Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) User Reviews (277)

Not as Bad as You Remember

[bradley-trent · 7/10 · 17 July 2009]

This movie was much maligned when it came out in 1985, but that was due to the spectacular qualities of its predecessors, "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior." Taken out of comparison with the other two, this movie is still solid post-apocalyptic fun, but it's lighter and slightly less violent than "Road Warrior" (as is evidenced by the PG-13 rating.) The actors' performances are perfectly adequate for the action, and the chase scenes bear all the hallmarks of Miller's craftsmanship (which contemporary directors should seriously consider studying and revitalizing.) You just won't see any arrow-riddled bodies slamming into the pavement at 60 mph or watch manned motorcycles sucked under the wheels of a big-rig. This one is about the kids. Think Hook in the wasteland and that starts to approach it.

If you saw this movie in the theaters 25 years ago and walked out hating it, give it another chance. Just don't see "RW" right beforehand. No reason to hobble your experience with unrealistic expectations.

Gorgeous, delirious post-apocalypse fable

[angelynx-2 · 7/10 · 20 May 2000]

Who could not love this movie? It's got more imagination than five average postbomb flicks, incredible visual design, enough alternate societies with enough backstory apiece for three more movies (including an aboriginal clan who look like Peter Pan's Lost Boys and speak a dialect you'll be copying for days after you see it), car chases, amazing costumes, one of the most original death-duel sequences ever, Tina Turner, *and* Mel Gibson! I mean, goddamn, what more do you want? I personally want another movie just set in Bartertown AND a movie that follows what happens to Anna Goanna and her clan, and they don't even have to have Mel Gibson in them - that's how rich I think the imaginative depth of this movie is. I like it more every time I see it. Genuinely something special.

Perfectly watchable, although it's the least of the series

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 20 August 2016]

Now I do enjoy the MAD MAX films. They're the epitome of Australian cult filmmaking on a budget: filled with uniquely Aussie humour, outlandish characters and plenty of action. In fact, MAD MAX 2 is one of my favourite films ever, finishing with that massive, sprawling chase sequence that's still inspiring filmmakers today (Neil Marshall's DOOMSDAY, anyone?). For some reason, I'd never got around to watching this, the third in the series, although I had seen snippets of it on TV. I wasn't impressed by the scenes I saw: it seemed cheesier and sillier than what had come before, more child friendly. And the presence of Tina Turner seemed a definite distraction.

When I saw MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME was showing on TV again, I decided to bite the bullet and sit down and watch it, fearing the worst. I didn't get that, but this is definitely the weakest MAD MAX film of the series. The heart and soul of the story is missing from this one. It seems like a tired repeat of the last movie, with an unwelcome American presence in the likes of Tina Turner and more Hollywood ideals. Much of the blame must lie on the troubled production: the producer died causing George Miller to back out and only direct the action sequences while another hand took over the character and dialogue moments. The result is a mixed production. The action scenes, of which there are only really two – the 'gladiator combat' scene in the Thunderdome, and the final chase – are exquisite, as good as that which has come before, and very entertaining. Not original, but still entertaining.

The non-action scenes drag like heck. The colony of feral children are mostly irritating, with too many attempts to make them 'cute'. They actually reminded me of the Ewoks in RETURN OF THE JEDI. Gibson's character is underwritten in this one, so that he barely speaks and seems like a void at the centre of the film. There's no sense of his desperation or his primal nature here, he's just a stock hero character. I found Tina Turner to be pretty insipid as the would-be villainess, although I was happy to see Bruce Spence returning as the helicopter pilot, albeit he plays a different character this time around. I was also delighted by the casting of veteran dwarf actor Angelo Rossitto who bags something of a swan song performance late on in his career. So, the final result: a hit and miss effort, soon forgotten. The final chase scene, though, is worth watching, even if it is a case of revisiting past glories.

Half and half

[Mike-754 · 2 June 1999]

The first half of this film -- the part with Bartertown, Thunderdome, etc -- is brilliant, not just a repeat of THE ROAD WARRIOR but a totally new concept, thoroughly fleshed out. The second half, with the lost children, isn't as good -- and, more to the point, doesn't quite mesh with the first half, despite Miller's attempts to tie it all together at the end. Still, it's well above average in a genre that has increasingly come to believe (wrongly) that special effects are more important than plot and character.

