Every Mad Max Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

The Mad Max franchise has evolved over the course of time, and ranking George Miller’s movies from worst to best creates a clear hierarchy in terms of their quality. The Australian director launched what is now considered to be one of the better action movie franchises in 1979 with the original low-budget film starring Mel Gibson. With five Mad Max movies released over more than 40 years, the franchise has managed to sustain itself through mostly stellar reviews, strong reception from audiences, and Miller’s ability to continue to push the envelope as viewers, Max, and others navigate the post-apocalyptic world.

Thanks to the varied quality of the franchise and the different eras individual chapters belong to, ranking the Mad Max movies is sure to result in a different order depending on each person’s enjoyment of the films. Whether it is a fondness for the Mel Gibson era of the franchise or the more modern installments that blend CGI with mostly practical set pieces, there is no denying that greatness exists within the Mad Max franchise. There are also lower points that cannot be ignored. With many data points factored in, here are the Mad Max movies ranked worst to best.

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Movie	Release Date	Critics RT Score	Audience RT Score
Mad Max	April 12, 1979	90%	70%
Mad Max: The Road Warrior	December 24, 1981	93%	86%
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	July 10, 1985	79%	49%
Mad Max: Fury Road	May 15, 2015	97%	86%
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	May 24, 2024	89%	96%

5

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The Original Trilogy’s Conclusion

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Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

PG-13
ActionAdventure Sci-Fi

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the third film in George Miller’s sci-fi action series. This time, Max, after being exiled, joins a group of children to take down a strange town’s tyrannical queen. The film generally received positive reviews upon release and was followed up by Mad Max: Fury Road 30 years later in 2015.

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Director

George Miller
, George Ogilvie

Release Date

July 10, 1985

Cast

Mel Gibson
, Tina Turner
, Bruce Spence
, Adam Cockburn
, Frank Thring
, Angelo Rossitto

Runtime

107 Minutes

The final appearance of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max was not everything it should have been. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome arrived when Gibson was becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, long before he became a more controversial figure. The threequel had expectations to build on the excellence of Mad Max: The Road Warrior and deliver a rousing third feature for him and Miller. Instead, Beyond Thunderdome is the most uneven installment of the series thanks to what feels like competing visions.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the franchise’s only movie with a PG-13 rating. Every other is rated R

Beyond Thunderdome is unique in the franchise as it is the only film that George Miller did not solely direct, as George Ogilvie was brought on to help Miller as he was still grieving the loss of his friend and franchise producer Byron Kennedy. The end result is the threequel feeling like a movie that Miller did not intricately plot out beforehand. The first half brings Gibson into conflict with Tina Turner’s Aunty Entity and features the excellent fight between Max and The Blaster in the Thunderdome.

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It is during the second half of Beyond Thunderdome that it falters. Max becomes part of a new group that mostly features children, and the film loses a lot of the edge that the franchise is known for as a result. The beginning and ending are almost satisfying enough to help make up for what transpires in between. But with so many familiar elements of the series missing or not landing, the film ultimately is not all that fulfilling. There has to be a worst Mad Max movie after all, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the clear answer there.

4

Mad Max

The Movie That Started It All

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Mad Max

R
ActionThriller Sci-Fi

Mad Max is a 1979 sci-fi action film from director and writer George Miller. Mel Gibson stars as Max a police officer in the future who goes after a gang of vicious motorcycle thugs. The film led to a long-running franchise including The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome, Fury Road, and Furiosa.

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Director

George Miller

Cast

Mel Gibson
, Joanne Samuel
, Hugh Keays-Byrne
, Steve Bisley
, Roger Ward
, Tim Burns

Runtime

88 Minutes

The original Mad Max movie is unlike any other installment. George Miller made the movie on a minuscule budget and without knowing exactly what he was doing. The learning curve of a first-time director who had only just halted his medical career can be felt at times. But, Miller’s inexperience and if there’s a will, there’s a way attitude help make Mad Max a special entry in the series. This is the franchise at its lowest point in terms of budget and resources, and yet the director manages to still make the movie thrilling and daring.

There are some great action sequences in the film, but they are not as focused on them, and they cannot be quite as elaborate. The chance to see Max’s life as an Interceptor and with his wife and child are elements that other installments cannot offer. This makes Mad Max a much quieter, character-focused, and scaled-down adventure at times. It’s still a fulfilling journey by the end, as the seeds for what Miller really envisioned for this world become clear.

