Mad Max (1979)

It's been just over three years since I watched the original.  That's about when I can watch a movie again without being bored.  I also found a spiffy new poster.

I stand by all of my original comments.  I think the sound issues might just be because it's a copy from the server.  I'm planning to get a box set of all of them when Fury Road is released, (because you know they'll have one) and I'll see if the sound transfer is any better.  I will say that I finally recognized a very deliberate casting decision for the most recent sequel.  Immortan Joe is played by the same guy who played Toecutter in this, the 1979 original.  You can't tell because he had a crapload of stuff on his face in Fury Road, but I saw his name in the credits and had one of those lightbulb moments.  Originally posted:  02 Jul 12.    This is the movie Rob and I were watching when the power went out.  It was apropos, apparently, considering the number of people who conveniently forgot that a non-functional traffic light = a four-way stop sign the next day.  It made me wish I had a flamethrower mounted to my hood.

We were watching this (or attempting to) because Rob had never seen it.  I know, What a Shock.  He's only ever seen Beyond Thunderdome.  I hadn't seen the original in about fifteen years but it's ingrained in me as a classic film.  This is the one that launched Mel Gibson into 20 years of A-list status. 

You know what's funny about that?  This movie is terrible.  You want to talk about a shoestring budget.  Holy Jeebus.  Now don't get me wrong:  A+ for concept.  Just a big fat C- for execution.

It's the Australia of the future.  A future that looks a lot like the Australia of 1979 but with a ton less people and more junked up cars.  The roads have become arenas for Wild West-type showdowns between lawless criminals with names like Night Rider and Toecutter and the few bronze-badged police of the MFP.  Max (Mel Gibson) is one of the best the MFP has to offer but quickly becomes completely burned out by the incessant violence.  But after a hit is put out on him, he realizes that sometimes the only defense against the insane is to out-crazy them.

Seriously, the sound design guy had to have been paid in Cheetos because you can barely hear the dialogue over the score or all of the background incidental noises (like people clomping up and down stairs).  Do not watch this movie (if you've never seen it before) expecting to hear any important plot points.  Think of it more like a pantomime.  A bitchin' pantomime with car chases.  So many car chases.