Third episode of the magnificent trilogy by George Miller and Mel Gibson

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 11 September 2010]

This stirring movie in comic-strip style is packed with unbelievable car stunts , thrills, chills and noisy action . Violent movie about a futuristic road-warrior cop with high-velocity action and kinetic energy . This classic is set a few years from now , a dangerous, desolate post-industrial future world where rules the strongest law . It concerns about the exploits and feats of an ex-police named Max (Mel Gibson) on the apocalyptic future world . Being stolen of his possessions by Jeddeiah (Bruce Spence) and his son while walking through the Australian outback , Max heads toward a remote city called Bartertown , a post-nuclear location full of kind of criminals and governed by Aunt Entity (Tina Turner). Bartertown runs on methane gas, which is produced from pig feces by prisoner-slaves. All methane comes from an underground cavern, Underworld . Max is forced to fight against Master Blaster on behalf of Aunt Entity in order that she gains whole control of the town . Max survives a battle-to-the-death in Roman style Thunderdome arena . But when the combat is over he is thrown back out into the solitary desert . Exiled Mad Max meets a group of orphans, the only survivors of a plane crash during the nuclear war . The group of children and teens is living as a strange commune ( similarly to ¨William Golding's Lord of flies¨) and take to Max as their Messiah named the 'Captain Walker' . Max says them that he's not Captain Walker and that civilization is gone , wiped out by the nuclear apocalypse . Later on , Mad Max along with them returns Bartertown to confront cutthroats and the revenge takes place . Max and the group wreak havoc on the city and escape from fortress but vengeance will be terrible and bands of depraved crazies thirsty for blood pursue them . They are besieged by motorized warlords and they'll have to fight against the cutthroats , a band of depraved crazies thirsty for blood and survive some battles to-the-death with lots of blood and gore, including throating-slit , beheading , impaling and blow up.

This exciting picture packs kinetic action , thrills, chills , tension and abundant violence . Spectacular stunt-work plenty of fights , motorcycle races , cars with bounds and leaps and explosions . The picture is divided in three parts : the first happens on the boisterous city of Bartertown , the second on the sunny desert with metaphysical moments and Max surrounded by children and third , the conclusion , again on Bartertown and the subsequent getaway in ¨Mad Max 2¨ style . Top-notch Mel Gibson as road warrior at one of his first main roles , he embarks a spectacular adventure against vicious murderous and with some philosophical moments . Weird roles and fantastic atmosphere combine with stunning action scenes in this remarkable action film that completes perfectly the excellent trilogy . Rumbling score fitting to action by Maurice Jarre and emotive music including chores when are developed the scenes of the children . Special and weird futuristic atmosphere created by cameraman Dean Semler who reflects splendidly the barren outdoors . The motion picture is stunningly directed by George Miller ( and George Ogilvi) , author of the excellent post-apocalypse ¨Mad Max¨ trilogy along with the writer and producer Byron Kennedy . It's followed by numerous imitations as the recent ¨Doomsday¨(2008, Neal Marshall), rip offs, and exploitations ,especially Italians products . Rating : Good, better than average , the Mad Max trilogy result to be the most successful Aussie movies of all time . This remarkable action film will appeal to Science Fiction buffs. Rating : 7 , Above average. Well worth watching.

The weakest of the original trilogy but still entertaining stuff

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 1 September 2015]

From the opening shot of wandering nomad and mulleted anti-hero Max Rockantansky (Mel Gibson), travelling along the endless Australian plains in a makeshift vehicle put together from spare auto-parts and whatever junk he came across on the road and pulled along by camels, we know that the world George Miller created back in 1979 has descended even further into apocalyptic turmoil, and we are now even further from civilised society than ever before. Max has his vehicle and supplies stolen by Jebediah the Pilot (Bruce Spence), so he is forced to wander barefoot through the desert until he comes across a community dubbed Bartertown, a place where you can trade anything or anyone.

Like the vehicles in the world of Mad Max, Bartertown is hammered together from spare parts. It is ruled by Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), who is locked in a constant power-struggle with Master Blaster, a grotesque tag-team who overlooks the pits below the town where pigs are farmed and harvested for methane gas. Master is a dwarf played by Angelo Rossitto who rides on the back of Blaster, a giant of a man who wears a huge concealing helmet, and is played by Paul Larsson. Master Blaster may be George Miller's most interesting creation, and as Max inevitably faces Blaster is the arena known as the Thunderdome - where all quarrels are concluded as two men enter but only one leaves - one of the most inventive scraps in cinema history plays out, as they bounce at each other on huge elastic bands and hack at each other with all manners of weapons.

