Mad Max Ventures Beyond the Thunderdome

Mel Gibson as Max.

The third film in director George Miller's post-apocalyptic Mad Max series faced a daunting task from the outset: Surpassing or equaling The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2). The latter was an intelligent, thrilling sequel that left the original Mad Max in the dust--and was also one of the best films of 1981.

Still, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) gets off to a promising start with Max headed to the makeshift, desert city of Bartertown to find the helicopter pilot who stole his truck and belongings. Bartertown is ruled by Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), whose reign is threatened by Master, a dwarf who controls the city's source of power. Aunty Entity offers a deal to Max:  Kill Master's bodyguard, Blaster, and she will equip Max with everything he wants.

Tina Turner as Aunty Entity.

As required by Aunty Entity's own laws, the showdown between Max and Blaster must take place in a large, confined arena called the Thunderdome. The plan goes smoothly until Max has a change of heart at the last minute. It's a decision that leaves Max stranded in the desert with little hope of survival.

Up to this point, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a taut, entertaining action film. However, screenwriters Miller and Terry Hayes make a sudden left turn with Max being rescued by a group of abandoned children. The kids have formed their own adult-free community in a desert oasis. It turns out they are the survivors of a plane crash and believe Max is the pilot who has returned to lead them back to civilization (or Tomorrow-morrow Land as the kids call it).

Max takes aim.

This entire subplot comes across as forced, from the children's "unique" language to the obvious parallels with the Lost Boys in Neverland. It's almost as if George Miller watched The Road Warrior and keyed in on Max's relationship with the Feral Kid. That worked well--so why not put Max with a bunch of kids and transform him into their reluctant hero? Of course, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome reverts to an action film for the climax, with another extended chaotic chase sequence (which lacks the "wow" factor when compared to a similar scene in The Road Warrior).

Mel Gibson's cynical drifter and Tina Turner's powerful Aunty Entity are the highlights of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Alas, they only have a few scenes together and Aunty disappears for the entire middle portion of the film (and has little to do during the climax). It would have been interesting to learn more of her backstory, especially how she became the ruler of Bartertown.

Despite generally positive reviews at the time of its release, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was only a modest box office hit. The soundtrack did well, though, spawning two hit records for Tina Turner:  "We Don't Need Another Hero," which hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "One of the Living," which peaked at #15.

George Miller worked on several ideas for a fourth Mad Max film starring Gibson. However, by the time he was ready to make Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), thirty years had passed and the role was recast with Tom Hardy. I'd rank Hardy's film as the second best of the Mad Max series, right behind The Road Warrior.

(Note: Although Bruce Spence plays helicopter pilots in both The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), they are different characters.)

The Friday Night Late Movie: An Unlikely Hero Emerges in "The Road Warrior"

The Road Warrior (aka Mad Max 2) is a rarity in cinema—a sequel that surpasses the original in every way. Whereas 1979’s Mad Max drowned in a bleak view of a post-apocalyptic future, The Road Warrior creates a mythic portrait of its hero and presents a world with a glimmer of hope. It also doesn’t hurt that The Road Warrior features some of the most exhilarating chase scenes ever filmed and a star-making turn by Mel Gibson.

Set in the barren Australian outback, the minimalist plot places cop-turned-loner Max into the middle of a conflict between a bloodthirsty gang of road scavengers and a “tribe” of families searching for paradise. Max and his trusty canine companion, Dog, try to not to get involved. But fate intervenes and Max finds himself forced to become an unwilling hero.

Writer-director George Miller acknowledges the influence of both American Westerns and Japanese samurai films. Indeed, the first time I saw The Road Warrior, it reminded me of George Stevens’ Western classic Shane. Like the former gunslinger Shane, Max is a loner who reluctantly comes to the defense of peaceful folks trying to fend off villains who want their land (well, their gasoline in The Road Warrior). Shane tries to put his past behind him and considers joining the farmers he defends. Max accepts his past, although I think he briefly contemplates joining a “family” again. And, finally, both Shane and Max forge friendships with young boys.

The relationship between Max and the Feral Kid is economically conveyed in a handful of choice scenes. Miller and his co-writers link that friendship to the film’s narration—which goes a long way toward establishing Max as a truly mythic figure.

Of course, for many viewers, The Road Warrior is simply a superbly crafted action picture. The 17-minute chase climax combines tense editing, terrific stunts, and—like all great chases—a collection of interesting mini-dramas as Max drives a tanker with the villains in pursuit. My favorite sequence occurs when Max’s shotgun shells fly through the blown-out windshield frame and roll down the hood of the speeding rig. At Max’s prompting, the frightened Feral Kid crawls out to get them—only to encounter a nasty shock.

Alas, the Feral Kid was nowhere in sight when Miller and Gibson teamed up again for a second sequel with 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It recycled some of the same elements (instead of Max and one kid, why not Max and a bunch of them?). Though better than the first film in the trilogy, it lacked the power and sense of destiny that makes The Road Warrior such a memorable movie.