Plot: What’s it about?
In the very grim future, Australia has become overrun with violent biker gangs, who rule the roads with their motorcycles. It seems like the police are helpless to stop them too, as the thugs do as they please, which is usually terrorizing whoever crosses their path. The authorities want to end their vicious ways, but are unable to do much damage to them and as such, a little more hope is lost with each day that passes. One police officer who used to battle them head on was “Mad” Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), but he has since retired and lives in peace with his friends and family members. He was the man who took down one of the leaders of the ruthless gang however, so when they come looking to settle the score, it is no surprise. But when they murder his partner and harass his family, it becomes personal and now, Max is determined to take out as many of them as he can, even if it means being killed in the process. Max will stop at nothing to have his revenge, but can even he manage to overcome the odds against the brutal bikers?
After a lackluster release from Image, Mad Max has finally been given the treatment it deserves, thanks to the folks at MGM. In addition to a new transfer and a boatload of goodies, this disc also has the original audio track, which has never been released in America before. As we all know, some executives thought the accents were too thick, so they dubbed in alternate voice work and ever since, fans have pleaded to be given the original option. Mad Max is best known as the picture that pushed Mel Gibson toward stardom, but this is not the usual “first step to greatness” kind of movie. Mad Max is an awesome blend of action, adventure, and sci/fi, with all sorts of memorable visuals, lines, and characters. The action is well done and features some nice stunts, especially in the wild and well staged chase sequences. In other words, Mad Max is a great picture and for the first time ever, it has a proper home video release here in the United States. I simply cannot recommend this movie enough, especially with such a lavish treatment from MGM and in the end, I think this is one of the first must own titles of 2002.
He has become of the biggest names in Hollywood, but before he was a massive star, Mel Gibson was Mad Max. Gibson was paid only fifteen thousand dollars for his work here, but he delivers like he was given millions, to be sure. There’s a reason this was his breakthrough role and that is because he nails the character, which in turn elevates the film more than a few notches. Gibson has found a niche in vengeance seeking characters since and it’s obvious why, as he seems right at home within Max, right from the start. I wouldn’t say this is his best work by any means, but under the circumstances, I do think it is an excellent performance. You can also see Gibson in such films as The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, The Patriot, and The Million Dollar Hotel. The cast also includes Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Dog Morgan, The Chain Reaction), Joanne Samuel (Alison’s Birthday, Queen of the Road), and Steve Bisley (Silver City, The Winds of Jarrah).
Video: How does it look?
Mad Max is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included in this release. I knew this would be a good looking transfer, but I was quite surprised with just how good this presentation is. The print has never looked this clean on home video, with minimal grain evident and very little in terms of debris & nicks. You wouldn’t know this was a low budget movie from 1980 from this visual treatment, as it makes it look brand new and of course, this is excellent news. The colors reside within a natural scope and flesh tones are consistent, while black levels look dead on and always well balanced. I have to commend MGM for their work here, as Mad Max has never looked so damn good on home video.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc houses a number of audio options, but for the sake of this review, I chose the original soundtrack, which is a mono track with the original Australian/English dialogue. As expected, the track is a little thin, but it is a 1980 mono option and as such, you can’t expect much beyond a clean, basic experience. The dialogue is crisp and sounds very good, while the other elements are just as well presented. If you’re curious as to why I chose the mono track, it is because it was the original soundtrack and that’s what I prefer. I know dazzling 5.1 tracks are all the rage, but if it was done in mono in the first place, I’ll take that option. This disc also includes the Australian/English soundtrack in a well done Dolby Digital 5.1 option, the American dub in mono, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, in case any of those pique your interest.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This is a dual sided disc and on the side with the movie itself, you’ll find a couple of nice extras tacked on. Up first is an audio commentary with cinematographer David Eggby, production designer Jon Dowding, special effects supervisor Chris Murray, and film historian/Mad Max expert Tim Ridge. As you can expect, having four participants makes for an active session and there is little silence to contend with. All four have a lot of comments to make, but never step over each other and as such, it is never hard to gather who is speaking at the time. If you need even more insight into Mad Max, simply enable the “Road Rants” option, which is a subtitle track that provides additional tidbits of behind the scenes knowledge. If you flip the disc over, you’ll encounter more bonus materials and that’s always welcome. A couple of featurettes start us off, the first of which focuses more on Mel Gibson, as opposed to the movie itself. The sixteen minute piece is titled Mel Gibson: The High Octane Birth of a Superstar and is a collection of interviews, from costars to those who know & admire the man himself. I wish this included some content with Gibson and his thoughts on the film, but if you’re a fan of his, this is a solid featurette. The second featurette is Mad Max: Film Phenomenon, which runs about twenty-five minutes and is a more general behind the scenes piece. This is mostly interviews and some of the material was covered in the commentary, but it is still worth a look and has some cool additional information. This disc also contains a selection of poster artwork, four television spots, and the film’s original Australian theatrical trailer.