Yet that is only half of the film. Miller resigned himself to just directing the action scenes following the tragic death of his friend and location scout Byron Kennedy, so the rest of the film was put in the hands of George Ogilvie. Narrowly escaping Bartertown with his life, Max discovers the young survivors of a plane crash who has developed their own little tribal society, and it's here that the film goes a bit Peter Pan. Whether this was down to Miller's absence or not - Beyond Thunderdome lacks the edge of its predecessors, occasionally dipping into traditional mainstream fantasy fare and losing focus of its antagonists motivation. Still, the film delivers where expected - the action scenes. Again we get a tanker being chased down by an army of baddies in doomsday vehicle's, and again we are treated to some awe-inspiring stunts that hold up even today. It's the weakest of the original trilogy but hugely entertaining stuff.

Who Is Thinking Of The Children?

[damianphelps · 6/10 · 28 February 2021]

Why why why did someone think it was a good idea to fill Max Max 3 with a bunch of annoying kids? Its like half way through the movie the crew was switched and they thought they were making Oliver!

Such a horrible way to end a most amazing trilogy.

Max goes from road warrior to babysitter.

Still any Max is better than no Max.

"Mad" Max + P.G.-13 = Tame and lame movie.

[Captain_Couth · 5/10 · 4 June 2004]

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) was a travesty. Even though it takes place in an even bleaker future, the filmmakers decided to line their pockets even further by making this one "family friendly (i.e. P.G.-13). What made the other films gritty and nihilistic is missing from this film. Only a few spots but other than that it's just other one of those sequels that morphed into a more mainstream movie (i.e Robocop 3). Needless to say I was very disappointed because when I was much younger I was a huge Mad Max mark.

The story takes place years after the events that transpired in part two. Max is content with his life out in the wastelands. But one day, the fates would appear. Someone has robbed him of his caravan and his old souped up vehicle (sadly no longer in running condition). When he recovers he finds that all roads lead to one of the last vestiges of civilization, an arm pit called "Bartertown". Whilst in "Bartertown" Max finds the person who cold cocked him but his unable to do anything about it. So, after a brief scuffle with the local authorities Max is taken to meet the "mayor" of "Bartertown" Aunt Enity (Tina Turner). After a brief display of his talents, Enity and Max strike a deal....

Like the other films, the world of Pro Wrestling has taken several themes and characters from this movie (i.e. The Thunderdome and The Master Blasters, etc..). Many knock-offs and wannabes have spawn off of this one as well. It even started up a sub-genre, children living in a post-apocalyptic society films. Not a bad film but die-hards of the first two will be disappointed.

C+

I can't believe how low the imdb rating is on this film!

[zetes · 9/10 · 23 May 2000]

Sure it's probably the least good of the Mad Max films, but it is still entertaining as heck! It is maybe a little more Hollywood (which is a bad thing) than the first two. The music is overbearing at times, and some of the attempts at jokes were very cheap and American blockbusterish.

One of the main faults that has to be sited with this one is that the last thirty minutes or so are basically taken straight from The Road Warrior. The car chase and then the speech about how a stranger helped them establish a new society were taken right out of the 2nd installment.

It still is very creative, and the action has a wonderful momentum. I love the whole society that finds Max in the desert. I loved the recitation of their foundation, and I loved their dialect. I loved Masterblaster. And Tina Turner was actually cool, too. 8/10

We Don't Need Another Hero

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 28 October 2019]

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was a bigger production than its predecessor: Road Warrior. I still think I like Road Warrior better. The nemesis was more nemesisee and Mad Max himself was in more peril.

Beyond Thunderdome was lighter as far as mood (which the presence of children may have caused). This time the nemesis was the incomparable Tina Turner as Aunty Enmity, but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. The character wasn't a real hatemonger and... it's Tina Turner. She was the Beyonce before Beyonce.

One thing I'll give Beyond Thunderdome over Road Warrior is the theme song. It's top ten in my book. In 2002, for Spider-Man, Nickelback sang: "they say that a hero can save us, I'm not going to stand here and wait." Well, Tina Turner laid the groundwork for that in '85 when she said: "We don't need another hero." And she knocked that song out of the park.

Disappointing third entry in the Mad Max trilogy.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 5 May 2010]

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is set in a post apocalyptic Australia where a man named Max (Mel Gibson) is traveling through the vast desert, Max is attacked & his camels & wagon's full of his stuff are stolen. Max makes his way to a settlement known as Barter Town looking for his stolen goods, there he causes trouble & Barter Town ruler Auntie Entity (Tina Turner) is impressed with his fighting skills. Auntie Entiry offers Maxa deal, kill a man & he goes free with his possessions returned to which Max agrees. After his opponent is defeated in the Thunderdome arena Max is banished & left to die in the desert but is found by a tribe of children living in a valley who think Max is their saviour...

