Mad Max(John)

This is a movie I hate saying i've never seen. I've seen Road Warrior quite a few times as well as Beyond Thunderdome. But I have never sat down and watched Mad Max. I'm glad I did.

The big draw for me about this film was the different take on the revenge movie. Almost all of the revenge films I've seen are structured the same way: something happens in the beginning that warrant revenge, then for the next hour to hour-and-a-half is the resolution. Personally, I get tired during these films. Normally, they peak early on and fail to deliver throughout the rest of the movie. Mad Max was not this way. Most of the movie is setup and the last little bit is the resolution which I think worked awesomely.

Mel Gibson did a good job in the lead role. He played very well the role of bad ass with a heart. The other notable character was Toe Cutter. He played a crazy man very well and I had no problem believing he was insane.

I didn't really believe that the story took place in a post apocalyptic Australia. Some set pieces were done very well and the characters were believable but overall, the setting really looked faux. I know the budget was low on this one, so it didn't bother me too much.

Overall, I'm glad I watched this one. I can now say i've seen the entire trilogy and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. The structure is different enough that it doesn't feel like your typical revenge movie and you get to see Mel Gibson in one of his first films.

I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.

- John Murphy