Customer Reviews

Mad Max Collection (Box Set) [VHS]

5 star:		(166)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This movie, the second in the Mad Max trilogy, is easily the best of the three. Visually, it's very distinctive. The first movie showed a society breaking down in the post apocalyptic world. By this movie, it's broken down. The first movie showed the immediate aftermath. There were still working phones, power lines, people trying to go on with their normal lives, etc. There was even a police force, of which Max was a member, trying to maintain order. Now, society has descended into complete anarchy. Civilization's infrastructure has broken down completely. In the first movie you saw shops, service stations, hospitals. Now you see people scavenging in a wrecked world. Max's car is no longer a gleaming black vehicle, but a delapidated, dirty old beater, its engine still in top shape, but its interior stripped, and its body covered in dust, battered and old. Max's leather police uniform is no longer immaculate, but torn and patched. Visually, this movie set a new standard, and like "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner", changed the way movies in its genre were made. Even the setting works in telling the story. Where the first film featured country with trees and green grass, this movie is set in a blasted desert, further accentuating the sense of collapse.

And this movie's quality doesn't end with the visuals. It has a great, exciting story, very reminiscent of the pulp adventures of old. It's hero, a wanderer, a uniquely skilled and deadly loner, is a mythic archetype. The actors are all perfectly cast. Mel Gibson, with only a few lines of dialogue, turns in a compelling, emotional performance, showing the transformation from the happy, loving husband and father of the first film, to the wounded, burnt out shell of a man seen here. In this film, Max is a tough, fang-scarred old wolf, who has absolutely nothing to live for, but whose survival instinct, combined with his toughness and resourcefulness, just won't let him quit.

The other characters in this movie are also unique and memorable. Bruce Spence's gyro captain is a likeable opportunist. Mike Preston's Papagallo is the determined, idealistic leader, in over his head, but trying his best. Vernon Wells makes a great, flamboyant villain. And Kjell Nilsson is the Humungus, whose face we never see; leader of a vicious band of trash, whose hulking physique, and savage followers seem at odds with his articulate speech, and ostensibly conciliatory manner. The story and characters elevate this movie over the host of low budget imitators that followed. But the film is not short on action either. And George Miller was a gifted director who put to film what remain the best car chase scenes ever shot, right down to this day. Action lovers will find plenty of excitement with this movie. It's a terrible shame the third film wasn't very good, as it killed the prospects of a long running series. This is sad because Max, wandering lone wolf that he is, is a character who, like James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, or the Conan of the old pulp magazines is eminently suitable to a series of adventures.

I'm saying "finally" because we've finally received a version of the Road Warrior that looks outstanding! The picture looks the best I've ever seen and while the sound isn't as great in terms of bass reproduction, it still sounds very clear, just a tiny bit lackluster. Several of the scenes have a bit of softness to them probably due to age but I'd say about 95% of the film looks crystal clear. There aren't many extras other than an introduction by film critic Leonard Maltin and a filmmaker commentary. A bit lacking in the extras department but the commentary is informative enough for film enthusiasts and fans of the film. It'd be nice to get a retrospective documentary one day on this classic.

At the end of the day, the movie is delivered in an above average presentation and definitely worth a peek in HD.

Ahhh, the classic post-apocolyptic thriller that sets the standard for post-apocolyptic thrillers. One tagline reads 'In the future, cities will become deserts, roads will become battlefields and the hope of mankind will appear as a stranger'. I remember skipping school in the early 80's to stay home and watch this one on cable, Such a great movie that has lost none of it's appeal even after 20 plus years. This is the story of a man, once an officer of the law, who now roams the highways of post-apocolyptic Australia searching for gasoline and maybe a reason to exist. In this time, gasoline is the most valuable commodity, so much so men kill for it. Mel Gibson plays Max, in the role that made him known worldwide. During his travels, he comes across a small settlement that is actually producing petroleum. This settlement is besieged by a group of motorized, murdering, mauraders who want all the fuel. Knowing that the fuel is life, the people in the settlement defend the fuel, but their strength and ability to hold out against this powerful force is becoming less and less each day. Max strikes a deal with them for all the fuel he can carry provided he can get a truck for them so they can haul their tanker of gas out of the wasteland and find a better life in a fabled coastal land. Max fufills his end of the bargin, and leaves the settlement with his fuel, but is attacked and left for dead. Having lost his car, he decides to drive the tanker. This sets up one of the most amazing highway battles ever filmed, as the settlers have turned the tanker into a moving fortess, and the marauders will stop at nothing to stop the tanker and get the gas. This movie is what I would call a nearly pefect example of excellent casting, story, dialogue, plot, script, wardrobe, etc. to make up a near perfect movie. Everything in the movie works so well that your entire attention is focused on the screen, even after multiple viewings. This is actually the second in a trilogy, Mad Max being the first and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome being the third, but, in my opinion, this one is the best. It's raw, gritty, sometimes humourous and competely enthralling. On a side note, what's up with Warner Brothers and their crummy cardboard packaging? It just seems so flimsy and cheap. And don't look for a lot of extras with this release, just the full and widescreen versions and some production notes.