This Australian American co-production was directed by George Miller & George Ogilvie, not many films have two credited director's but it is generally thought that Miller handled the action side of things while Ogilvie handled the drama & people moments. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is a very different type of film that came before, the original mad Max (1979) was a violent revenge drama with some brutal action scenes while Mad Max 2 (1981) is surely one of the best action films of the decade with some stunning stunts & inspired the whole post apocalyptic action film genre while Mad max Beyond Thunderdome is widely regarded as toning the action & violence down to appeal to a more mainstream audience & it's hard to disagree as everything that made the original two mad Max films so special has been watered down. The first third of the film is set in Barter Town & is reasonably good as far as post apocalyptic action films go but then it changes direction & a tribe of children are introduced that Max feels compelled to protect as they help him regain a bit of humanity, these kids are a bit annoying actually especially with their broken English mixed-up dialogue that does get irritating quite quickly & their silly myth about an airplane pilot that they go into great detail about (lucky us...). At well over 100 minutes it does drag at times & while it's watchable it feels predictable & the action scenes can't really compare to those in Mad Max 2.

Again there's the whole end of humanity post apocalyptic look, while in the other two Mad Max films it looked quite real here the production design is very elaborate & a bit showy. The final chase revolves around a train & various bad guy's chasing it, it's OK but not as exciting or dramatic as the chases in the other Mad Max films. The violence is tamer here, in fact apart from a few fights there isn't any. Just as the end credits start it says on screen 'For Byron' which is a reference to producer Byron Kennedy who was killed in a helicopter crash while scouting for locations for the film in 1983.

The film looks good if a little staged, the stunts & action are good but nothing spectacular & that just about sums up the whole film, good but not spectacular. Filmed around New South Wales in Australia. The acting is alright, I didn't like the little dwarf Angelo Rossito as you can barely understand what he's saying while pop star Tina Turner doesn't really do anything other than deliver a few lines.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome isn't a terrible film by any means, it's not exactly great but it's watchable. It's just that the first two & Mad Max 2 in particular as so good that this watered down vision of Max was always going to disappoint. A Rumours of a fourth Mad Max have persisted over the years but I doubt it will ever happen.

One of the greatest teaching supplements ever

[racr · 10/10 · 4 November 1999]

This is one of the best teaching instruments for comparative government ever made--and a great action film as well! After studying comparative ideology and systems, have students watch and compare the communities of Bartertown and the Crack in the Earth--they love it!

and they learn from it!

Trust me, I've been using it for 10 years now and it never ceases to amaze me the genuine academic and intellectual discussion you can get a class to have concerning Max' adventures! It's even better than Gulliver's travels!

We don't need another hero...

[ChubbyChecker · 7/10 · 9 September 2018]

True, we don't need another hero, but if we're going to have one it might as well be Mel Gibson back in his prime.

This is the often panned third part in the Mad Max series. Its flaws are pretty glaring and unfortunately obvious. Most glaring of all is that the film starts off with good promise but kind of falls apart in the second half when Max finds the kids.

Even so I still like this film for what it achieves. It shows how the world has evolved since Part 2 (Road Warrior) and what the future could hold. While definitely a step down from its predecessor I found Beyond Thunderdome to be a still enjoyable part of the franchise.

Max Rockatansky and the Goonie feral gang.

[hitchcockthelegend · 3/10 · 4 March 2008]

Even allowing for my unabashed love of the first two films in the franchise, and sweeping away any sort of biased leanings I might of had for the character of Max, I just can't bring myself to rate at average this cartoonery waste of space that so nearly soils what had gone before it.

Gone is the rugged nasty streak that brought feeling to the character Mad Max Rockatansky, gone is the impacting feeling of desolation in an apocalyptic world, and more crucially, gone is director George Miller's passion for the franchise. The dreadful score matches the cartoon heart of the film, it seems that the makers didn't really know what to do with the amount of cash given to make this third instalment. Sure the stunts are spot on (to be expected by now), and of course Miller manages to paint a barren desert landscape by purely lifting from what he has done before. Yet he clearly struggled for fresh ideas with the action since "The Road Warrior's" crowning glory of the Petrol Tanker pursuit is replicated here, only he uses a train instead!!.

