Review of Mad Max 2 (1981) by Ben L — 17 May 2015

When I started the Mad Max series this is more what I expected. It is a much more enjoyable story that I have heard accurately equated to a Western, like A Fistful of Dollars. Max comes upon a colony of people protecting one of the last oil refineries left in Australia. He works out a deal to help them transport the gas past a gang of thugs in exchange for some gas of his own. What Road Warrior got right from the very beginning that Mad Max lacked was a simple voiceover intro to explain how this world came to be. It's a logical story and does a great job of emphasizing why gas is such a desired commodity. I don't really know how it has become more important than things like food or water which seem just as scarce, but I'm willing to go along with the conceit of this film. Max truly becomes a hero (or at least anti-hero) in this chapter of the saga. I like how, despite the conditions of the world, he still seems to have a code of honor that he lives by. Mel Gibson really settles into the role here. He is tough as nails and hardened by the complex world. He really looks the part, and throughout the film he does a great job of conveying Max's emotional journey. Pairing him with a dog was a great idea too, because the mere presence of a pet creates an extra layer of empathy for the hero. It also added a couple of great comedic moments, which is necessary in an otherwise dark and gritty film.

The other thing that I think they did expertly in this film was creating some distinct characters within the refinery's community and the gang of thugs. It still bugs me that hardly anyone is ever addressed by name in these films, though. I hate that reasonably well-defined characters in the film are still referred to in the credits as "Feral Kid" or "Warrior Woman." Even when someone is given a name it is only used like once, so it never sinks in. If I look in the credits at the name "Wez" I genuinely have no idea who that is within the context of the film. All that being said, it's one annoyance in a film that I otherwise quite enjoyed. There were lots of epic moments, and great action sequences. I think a few of them, like the final chase through the desert, were perhaps extended a bit too long but they kept the excitement dialed up so I didn't mind. One of the things that I greatly appreciate in The Road Warrior is the way they utilize wider shots so I can follow the action completely. The fights have a nice choreography to them, and I never lose track of where people are from one cut to the next. I also think the music does a lot of heavy lifting to keep the intensity heightened. Finally George Miller must be applauded for his use of practical effects and stunt-men. It's unreal some of the stuff that they pull off in this film, and that explosion (if you've seen the film, you know which one I'm talking about) is perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring in cinema history. The Road Warrior is a much better installment in the Mad Max franchise, and I'd recommend anyone who's interested just skip the first movie and jump right to this one. Mad Max 2 is leaps and bounds better than its predecessor, and requires no knowledge of that film to understand it.