcase George Miller’s incredible vision? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, opinions, and predictions for the future of the Mad Max franchise. And don’t forget to subscribe to our free newsletter, PopPulse Digest, for all things gaming, pop culture, online deals, and more.

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