It's just a very poor show that may have seemed like an ambitious turn of events back in the mid 1980s, but when viewing the three films together now, Thunderdome just comes across as a director losing his edgy approach whilst sadly getting caught between the mix of comedy and fantasy action. And the truth is that neither of those genre slants would have worked singularly, in the context of this series, anyway. I give the film 3/10 purely for one real good Thunderdome fight sequence, while the stunt men here deserve some credit at the very least. But this is the third time I have tried to like this film, and as glutton for punishment as I undoubtedly am, I wont be trying again, ever.

Underrated

[Spaz-11 · 20 April 1999]

When I first saw Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, I felt disappointed. It was a letdown from its amazing predecessor. I knew its reputation as an unworthy sequel, but I still realized there was something good about it, something I had never heard from other people's points of view.

It wasn't until some time later when I watched the series a second time that I noticed what it was.

Those who think MMBT is not as exciting as The Road Warrior would be right. But those that think MMBT sucks because it is not as exciting as The Road Warrior would be missing the point. What makes MMBT a worthy sequel is its way of establishing a greater scope of the setting the series takes place in. The dredges of civilization were what set the stage for the series in the original Mad Max. The barren world of desert wastelands and sparse outposts take the idea of a post-apocalyptic world one step further in The Road Warrior. A squalid setting such as Bartertown and an oasis where the tribe of children lived in MMBT once again builds on the elaborate fantasy that makes the series as popular as it is. The final, chilling realization of just what became of civilization in the closing moments of the movie are more than enough explanation as to why the the world the viewer sees in the trilogy is the way it is.

I was too young when I first saw MMBT to understand this. It wouldn't be until I saw it again some time later, with more movie-viewing experience under my belt that I realized that what makes Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome tick is not action set pieces, but a far more subtle approach of atmospheric setting.

A Far Cry From Max's Roots, But Still Entertaining as it's Own (Aunty) Entity

[colinforrer · 6/10 · 13 January 2022]

Whether you've seen Fury Road and are back peddling to the beginning of the series to see the original three films, or you're a complete newcomer altogether, I would say skip this one, for now that is. If you're expecting the very Aussie, low budget, cult, gritty, zany, over-the-top, exploitation-esque tone of the other installments of the series, you will be surely disappointed just as I was upon first viewing.

We don't need another hero - yes we do, and it's Max, to save us from these pesky kids

[MBsMidnightGeeks · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

The film begins sometime after Mad Max 2 and a nuclear war. Max grumpily continues to navigate the world alone. He is then robbed of his now camel drawn V8 and his belongings and ends up at the dangerous and bustling Bartertown, which even has electricity.

Thunderdome was always my favourite - even though it really isn't as good it as Mad Max and The Road Warrior, it was the first one I saw. My sister had the 'making of the film' book and I was obsessed with the world of Mad Max before I was even allowed to watch it.

The world design, costumes and names are all amazing. There's clearly a massive budget this time, but this instalment still keeps some of its rugged indie charm with this transition.

Moses Going into the Desert

[whpratt1 · 6/10 · 19 October 2007]

Mel Gibson put his heart and soul into this film and I admire his great acting abilities as the role of Mad Max along with Tina Turner. However, this is just a story about Mad Max going into a desert and giving children of the desert a new life with happiness. This particular film was a big disappointment to me and I could have found a better way of spending my time than looking at a film that failed to live up to other Mad Max films. I am sure there was plenty of money spent in making this film, but it certainly does not measure up to the other Mel Gibson films. Love all kinds of films but this particular film was nothing I expected and I am glad it was produced and can be forgotten completely about.

The weakest Mad Max film I ever saw

[ivo-cobra8 · 2/10 · 12 September 2017]

*SPOILERS*

The third movie in the trilogy Mad Max franchise and the weakest Mad Max film I ever saw. This movie is stupid! I never understood why this movie is so bad. Even the first Mad Max is better than Beyond Thunderdome. Why such a praise for this film? The only good thing in this film is Mel Gibson and Tina Turner and her songs but that's it. The rest of the film everything sucks so bad in here and it is rated PG-13 and everything in this film is just wrong. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is awesome and the best of the trilogy, this film just isn't. But it is a real let down and a true disappointment for a fan like me. Max without his car V8 is nothing but a peace of low life.

I know a lot of people love this film and I respect that some people even think this is better then the original Mad Max, Really? What is so good about this movie? Huh. This movie is boring, less violent it is PG-13 movie and Mel Gibson is at worst at his performance. This movie was a failure to me.

