#jamesmccausland

[adamwatchesmovies]

Mad Max (1979)

If you’ve never seen Mad Max before and you're interested in the series, watch this as a companion piece to The Road Warrior. It’s not that the movie is bad, but you can tell that in many ways, this is a prototype. It’s almost more fun to watch as the progression of a genre than for what it brings to the screen on its own. It’s often rough around the edges, unconventionally paced, and crude, all of which work in its favor once you realize what you're seeing. There’s a reason this film essentially inspired a whole genre.

Set in the near-future, in Australia, the world has started breaking down. While roaming gangs of lunatics on motorcycles come and do as they please, there is also hope. It comes in the form of the police officers who patrol the roads, and their figurehead, "Mad" Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). When Max's actions catch the eye of “Toe Cutter” (Hugh-Keays Byrne), the full force of his gang begins heading his way.

Mad Max is a lot like Assault on Precinct 13. When you see them for the first time, you wonder what the big deal is. The more you think about it, the more you notice the little details that make them special. In most post-apocalyptic stories, everything is broken, covered in crap, or on fire. Here, it’s more subtle. Some people walk around like nothing's wrong, but the edges tell you nearly everything in this world is cobbled together from old things. It's as if all production has stopped. The way people talk, you can tell there's still hope. They believe things will be alright if they just stick together and keep the door open for the hero they need, the one who will rise and fix everything. None of this is spelled out. You pick it up over multiple viewings.

The plot meanders quite a bit at first. Sometimes it’s just downright weird. The first time I saw it, I could see what captured people's imagination back in the day but left the film with mixed feelings. Many will feel the same. Initially, you have difficulty identifying what the movie's about. Once "Mad Max" and Toe Cutter confront each other, you understand. Before then, everything was about the world-building, which is the last thing you'd expect considering its reputation.

The thing is, you don't watch Mad Max for the story. You watch it for the stunts. Right away, you're hit with an explosive car chase. You will be scratching your head wondering “how did they do that?” when you're not exclaiming “oh, THAT’s where that idea came from?!” just as the novelty of the twisted metal, broken glass, violence and screeching tires begins to wane, the story kicks in: our hero is finally pushed too far and is forced to embark on a trail of vengeance.

Once you get into it, Max is a fully fleshed-out character. He’s not just some angry Punisher wannabe the villains have made the mistake to cross. When he's with his wife, Jessie (played by Joanne Samuel) and son (Brendan Heath), he's gentle. Mel Gibson has undeniable charisma, guaranteeing your investment in his story. When it comes to the villains, they're outlandish but memorable. There’s something genuine about these all-out lunatics with their nihilistic attitude. It's as if they know the world is about to collapse and have decided to roll with it, caring little about what happens next.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is superior to its predecessor. For that reason, this film works better as a “prequel” than as the first entry into this world. These are humble beginnings, which is perhaps why my rating of it fluctuates with each viewing. There's certainly something here that grabs you. (On Blu-ray, May 30, 2015)

[gavparf]

#MadMax #BrianMay #VareseSarabande #SamuelZArkoff #Max #MelGibson #GeorgeMiller #JamesMcCausland #HMV #HMVVinyl #HMV100 #Vinyl #OriginalMotionPictureSoundtrack (at 76 Totter's Lane) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUKfJpLscDW/?utm_medium=tumblr

[llpodcast]

Season 4: Episode 164 - NATURE VS MAN: Mad Max (1979) / Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)