This just in...I heard George Miller and Mel Gibson are bringing Max back one more time in 2004 in Mad Max: Fury Road......

The summer of '82 I remember it well. "E.T", "Wrath of Khan", "Poltergeist", "Blade Runner", "Annie"(heh-heh). Why is it that this turbo charged import from down under has more resonance for me than these high-profile domestic releases? I did see the original "Mad Max" on it's initial release in 1980. It was a huge international success while it was a cult favorite here in the States. I remember first hearing of "The Road Warrior"(or "Mad Max 2" as it was known outside North America) in a long piece in Time magazine in the spring of '82. Time's critic hailed it as "Apocalypse!Pow!" and went on to rave about the film's virtues. Later in the year he put it on the list of the ten best films which was no small feat. I finally got around to seeing this film in August of that year as the bigger releases were winding down their runs. To say I was blown away is an understatement. "The Road Warrior" had energy and imagination to burn. Director George Miller did with a fraction of the budget what other director's with bigger largesse could only dream of. The film's basic premise, a group of post-apocalyptic survivors holed up in an oil refinery while rampaging hoards of leather-clad hoodlums hover outside looking for the smallest fissure to crack this fortress and take the "juice" is a compelling one. The exodus of this band from the Outback to the promised land while the marauders attempt to hi-jack their trucks is viscerally exciting. Throw in a burned-out mercenary anti-hero, Max(Mel Gibson), and you've got a classic on your hands. One can marvel at this film and say that Miller has created an original work but his influences are subtle. I can see him paying homage to Ford, Leone, and Kurasawa here. What also distinguishes this film are the rich characterizations. Aside from Gibson whose star was starting to grow with this film memorable performances are turned in by Bruce Spence as the Gyro Captain and young Emil Minty as the Feral Kid. This film is generally hailed as an action classic but I say it's classic,period.

The Road Warrior is one of my all time favorite movies without a doubt. And its story has been told many times in all the reviews below but what I think is sorely needed is some kind of a deluxe edition DVD. There appears to be few, if any, extras here. And its prequel mad Max has already gotten a special edition, why not its sequel? For instance, how about a commentary track from director George Miller? I know that getting Gibson to reminisce about this film is an unlikely proposition. And I'd love to see the original trailer for this film. If I recall it ended with a ghostly voice saying "...The Road Warrior..you better pray he's out there" On the technical side, how about some info on the famous car Gibson drove here?

I've been a fan of this movie ever since it came out. I've always been disappointed with the mediocre image quality on the DVD edition of the Road Warrior. It always lacked detail and looked grainy; I feared that the original print of the movie was of low visual quality.
I recently got a 46 inch Hi-Def LCD set and had watched the DVD on it. The image was bigger but no better.
The Blu-Ray version of The Road Warrior ( or Mad Max 2 since this is the original Australian version,) is far superior to the DVD. There is far more detail and the colors are more saturated. I found the widescreen scenes of the Aussie desert quite stunning. This film is easily worth the discounted price it sells for on Amazon.
Since this is the original Aussie version of the film, there are about ten more minutes of the movie which were trimmed out of the U.S. version. While the Aussie version doesn't move quite as quickly as the U.s. version, it is more complex and interesting.
The added detail of the Blu-Ray makes the road battle finale even more dramatic. You have to admire the fearlessness of the stuntmen as they are thrown dozens of feet through the air during those amazing crashes. As this was in the days before CGI, what we see is more or less what really had to happen in front of the camera. Obviously some scenes have dummies getting crushed under wheels, but those are brave guys driving down that narrow road with that huge tanker.
Sadly, the Special features are rather sparse. We do get a commentary track with director George Miller and the director of photography. While I could have wished for a making- of featurette, the Blue-Ray commentary is far better than the zero features of the DVD.
If you love this movie, You should see this disc.

I just finished watching The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2) on Blu-ray which I ordered from Amazon. It's one of my favorite films and still holds up today, largely thanks to its wonderful direction and quality attention to realistic detail. Likened to westerns and samurai films, it should be at the top of anyones list that is a fan of action, cars, post apocalyptic futures and stories about a lone wolf type hero. The quality of the picture is great and the sound is good too thanks to being on Blu-ray. And if you are worried about getting this because you haven't seen the first Mad Max, fear not, the film is done in such a way you don't really need to. There is a short recap at the start of the film which will help tie things together. Also a new feature exclusive to the high-def version not found on regular DVD is a new audio commentary with the director. I haven't listened to it yet so I'm hoping it sheds insight onto the production of this wonderful film.
See Mel Gibson at his best as... The Road Warrior.

So most people are already familiar with the story. It is basically a post apocalyptic view of the world where society has completely broken down. For action movies, this is a classic film. However, we have not seen The Road Warrior in anything more that 480p since its original theatrical release. I will say right now - this Blu-Ray disk does the movie justice. The transfer is fantastic in both audio and video. When the camera is low to the pavement at 100mph, you can see the texture in the road. You can see the nasty, stringy hair on top Lord Humongous. When Max busts open the shotgun shell, you can see the individual grains of powder. This is a fantastic transfer of an action classic.

Action movies remind me of the true beauty of motion pictures, how a story can be told through visual arrangement and motion across the frame, instead of dead dialog and two motionless actors conversing. Those movies are like filmed plays, while others draw from their silent black & white roots, telling stories without words. Road Warrior contains one of the finest examples of this - such a small moment, a minor obstacle overcome, yet which dances boldly across the screen like a painter.

Here is the magic, shot by shot. Halfway through the final chase sequence, a red hotrod approaches Max's big rig truck from behind with intention to kill him. In a shot that has been copied many times, Max emerges from the cab and thrusts his shotgun into the camera - forced perspective, moving right then left, back to front in a zig-zag across the screen. Bad guy's head explodes like a firecracker, and we are treated to a scream of delight from Max's wild wolf-boy friend - an animalistic reaction to violence ironically given from a child raised by animals.

Now we have a series of jump cuts which tell the little story of the red car losing control and hitting other bad guy vehicles. That little story is closed by the famous and almost peaceful shot of one man flipping head over heels in a horizontal fall, again in forced perspective flying at the camera. Now another series of jump cuts as we jump back to the red hotrod and it's fight to stay out from under Max's huge wheels. In a beautiful play of movement, the car dances in front of Max's truck, darting back and forth in front of Max and our screens like a dangling carrot, until we have a third masterful forced-perspective shot: the camera approaches the grill of the truck, then moves up and into the cab at Max, when Max finally ends this car's misery by nailing it in an explosion of gasoline and metal bits. Such sick, twisted beauty... Did you know that George Miller, the director of Road Warrior, also directed Babe?

Road Warrior is the sequel to Mad Max, though you don't need any knowledge of the first to enjoy the second as they fill you in at the beginning of the movie and honestly, the back story doesn't matter.

Mel Gibson is Mad Max. He's a warrior in a post apocalyptic Australia, fighting for gasoline. He winds up being roped into helping a village of people that have gasoline get away from some of the nastiest guys alive.

Not much more to say about the movie itself. Plenty of action and stuff blowing up.

Now for the transfer to Blu Ray.

The video is using VC-1 in 1080p as should be expected on a Blu-Ray film.

Now for the caveats. There are some issues, mostly minor, with the video. The source material is likely at issue and not the compression used. First up is grain. There are some instances with excessive grain. There are instances of dust/dirt/scratches on the film. And in the single night scene, where Max is leaving the village to get the truck, the video quality is EXTREMELY poor. Overly grainy and lacking in detail. It's blurry and sticks out like a sore thumb for lack of a better comparison. Acceptable, but annoying as you'd hope remastering would fix this type of issue as it is so clearly a problem with the source film. Perhaps nothing better is available? I don't know.

Next is the audio. You can watch the movie in Dolby Digital 5.1 at 640kbps or French/Spanish in Dolby Digital 2.0 at 192 kbps.

The issue here is that there are instances where dialog is difficult to understand. Of note is when Mel is getting the gyro copter/ultra light. His "partner" is darn near indistinguishable from the background noise.

Music, orchestral, is almost nonstop in this film. This is expected in a way, given the lack of much dialog, but it can be overpowering and it's only marginally good.

Over all I'm happy with the transfer to BD and the movie itself. I was hoping for a near perfect transfer, but instead I receive what I'd call an 80% perfect transfer. Worth the money if you like the movie.