This makes it somewhat difficult to even compare Mad Max to the other movies that would follow. Miller does everything in his power to bring this world to life with the resources he has. But one can’t completely escape the feeling that there is more in his brilliant mind that just could not make it to the screen. Mad Max is a terrific starting point for the series that is still limited by its time. It’s only because the movie is as good as it is that any of the others were even made.

3

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa’s Prequel Movie

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8/10

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

R
Adventure Sci-FiAction

A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be. 

Director

George Miller

Release Date

May 24, 2024

Cast

Anya Taylor-Joy
, Chris Hemsworth
, Tom Burke
, Alyla Browne
, Nathan Jones
, Angus Sampson
, Daniel Webber
, Lachy Hulme

Runtime

148 Minutes

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga takes the franchise in a new direction by completely focusing the story around a character who is not Max Rockatansky. Anya Taylor-Joy steps into the role of Furiosa as the movie explores the character’s younger days before Mad Max: Fury Road. Following up on a movie that is heralded as one of the best movies of the 21st century is no easy task, but Furiosa ultimately proves that it is a worthy successor.

Without all the headaches that came with Fury Road, Furiosa often feels like George Miller completely unleashed. Time restraints are thrown out the window for the franchise’s longest installment, while the action goes bigger than ever before with more characters, vehicles, and CGI. This can routinely result in the film delivering brilliant moments, such as the battle at Bullet Farm or the final confrontation between Furiosa and Dementus in Furiosa‘s ending. However, the movie also could have been improved had Miller reigned in the CGI, been stricter on the runtime, and more.

Among the highlights that do come, though, are the cast. Anya Taylor-Joy replaces Charlize Theron impeccably, as she fully becomes the Imperator by the end. She doesn’t only look like Theron at times, but she even nails the voice at different junctures. Chris Hemsworth is also having a ball as Dementus, which helps make him one of the franchise’s more memorable villains. Expectations for Furiosa to exceed or match the heights of Mad Max: Fury Road were always too high, but there is still a lot to enjoy here.

2

Mad Max: The Road Warrior

The Original Mad Max Sequel

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Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

R
ActionAdventure Sci-Fi

The Road Warrior, aka Mad Max 2, picks up after the original 1976 film and continues following Max’s (Mel Gibson) journey through a post-apocalyptic Australia. This time, Max helps a group of locals escape bandits to protect their wealth of gasoline. George Miller again directs the Mad Max sequel and is often considered the fan-favorite of the original trilogy.

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Director

George Miller

Release Date

December 24, 1981

Cast

Mel Gibson
, Bruce Spence
, Michael Preston
, Vernon Wells

Runtime

96 Minutes

If the original Mad Max was Miller learning on the job with limited resources, Mad Max: The Road Warrior is him beginning to master the craft and the tools at his disposal. This film ultimately feels like the blueprint for everything that would follow. The standard 1980s aesthetic of the first film is thrown out the door as the sequel completely embraces the post-apocalyptic landscape of The Wasteland. The desert dunes, fractured state of humanity, modified vehicles, and more all become major components of The Road Warrior, so much so that every film after it had to follow suit.

The Road Warrior is where Mel Gibson gets to shine as Mad Max too. This is a version of the character who has been broken and is haunted by his past, and Gibson does a great job of commanding the screen based on his presence alone. He’s not asked to say a lot, but Max’s gravitas is never not felt when he’s present. Gibson is far from the only standout of the cast, as Bruce Spence’s introduction as The Gyro Captain and Kjell Nilsson as Lord Humungus are also memorable.

Mel Gibson only has 16 lines in The Road Warrior

It is thanks to The Road Warrior‘s story that the action becomes a much bigger element for the franchise, and Miller knocks it out of the part here. The car chases are bigger and more impressive than what was accomplished previously. The film’s reliance on practical stunts and the incredible abilities of the stunt performers involved is obvious throughout, with the third-act chase a showstopping sequence. Mad Max may have been where the franchise began, but The Road Warrior is where Miller kicks off what the series would really be about.

