Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome [Blu-ray]

Classic movie! Had to buy it.

I never really understood the ardent love for the first Mad Max film. To me, it was simply a revenge-action flick, with lots of speed and violence. Oh, don't get me wrong. I liked it enough, but the real attraction was sealed by the two sequels, when it became more of a post-apocalyptic, survivalist tale, with all of those those motifs. And, of course, the first one was a unique revenge tale. What really drove it was that Max was driven to outrage over what was done to his family, and with that as his motivation, it's something we can all identify with on a gut level. The trauma of that initial event is carried over into the next two films, leaving Max alienated, and rightfully distrustful of everyone. Max represents idealism in a savage land. For some reason, though, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome did not get the love it deserved from the hardcore fans. This puts me at odds with them. BEYOND THUNDERDOME was the only Mad Max film I saw at the theaters, though I had seen the other two by that time on premium movie channels, and I liked them enough to want to see this one on a big screen. Later, with an acquaintance, I was discussing the film, and this acquaintance was one of those hardcore fans of the other two. He flat-out didn't like it. Why, is a mystery to me, but I've heard the complaint repeated countless times on the internet. Each time I read such an opinion, I get a little annoyed, because it shows a lack of appreciation for the nuances in the story, for the effort that went into it. These fans seem to prefer big, loud action pieces, and the story is irrelevant. What worries me is that filmmakers who want to bring depth and dimension to a story are greeted with ridiculous criticisms. When you look at the dumbed-down quality of many mainstream films, you can point to such opinions for the reason of the success of those films. One person wrote as an accusation of sorts that the third movie was the most COMMERCIAL of the three. Really? All three were very commercial films, in that they centered around action and car chases and violence. I'm not complaining about the tone of the films, but, come on, if you're going to have an opinion, think it through. The only difference between this movie and the other two was that, by the time this one was made, Mad Max had achieved iconic status, like Clint Eastwood's MAN WITH NO NAME in the 60s, and the studios were now confident enough of a return to sink big money into it. And with that bigger budget, George Miller wanted to broaden the themes of the franchise, to give it appeal on different levels. All of the trademark Mad Max elements were still present, but there was something more, too, going on. Instead of embracing the filmmakers for giving the audience credit as intelligent enough to enjoy something other than a retread of the same attitudes, those hardcore fans rejected it, despite the fact that these more thoughtful elements took nothing away from what would normally appeal to them. It's baffling. This movie even starts out with a bang. As the film opens, we crank up with an ass-kicking theme song by Tina Turner, "One of the Living," with slamming guitars supporting a survivalist credo. As the vocals fade, the black screen opens up to an aerial view of a desert, and soft soaring from above, and the distant sound of a plane, which erupts suddenly, when Max is knocked off of his wagon. The action has started already. The soundtrack by Maurice Jarre adds a visceral component throughout the film. Later, Max's entrance into Bartertown is accompanied by a theme dominated by a strong percussion, most of it sounding like hammers on anvils, supporting the motif of a civilization knocked back into the Iron Age. The music blends so perfectly, you really unconsciously absorb it as part of the sounds from the actual environment, as if there really are men pounding metal into elemental shapes. It's a seamless use of music, serving as a sound effect as well as a theme. Later the music stands out again, when Max is out at night and the nightlife of Bartertown is in full swing. The images are accompanied by a jaunty jazz saxophone. Again, it suggests that the streets are bustling with a wild party, and that the source of the music is some live band. Again the music takes its place in the scene, not as part of a soundtrack heard only by the audience, but something that's coming from the scene itself. The song also adds an atmosphere of an unrestrained tribal gathering, letting go completely after rediscovering amplified music, a vestige of civilization that's been hijacked to celebrate wildness. Again, the music is artfully intertwined into the scene, becoming integral to it. Aside from the great music, great dialogue is sprinkled throughout the film. Some of it is almost lyrical, a poetry of bleakness. The best example is when Max meets Aunty Entity, in her quiet aerie, for the first time. She asks him what he was before the apocalypse. He replies that he had been a cop, and to further clarify, he adds "A driver." She replies wryly, "Well, how the world turns. One day, cock of the walk; next, a feather duster." Then, to further mock his fall, she instructs the man playing a saxophone, "Play something, Ton Ton. Something . . . tragic." Then she tells her story, of a little girl whose lowly, grinding existence was transformed, her self-worth unarguably established by the plain hard fact of her dominance. The scene that really did it for me, that made me see that much more had gone into this film than the two previous installments, was when Max was dragged off the desert by Savanah Nix. Later, Max is unconscious and surrounded by the tribe of children. His body is covered in fine white dust, which puts him in stark contrast with the rest of the composition. This tableau was an allusion to a classic painting of Jesus, in death, surrounded by apostles, in which Jesus' body was much lighter in tone than the rest of the figures. I must be one of only a handful of people who caught the reference, and the only reason I did was because, at one time, I collected art books, and had seen this painting. The name of the painting and the artist eludes me now, but I know, beyond a doubt, in context of the theme of the film, the arrangement and color scheme was intentional. This was a movie aiming at a higher aesthetic than the previous films, and it's a pity that people can't fully comprehend what was done here, and what it did for the film. As for the rest, the action, it's all there, and good use was made of the larger budget. It's easily the best of the three, trumping what made the previous installments what they were. To date, I've seen this movie at least fifteen times. Appreciating it as I do, I had to spring for the BD edition. If you like this movie and are wondering about the BD, I'm here to tell you that it's worth the upgrade. It's a very good transfer, with rich, deep colors, and the fine film grain was preserved, lending it the cinematic quality. There's been some clean up, but not at the expense of detail. Sadly there are no extra features, except for a trailer; no commentary, no behind-the-scenes footage or photos; nothing else but that trailer. Still, I found it worth every penny. Not only that, the DVD did not upscale very well to my HDTV, and if I wanted to enjoy this movie in the future, this was the only option. To anyone who likes this movie, the upgrade is almost necessary. And it definitely deserves more affection than it gets from those hardcore fans. I'll argue that point until the end of civilization. ______________________________________________________________________

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome staring Mel Gibson. Good movie entertaining.