Every time I watch it I just feel miserable oh and Mad Max the original film is way better flick then this one it really is.

I apologize to all fans but in my opinion not yours this movie is the weakest one in the Mad Max franchise and if they would focus more on Bardertown and Thunderdome and got rid of the kids and make this movie rated R this could have been a great movie but right now in my opinion its a "bad" movie .

This movie felt too rushed and it felt it just wasn't right.

And also why this film is in the sand why the are no roads here? Why this is not a wasteland? Gosh I hate this film sue me! I also reviewed 2 years ago the first three Mad Max films and I didn't want to disrespect Mad Max franchise and I didn't want to get the hate on here.

Mostly it was George Miller's fault when his friend and Producer Byron Kennedy died in a helicopter crash. He didn't care he made it less violent less apocalyptic and less action I really don't understand why people love this movie but the first one they don't? I don't know.

We never found out more about Max or his fate the movie does not tell us anything.

Shame on you, George this movie destroyed the Mad Max trilogy I am glad that Mad Max: Fury Road come out 20 years later and yes it is MILES way better action film then this one and I have reviewed all of them.

Also I like Mel Gibson as a actor I always did I never said I hate him he is a really good actor and the Mad Max Trilogy alongside with Lethal Weapon franchise those movies made him in to a star that he is today so yea.

Sadly the film is failure to me just my opinion.

Tina Turner wasn't that terrible because she made two songs for this film and she performed her self. Songs: One of the Living and We Don't Need Another Hero a great songs and I love to listening them.

Tina Turner also at acting isn't that terrible.

But this film is horrendous awful and it sucks I hate those kids.

This Mad Max has no weapons by him self, he has no car and Max doesn't kill anybody in this film.

It feels to me like this Max is a pussy and he is afraid to kill people.

I also have this movie on Blu-ray disc in my collection even tough is a boring stupid awful time waster I still have it in my video collection.

I don't like this film I don't. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is my number 1 action film in this franchise which is the best one, second best one to me is Mad Max: Fury Road I love those two films to death they are great films. Mad Max the first one is a good action film but it has problems but is at least better action film then Thunderdome that is my opinion.

2/10

Another Great Abandoning

[[e-mail] · 9/10 · 27 January 2004]

(* Spoilers Ahead *) In Mad Max, a single police department with a few highway cops and patrolmen maintain civil order in a desolated region of Australia, apparently post-nuclear apocalypse. "Max" ends up losing absolutely everything civilized in his life -- everything. Not a drop of heart's blood is spared "Max" as he rips himself apart, trying to free himself of the chains and bonds of civilization in order to take revenge on the men who stole his world away. When it's all done, he wanders away from absolutely everything.

Mel Gibson's "Max" character returns in "Road Warrior", where the remnant of civilization has been left behind in favor of complete anarchy in the middle of the desert where an oil well refinery is the strongly-defended holdout of some kind of corporate collective, against growing bands of interested investors who would like to trade bullets and lives for the thinning lifeblood of petroleum. The leader of the wackos is absolutely cartoonish, sort of a psychotic pro-wrestler genius, while the leader of the recluses is dripping with ignorance and a desperate need to maintain his egotism. Every single person knows why they are in that desert, fighting -- because they can't get away from the the vehicles and the combustion. It's everything in their life. The distance between meals and drinks is dozens of miles. The distance to the nearest "real" civilization is not even survivable. Those who hold the vehicles hold the supreme power. "Max" delivers the oil-barons into salvation, but at a heavy loss, then once again wanders away from all that has come to pass.

Finally "Max", come into his own with a well-outfitted gravy train, is wandering the desert apparently finally convinced that he is the beacon of civilization, not some building or crowd. His delusion is sorely broken right at the beginning of the movie, and with nothing but his boots and a flute he's forced to rejoin humanity, but why we aren't exactly sure. He's been through it before and he knows what will happen, but still he saunters into "Bartertown" where he meets the sexy "Auntie Entity" (Tina Turner) who rules with elegance and ferocity, and agrees to scratch her back if she'll rub his.