1

Mad Max: Fury Road

2015’s Relaunch Is An All-Time Classic

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Mad Max: Fury Road

R
ActionAdventureThrillerFantasy

Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in George Miller’s long-running sci-fi franchise, with Tom Hardy starring as Max Rockstansky, a vagabond who lives on the road in an apocalyptic wasteland. When Max comes across a cult group that keeps its people in fear and under control with a monopoly on water and other crucial supplies, he joins up with Imperator Furiosa, a warrior woman leading a rebellion against the cult’s leader, Immortan Joe.

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Director

George Miller

Release Date

May 14, 2015

Cast

Tom Hardy
, Charlize Theron
, Nicholas Hoult
, Zoë Kravitz
, Hugh Keays-Byrne
, Riley Keough
, Courtney Eaton
, Abbey Lee
, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Runtime

120 Minutes

There is no debate about what film deserves the top spot in this ranking. Simply put, Mad Max: Fury Road is the best Mad Max movie. What makes it even more miraculous is how many times it almost never came to be and all the troubles it had to overcome. Miller developed the movie for decades before finally getting everything in place, and even then Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy’s feud, the grueling conditions of the shoot, and Miller’s filming style nearly destroyed it all. Despite it all, Mad Max: Fury Road managed to succeed thanks to Miller’s undeniable vision.

It’s Miller’s mind brought to life like never before.

Almost every single detail in Mad Max: Fury Road feels like it was thought out and executed to perfection. It’s Miller’s mind brought to life like never before. The action scenes and car chases are mind-blowing, and Junkie XL’s score pulses throughout the film with the help of Doof Warrior. The cars, sets, and costumes are all exquisite too. Yes, the story is quite simple in terms of it following characters going to The Green Place and returning to the Citadel, but there is excellent character development and worldbuilding that comes through Max, Furiosa, Nux, the wives, and Immortan Joe.

Recasting Mel Gibson with Tom Hardy as Max was a necessary move, and Hardy ultimately delivered a performance that set him apart from his predecessor. But this is not his movie. Fury Road is as great as it is because of Charlize Theron’s Furiosa. She immediately entered the pantheon of iconic sci-fi action characters, as Theron brought power, rage, and vulnerability to the character. The film works in large part because Furiosa is able to steal the spotlight from Max, transitioning the franchise to make her the new lead.

Fury Road is Mad Max at its biggest scale, greatest action, and most thrilling while also featuring some of the most compelling characters to exist in the series. Claiming it is the best Mad Max movie is a no-brainer considering it holds the franchise’s highest Rotten Tomatoes score, was nominated for Best Picture, won six Oscars, and is the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. The adoration for it has only grown over time too, with Mad Max: Fury Road among many lists for the best films of the decade and century. This isn’t just the best Mad Max movie, it is one of the best movies ever made.

What The Future Of The Mad Max Franchise Looks Like

Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury

When George Miller finally got the greenlight to make his new Mad Max movies, he had two films he said he wanted to make. The first was Mad Max: Fury Road, and the second was Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. He struggled to finish the first movie thanks to a hectic production, and then the second arrived with very few difficulties but a lower box office and critical take. With the two movies offering different forms of struggles for Miller, it puts the entire future of the franchise in question.

There have been rumors that more Mad Max movies are coming, with Tom Hardy saying he was attached to star in three more films in the franchise after Fury Road. Miller then said he had plans for a movie called Mad Max: The Wasteland (via Variety). “Everything’s based on figures and how things are perceived. Inevitably, it’s a business,” Hardy said at the time. However, these comments came in 2015; all that has come since then was Furiosa. Miller did say he still had plans while promoting Three Thousand Years of Longing (via Entertainment Weekly):

“As we get towards the end of [Furiosa], the chronology, basically, we had to see that Mad Max was lurking around somewhere because we do know what happened. The writers know what happened to Mad Max in that year before, and we have a whole story of that, which I would like to do sometime if I get the chance.”

George Miller said they have the story, which was written as a novella. He said that after Furiosa, they can change it into a screenplay and then move on from there. George Miller also said this movie would be a lot of character-driven storytelling about Max, similar to what they did with Furiosa, but with the same big action scenes fans of the Mad Max franchise have grown used to. Sadly, Furiosa’s disappointing box office resulted in Tom Hardy saying, “I don’t think it’s happening” (via Forbes).

Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment