Customer Reviews

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The Mad Max films finish their transformation from the edgy, ultra-violent first movie to this kid-friendly adventure picture with slick production values and flawless photography. The violence is toned down and the fantasy elements are played up; unfortunately, this means the post-apocalytpic kick of the second movie (just about one of the greatest action flick -- EVER!) has vanished. "Thunderdome" has some fine moments, especially the well-directed scenes with the tribes of children and the haunting images of the coda, as well a couple of good action sequences, such as the face-off in the Thunderdome arena, but it doesn't stay in your memory the way the first two films do. It is still worth seeing if you enjoyed the other movies in the series. Tina Turner's performance is certainly interesting, similar to Grace Jones turn in "Conan the Destroyer," which was made at about the same time.

Of course, if you've never seen a Mad Max films, don't start here. Go back to the first one (available in a great deluxe DVD), then work up to the best of three "Road Warrior" (available in a not so deluxe DVD), then you'll be ready for this finale -- and this DVD doesn't have much in the way of extras on it either.

The third chapter of the Mad Max films can't possibly outdo the success of The Road Warrior, but it's a worthy successor, an exciting film with a very interesting story.

Mel Gibson's Max is back again and finds himself helping another group of ragtag characters. Max finds his way to a town called Bartertown and is forced to engage in a gladiator battle to the death. After refusing to kill his beaten enemy, he's dragged back out to the wasteland, there he's rescued by a group of tribal children. A small group from Bartertown is looking to escape to "The Promised Land" Max and some of his young rescuers lead the way.

Tina Turner is on hand as the wicked Aunty Entity, ruler of Bartertown. Bookending the film are two excellent songs from her as well. Mad Max "3" is a worthy sequel, while not as intense as the previous two, the story is thought provoking and while a bit slow paced, the ending is more than worthwhile. Maurice Jarre's music score isn't as intense but does create an appropriate epic atmosphere. George Miller and George Ogilvie are the directors and create both a sequel and a film that can stand on it's own.

I'm probably one out of only a handful of people that thinks Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is just as good as The Road Warrior, and for different reasons, too. The Road Warrior was a spectacle of frenetically paced action sequences and it would feel like a complete retread if Beyond Thunderdome tried to do the same thing again. Instead, they added new elements, and the result is a very entertaining and imaginitive action/adventure.

Max (Mel Gibson) has just been robbed of all his belongings in the middle of nowhere in Australia. He searches for the thief and this leads to Bartertown, a unique society built upon methane energy dependent on pig manure, no less.

Max's search leads him to Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), Bartertown's lawmaker, who strikes a deal with him. All Max has to do is kill a certain somebody in Thunderdome arena and he'll get provisions in return. Not everything goes according to plan and Max is banished to the desert where he is rescued by a small group of lost children.

For those expecting the action of The Road Warrior you might be disappointed. While there is a good bit of action in Beyond Thunderdome, it's not as much as its predecessor and doesn't have as much energy. However, Beyond Thunderdome should be noted for having what is perhaps one of the best action sequences in American film history with the gladiator fight in Thunderdome arena between Max and the gigantic Blaster. The sequence is undeniably inventive and clever; it involves the two men tied to bungee cords that allow them to spring and leap throughout the arena and grab any weapons placed all around such as a mace, chainsaw, spear, etc.

What makes the film so good, though, are its successful attempts at creating complex societies. Bartertown is a sight to behold and is made all the more interesting by the rituals the "citizens" perform and the laws they obey.

As for the performances, Mel Gibson excels and gives a fine performance as usual. Tina Turner is a real surprise as the villainess; she certainly knows how to act and delivers a fairly good performance. Most of the supporting cast do a decent job with the material they're given. Angry Anderson, in particular, is quite humorous as the henchmen who rarely talks and mostly grunts, screams, and yells in exaggerated tones.

After Brian May's exciting score in The Road Warrior, Maurice Jarre takes over the job and composes a score that is quite poetic and, at times, lush and beautiful.

As with all the final scenes in the Mad Max films, this one ends perfectly. This time, we get the feeling that humanity has hope so long as men like Max are around.

The Road Warrior/MM2 is one of my all-time favorite movies. I saw it when I was too young, probably about 12 years old, and it made an impression on me that lasts to this day. I really fell in love with The Road Warrior for its message, the raw action, the movement and feeling of the movie, the gripping plot, the fantastic soundtrack, and the fact that after watching it 50 times in my life, I can still only find a few small mistakes in The Road Warrior and would give it 6 stars if possible. I feel almost as strongly about Mad Max 1, and would give it 4 stars (only because there are some slow and boring parts in the middle and the "gang" is too "gay" in parts and not as convincing as cold blooded killers as the "gang" in The Road Warrior. Anyway, moving on to Beyond Thunderdome: I saw this in the theater when it was released and was incredibly disappointed. I've tried watching it a few times since to give it a more honest opinion but I just cannot accept BT as a quality sequel for several reasons. First, contrary to the raw power and gripping story line of the prequels, this one was watered-down and packaged for mainstream audiences. This cheats the movie and robs credibility from the "post apocalyptic" world of violence and chaos, which is an essential ingredient. Second, there is nothing funny about the "post apocalyptic" world. Did you ever laugh in MM1? How about MM2? Heck NO! But the director seems to try to make us chuckle in MM3 several times, mainly around Max's weapons (why is he carrying 15 guns on his person anyway when he was riding in a vehicle which is where he would presumably keep his weapons, within easy reach, not in the back where the monkey would get access to throw them out), the antics of the children and Ironbar, a ridiculously annoying character that just won't die (despite falling from Auntee's tower, falling from a moving train, getting hit on the front of a train, and ending up on the bottom of a head on collision between two vehicles he still manages to survive and give the audience "the finger"). Thirdly, Max is a different person and not nearly as cold or hard as he transitioned into between MM1 and MM2, where he became a reluctant hero. In MM3, he is a willing hero and "non-violent." I don't think he even kills a single person in MM3 if memory serves, contrary to his hunting and killing the bike gang in MM1 and his cold nature in MM2. Forth, the characters don't act like people would act in their situations. For example, it's hard to believe that people in a "post apocalyptic world" would send a perfectly good horse and water off into the desert when horses (and food/water for that matter) are likely very scarce. Also, nobody seems to try to salvage things, like in the end they just leave perfectly good "wrecked" vehicles, fuel, whatever else in the desert. This is unconvincing behavior for "nomads." Finally, what is the reason Max shoots a shotgun over an aggressor's head and feathers fall from his plum? Comedy? It was just stupid and inconsistent with Max. If the guy is a `real' threat, Max would have just shot him in the chest. If Max wanted to make a statement, aiming a 12 gauge shotgun at someone does it just as well as shooting! Besides, shooting in that environment would risk him upsetting the locals and being shot himself, not to mention a waste of preciously scarce ammo. It's not convincing nor comical nor consistent with Max's calculating behavior. Fifth, the timeline of the crash of the airplane and the believability of the children, their oasis, no adults, the similarities between Max and Captain Walker, and so many other things are just too far fetched as to be discounted. For instance, NO adults survived the plane wreck, but 20 kids who would have been between the ages of infancy and 12 years old all managed to survive? It's completely unbelievable! Next, my complaint is casting the same actor in a lead role, as the Gyro Captain in MM2 but as a different character in MM3. One must debate whether he's the same character or not. There are points on either side and I still can't figure out if he was cast as the same character or not. For instance, he's a pilot (a very rare skill) that seems to recognize Max and vise versa when they meet in the movie, and he has a 10 year old boy with blond hair, possibly the offspring from his relationship with the young blond woman from MM2. But, Max and the Gyro Captain don't "embrace" like one might think they would after being apart for years, and the Gyro Captains aweful teeth are magically white and straight in MM3. So, is he or is he not the same character? I just don't know! It was an aweful decision because it detracts from the movie. Next is the ripoff "train" chase at the end. This was stolen and watered down from MM2 semi chase at the end, which was the best and most creative car chase sequence in movie history. To use MM2 phraseology, MM3 was a maggot living off the corpse of the older movie. Nothing really BAD happened to people in this "dangerous" world. In MM1, Max's wife and son were run down, his best friend was burned alive, people were shot, lost hands, raped and tortured, there were car accidents, and it was a violent world. In MM2, people were raped, beaten, burned alive, tortured, run over, shot, there were car accidents, great stunts too. I can only really think of one person that dies in MM3 and the violence was more cartoon violence than anything. People got knocked into pig poop, fell off trains but didn't get hurt, got in car accidents but were okay, etc. It destroyed the credibility of this world being supposedly violent when nobody got hurt. Similarly, this movie lacked much action. The Thunderdome was very creative and memorable, but the ending of the Thunderdome fight was disappointing. The short fight in Auntee's tower was cool. Beyond that there just wasn't much good action or fight scenes or car chase scenes, contrasted with MM1 and MM2, so it was very watered down and not much of an action movie. In Thunderdome, I can really only think of 2 fight scenes (mentioned above) and the final train/car chase scene, and a short sequence with the plane take off being "chased" by cars. How can a movie called "The Road Warrior" have basically one car/train chase and NO ROADS? It was very watered down with mediocre casting and acting, it didn't make sense nor was it as thought provoking as the prequels. Next, the acting and casting were poor. The kids were useless and annoying, clearly marketed for mainstream and younger audiences. Mel Gibson was good, but less convincing than his prior roles as Max. Think about the bad guys in MM1 and MM2 and how chillingly bad they were. Tina Turner was good, but not "cold blooded" enough. Why wouldn't she kill Max in the end? Afterall he did turn her world upside down and cost her in significant ways. To its credit, MM3 had some creative scenes, mainly focusing on Thunderdome and the idea for methane as fuel. That's about it. I give it 1 star for the Thunderdome creativity and one star for general creativity, acting, and costuming, vehicles, and cinematography for a total of 2 stars.