Tina Turner's delivery as "Aunty Entity" is passionate. When she is stood off by the uppity "Master-Blaster", you can hear the hurt pride in her voice as she admits her humility. And when the real loser of Thunderdome is swiftly decided, you can see the fear in her eyes as everything, all the orders of civility she has cherished and sacrificed who knows what for, falls apart right under her hands. As the chaos grows, she looks above for guidance but sees only the mindless crowd, just as desperate as she and even more powerless. Her delivery from the middle of thunderdome is moving, but short compared to the brotherly storytelling of the very artful "Dr. Dealgood" (Edwin Hodgeman.) Nevertheless, what small part Turner is given to play is played from the bottom of her heart and you are thoroughly convinced that she is who she portrays. Her chain-mail suit could have been a little more transparent, though. The rest of the characters in "Bartertown", some recognizable from the earlier films, are real in a faery-tale sort of way that seems to follow naturally behind the previous films: in "Mad Max", the characters' selves were all dying like lights on their way to burning out; in "Road Warrior", their selves were completely gone, wasted with nothing but animal behaviors left; in "Thunderdome"'s "Bartertown", the desolation of the human inner being has proved to be merely a loss of luxury and comfort, and we see that deep inside these layers of modern dross most man and women really are larger than life, in their hopes and dreams and their achievements. "Max", unable to abandon life on his own this time around, is forced out into the desert wilderness to die.

We soon see the inherent human worth proved again in "Thunderdome"'s "Crack in the Earth", where little people, who never grew up with the bleak realities of technology and its apocalyptic inevitabilities as anything but faery-tales, are all as large of life as nature can provide for. The gorgeous "Suzannah" (Helen Buday, rhymes with boo tay,) drags "Max" back into life in a veritable Garden of Eden where children and children's' children, who are absolutely hysterical, spend every day of their lives in summer-camp dreamland. Finally, "Max" chooses not to abandon but to stay around and support -- whether because he's too tired to fight any more, or because he's learned to see a good thing when he's got it and not drop it for something better, it's hard to say -- maybe this is where he was on his way to in the first place. And yet none of this matters. Somehow, once again, humanity goes wrong over the same superstitions and arrogance as before, and a schism in the valley dwellers leads to calamity and a reconciliation with the recent past. "Max" decides to abandon the valley after all, proving finally that he really, truly is "MAD", sacrificing everything to return one more time to the truth that he and every man carries his best civilization with him wherever he goes.

Enjoyable, but not the most original one of the three

[philip_vanderveken · 7/10 · 5 May 2005]

The Mad Max series ended with this third movie called "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" and if I'm honest, it was one too many. It certainly isn't as bad as some people like you to believe, but it has lost much of it's power because this is no longer that small independent Australian production. It even had Tina Turner playing a role in it.

This time Max is still traveling throughout the Australian dessert, when he manages to stumble upon Bartertown, a trading post for all kinds of criminals. His supplies have been stolen from him and he has no choice but to seek shelter in this outpost of technology where civilization has long gone. It is ruled by both Aunt Entity and Master Blaster, which leads to a lot of tension between the two leaders. Max will fight in an arena called the Thunderdome on behalf of Aunty, where he'll have to defeat Master Blaster. But when the fight is won, he's banished and chased back into the desert where he soon meets a group of children that survived a plane crash during the war. They believe he is their former pilot Captain Walker and some of the children leave to find their fabled tomorrow morrow land, leaving Mad Max no choice but to save them from the desert and from Auntie's Bartertown...

Of course I could say that I didn't like the fact that Tina Turner played a role in it, but if I'm honest, than I must admit that she didn't do a bad job. I quite liked her role and her acting. It even didn't bother me all that much that Mad Max was degraded to some kind of kindergarten hero. No, what bothered me most of all was that the movie didn't have much new to offer. Sure, there is the Thunderdome and Bartertown, but in the end this is exactly the same movie as Mad Max 2. What's more, the final part of the movie almost seems to be an exact copy. No, personally I find the first two movies better. Each of them was renewing and original, something that certainly can't be said about this one. I give this movie a 6.5/10. It's nice to watch, but not the best one of the series.

Redefines "Suck"

[rosanna_rosannadanna · 1/10 · 17 August 2006]

Every time I've seen this movie I get the same impression: some parts of it are so amazingly stupid/bad that they crack me up, they aren't intentional, and there are a lot of them; the rest is just plain bad, stupid and/or irrelevant. A movie like Evil Dead gets credit for being bad at it's own expense because it's the intended result-it' stupid and cheesy because Sam Raimi succeeded at what he was trying to do. This movie doesn't have that excuse, it's stupid and cheesy because the filmmakers failed so miserably. The crap result gets heaped on top of the crap writing and crap performances to make it a shame that the lowest rating a movie can be given is one for 'awful.' Watching this movie has the same effect as listening to a Billy Madison essay--"Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it." I should be able to give this movie something around a -5.