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, while a bit of a different beast than the previous two Mad Max films, is able to stand on equal terms with them in terms of action and spectacle as well as having deeper themes. This entry takes place several years after THE ROAD WARRIOR and has Max trekking the desert in a camel-drawn vehicle. After his vehicle and belongings are stolen by a pilot, Jedidiah (Bruce Spence, the Gyro Captain from the previous film), he makes his way to Bartertown. Bartertown is a city built in the aftermath of the apocalypse, and run with an iron fist by a strange character known as Aunty (Tina Turner). Hoping to get his stuff back, he agrees to fight in Thunderdome. After getting kicked out of Bartertown back into the desert, he meets a group of children who are surviving the apocalypse in their own way. The best thing about the film is that it fleshes out the world established in the previous two entries, as well as bring in some new elements. The most interesting of these new additions is the Thunderdome, a caged arena where participants fight to the death with whatever weapons are available. The car chases were also creative, and had excellent stunt work, but the Thunderdome really showcases the brutality of the post-apocalypse in a way that the other action sequences couldn't (or didn't). Also, even though it made the narrative slightly unwieldy, I did like the side-by-side comparison of Bartertown with the tribe of children that Max meets. The central theme or message of this film seemed to be about how civilization recovers from apocalyptic events. Bartertown does this by regressing back to an animalistic, violent capitalism, while the young tribe remains innocent in anticipation for the return of a distant, utopian past. And all the while they hope for a better future. Thematically, this film stands head and shoulders above the previous two. Still, the way in which the narrative is drawn out makes the film a bit slow at times, which could turn off people who enjoyed the previous two for the non-stop action. Here, the bulk of the action is saved for the last 15-20 minutes, in a chase sequence that should please the action junkies in the audience. As far as acting is concerned, it's ok but Mel Gibson is the only person who really does what I'd consider a "great" job. I also feel like Tina Turner was miscast as Aunty Entity, and a lot of her line readings felt really awkward to me. In contrast, I thought that the child actors portraying the tribe did a rather decent job. Overall, despite being a little slow at times, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME is an entertaining post-apocalyptic movie with great action and some things to think about as well. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the series.

Rented this because this was the only one of the first three movies I hadn't seen. Not as much car chase activity in it but still a pretty good movie.

The exciting conclusion to the popular Mad Max Trilogy finds our hero still alone, still wandering, and losing his possessions to an airplane thief (played by Bruce Spence, who played the Gyro Captain in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, but these are two totally different characters). To find some justice, Max enters Bartertown, a growing civilization of wanderers and rogues and makes a deal with Aunty Entity, played beautifully by rock sensation, Tina Turner. She wants him to kill Blaster, who's part of the duo, Master Blaster. Master is a little person and the one with the brains. Blaster is the muscle to back him up. By having Blaster killed, Aunty will gain total control over Bartertown and Max is the key. The duel takes place in Thunderdome, a place where "two men enter, one man leaves" and is one of the most exciting scenes in the whole movie, with Max fighting Blaster in this oval shaped cage with weapons placed in various positions. Needless to say, Max doesn't make out the way he'd hoped and is subject to exile in the nearby desert where he is rescued by a tribe of children who think he's their long lost Captain Walker, back to take them all home. Soon he sets them straight, but a few resist and set out to find civilization, with Max forced to go after them. They end up back in Bartertown where they decide to free Master, who is now a slave to Aunty Entity, and break out on a train while being pursued in what is one wild climax to the story. People will note that the violence tends to get cartoony, whereas in Mad Max 2 it was straightforward violence. My thinking is that in part 2 there was little to no humanity left in society. In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, humanity has found its way back into peoples lives, including Max himself. He finds himself caring for these children who saved his life, something he hasen't been able to do since the death of his own little boy who was killed by a biker gang in the original Mad Max movie. This is the reason for the more cartoonish violence and why this film received a "PG-13" rating instead of an "R" rating like the first two films in the trilogy. Although clearly not for everyone, especially thoughs who wanted another Max film more like "The Road Warrior", Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is a strong ending to one of cinemas greatest heroes and trilogies. And Warner Brothers did a tremendous job remastering the sound and picture quality. Perhaps if a special editon DVD comes out they will include a commentary with the cast and crew and maybe also include the Music Video to "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" performed by Tina Turner. Who knows, maybe even a box set will be released of all three films together. Until then, We Don't Need Another Hero! Max'll Do Just Fine!

Good

Good action movie . Some funny parts

「土曜ゴールデン洋画劇場」での日本語吹替え版が採用されている点が最高！ 「怒りのデスロード」につながるキャラも登場するし、洋画界最強３人タフネス衆の一人、 アイアンバーンの怪演も最高！！ 家族向けに全二作よりマイルドな仕上がりになっていますが、登場する子供たちはスターウォーズのイウォークだと思えば十分楽しめると思います。 そして、敵ボスを演じるティナ・ターナーは、世紀末にはあり得ない程の現場主義者なので、未だに理想の上司像です。

L'edizione è una semplice amaray. Il video presenta molta grana ma accettabile, l'audio italiano è un Dolby Digital 2.0. Grazie!

Ottimo DVD

正月用の鑑賞用にと購入しました。 古い映画ですが、今観てもすごく面白いです。アクションの名作映画ですね。

The second movie that follows Mad Max