The Mad Max series has more intelligence, imagination and genuine excitement than Michael Bay's entire career. I could happily sit down and watch that whole sequence all over again - it's so good that it's surprising Hollywood didn't pay more attention to Miller as he has a real talent for this kind of film-making. But then, this wouldn't have worked with the final epic showdown between a ramshackle rail vehicle and dozens of cobbled-together cars armed to the teeth. A bit more lighting would have helped in the scenes underground and I was hoping that the Thunderdome would have at least one more fight to be shown, perhaps a show-down between Aunty and Max. Other than this compromise, there isn't much else to be said against the film. The film's story also felt as though it were made with this objective in mind, bringing in hordes of feral children to be rescued and allowing the film to end on a more optimistic note. It feels as though it has been made for a more mass-appeal audience, which is understandable but frustrating for fans of the other films, particularly the brutal second film. The film has been watered down with fewer swear words, on-screen deaths and next to no adult content. With the investment of American money, there is a slight amount of dilution when it comes to the violence of previous instalments. The climatic chase is breath-taking with stunt-work taken to another level as drivers climb across moving vehicles and frantic henchmen cling onto the side of a speeding train. The film offers the viewer so much more than either Mad Max or Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior but it still retains so brilliantly shot action sequences. But the supporting cast all combine well to make the film feel even more plausible - Turner is a revelation as Aunty, making you forget her roots as a powerful soul singer by giving the role a dark and malicious edge. His steely heroism provides this grubby film with a shining star at the centre, around which the mayhem ensues. With a bit more experience now under his belt, Gibson delivers a quietly effective performance as Max, a man in a hopeless search for his own humanity. It's imaginative, thrilling and looks really quite dangerous! At the centre, the horrifying Thunderdome of the title only gets one scene but as fight scenes go, it might possibly be the greatest unarmed combat sequence before The Matrixcame along. Bartertown is a nightmarish vision of civilisation brought to its knees, fuelled by pig excrement and ran by the ruthless. What makes this entry stand out is that now Miller has the money to spend on sets, the film becomes a convincing and believable tale about the dregs of mankind scraping an existence together with what little they have left after the apocalypse. ![]() Anyone who has seen either of the first two pictures know that the Mad Max series is all about epic vehicular destruction and empty backgrounds stretching to the horizon telling their own story.
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