Much better than I remembered

[happycatrecords · 9/10 · 5 June 2023]

I had not seen this since it was in the theaters in 1985. My least favorite of all the Mad Max movies,, it holds up very well. Yes it's different. Yes the other three are a bit better. This is filmed beautifully. It has a very unconventional story-line. It's easy to forget how charming of a screen presence Mel Gibson was in his early days. Lots of fun. Excellent bridge between Road Warrior and Fury Road (quite a few years later). Plus, this has Tina Turner in a great role, not to mention her great songs.

Thumbs up. I give the other three a 10, this one gets a 9.

Also, get the 4K BluRay if watchingbon physical media at home. It's the only copy with an updated film transfer.

A little bit too kindhearted, yet still interesting

[MrP823 · 6/10 · 24 December 2002]

Well let's get one thing out of the way right now. This film pales in comparison to the pure raw energy and action of Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) and it definitely shows in the second half of the film. In the Road Warrior, there was little need to explore in great detail the reasons as for why things went to hell. That film's explaining was done through the use of violent action sequences and it is one my favorite movies of all time. This film appears to be more thought provoking, which normally I would embrace in film yet in this movie it leads to too much talk and not enough action (good action anyways).

One thing I did enjoy and continue to enjoy about this story is the different cultures and ways of life that we are exposed to. I have no idea what director George Miller was doing when he dreamed up this post-apocalyptic world that operates under its own set of primitive rules but he has created a world that is every bit as interesting as Star Wars. Bartertown and Thunderdome are some of the greatest ideas ever conceived for a film. The battle inside the domed arena is one I don't think I'll ever forget. I also enjoyed being introduced to a completely different subgroup consisting of children that have survived in a lush, green strip of forest that has a source of water.

However, it is here where coincidently things get hampered by childish- like action. The rest of the movie's action scenes are like something I would expect to see in Ghostbusters or Indiana Jones. Which would be fine if this film didn't take itself so seriously in the early goings of the story. The final sequence is truly disappointing because it attempts to go for too much comical action and it just can't compete with the final chase in the Road Warrior. I would still recommend this film to those who enjoy sci-fi or action movies but beware of its flaws.

Mad Max?! Peter Pan more like.

[liamolf · 1/10 · 7 October 2005]

I am going to keep this review of this film short and to the point. This film was a mess. Which is a shame because it had all of the makings of a good Mad Max film... For the first 5 seconds.

We start off with Gibson's character Max in this latest incarnation of the trilogy. He plays a broken nomad, the type of person to which he once scoffed at in his days in the Main Force Patrol (Mad Max - 1979). His family and his best friend are brutalised by gang members of a nomad biker clan, making good of turning the highways of Australia into a living hell. All of which is portrayed onto film in a very violent fashion.

We progress onto Mad Max 2, which sees our character roaming the 'wastelands' of Australia. These desolate and baron lands become Max's home, as he has nothing left for him in civilisation. He comes across a populated Oil refinery, which is being marauded by a viscous army of scavengers, pillagers and murderers. He brings back a half dead member of the small tribe of people within the grounds of the fortified Refinery and cuts a deal with them, a truck cab for as much Fuel as he can carry. The film progresses and again Mad Max saves the day albeit being left alone again.

Then this brings us on to Mad Max 3, if you can even call it Mad Max. This could have been a good film, had they have named it 'Peter Pan and the Quest for Tomorrow-morrow Land.' This film is completely out of sync with it's predecessors. In comparison, this is a tame and softened film of a franchise to which violence is its main selling point. Mad Max with children humming all of the time is not only slightly cringe inducing to watch, but it is not what Max is about. They call him 'Mad' Max for a reason, in this, he is more like a stressed out Babysitter. The most violence you are likely to see is Blaster being shot with a Speer, and Max knocking Savannah Nix out with a single punch, as well as a tribes-man of Bartertown being knocked out with a frying pan a couple of times. That's it. No people being impaled with spears, no kneecaps being shot out, nothing. Even Aunty Entity escapes Max's wrath, compared to her predeceasing king-pins in previous films being blown up, ran over, and blown up again.

This film is nothing more than a joke to a brilliant franchise, and not a particularly funny one at that. If I were you, I would just watch the first two films and call it quits there. Pretend that Max is still wandering the Wastelands, helping tribes-people out when they are needy, etc, etc. Although I cannot help but think that this way of thinking is only going to be made harder with a fourth member to the franchise with the pipeline. Lets hope that the directors have learnt from their mistakes made in this dog.

1/10. There nothing for you here...