Although the earlier 'Mad Max' films have achieved more renown, this is my favourite of the three, as it shows the hero redeemed by humanity. Max in this film becomes a saviour and regains some of his faith in the human race and the future. Although much of the music and imagery may be 'borrowed' from classics like 'Lawrence of Arabia', it nonetheless is very effective and the film possesses a lyrical quality that is unique, especially in the 'culture'developed by the children abandoned in the wilderness.

I can never decide which of the three I like best, the simplicity of the first, the action of the second or the sheer deviltry of ms. turner in this finale.
so go for the gusto in bartertown, it's a gas!

This movie takes my breath away. I love The Road Warrior, but something about this film grabs me more -- Tina Turner's campy introduction ("Tantan -- play something -- TRAGIC."), the children chanting "Walker" on the plane, and that ending, which I find very haunting and beautiful. It's a perfect mix of the vulgar and the beautiful. One of my favorite films.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome receives a great deal of bitterness. This is expected, it is a follow-up to one of the greatest of all action movies, with action scenes that aren't as good. Granted, the action sequences in the movie are quite exciting, but they easily fall short of the grandeur of The Road Warrior.

Indeed, as a follow-up to The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome does not deserve a 5-Star Rating. But what Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome does manage to do is build upon the fantastic setting that was only hinted at in Mad Max and The Road Warrior. The wastelands depicted in the first two films are not enough to contain the skyhigh ambitions of the world that director George Miller has created. With the addition of Bartertown, characters like Master-Blaster, and the final jarring vision of civilization presented in the film's closing moments, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is still up to par with its much-loved predecessor.

A viewer expecting another Road Warrior will be disappointed; but a viewer that wants to go back to the nameless, post-apocalyptic world of this film's two predecessors will not be.

George Miller's last installment in the Mad Max Trilogy. Although the film keeps up the apocalyptic setting and theme of The Road Warrior, the plot here's rather far-fetched and seems to undermine the dramatic elements of the film.

Mad Max is now a messiah who seeks to protect a settlement of naive followers against the intrusions of Queen Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), the leader of a hodge-podge city-state named Bartertown. She keeps her subjects entertained by holding gladiatorial contests in the town's Thunderdome; a caged dome in which the contestants lunge at each other with weapons while suspened in the air. Will Mad Max be able to protect his innocent followers from Aunty Entity's evil machinations?

The only fault I find with this film is having Mad Max as some sort of messiah. His followers seemed too naive and ignorant to have been able to develop a sophisticated settlement in the first place. Their virtual muteness accompanied with the silly da-da talk makes them rather unsympathetic characters as well.

This is the worst of the three Mad Max films that is undermined by a rather uneven plot. I would recommend renting this film more than buying it.

Many viewers/reviewers have somewhat disregarded "Thunderdome" as being the least of the "Mad Max Triology" films. On the contrary, I found it to be the best and most thought provoking! If you were looking for merely mohawk-headed goons driving dune buggies and lots of stunt men being blasted into wasteland dust, I suppose the first two films DID top Thunderdome on the violence-for-naught scale. However, the wealth of metaphors that abound throughout Thunderdome -- the underworld where "muck" fueled the world above, symbolic of the very third-world oil interests that uphold today's modern society...and the "Lost Children of the Desert" (Hebrews?) who develop an entire religion based upon "Captain Walker's" notes that parallel a kind of "Dead Sea Scrolls," scripture of sorts -- more than make up for the lack of trademark violent scenes. (Even though there's plenty of that for me!) But to me, this final chapter in the Mad Max Triology was the best, and perhaps it was too bad the saga ended here. Because the screenwriters were apparently just beginning to feel the "wind up their asses" and put some real literary weight behind what had otherwise been just another radioactive round-up of raucous dune buggy races and pointless violence. Thundersome went beyond the superficial and gave us something sorely lacking in the first two films: quality sci-fi screenwriting! And this made it a "stand-alone" work in its own right, even if you hadn't seen the first two pictures!