Review of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) by David M — 18 May 2015

Beyond Thunderdome is a story about Mad Max finding a form of civilization within the post-apocalyptic Australian desert (actually he finds 2 distinct civilizations, but we'll get to that.) In Bartertown he is tasked with helping one authority figure dispose of another, in a sense he becomes a political assassin. Naturally when you stick your nose into other people's government it's never going to be smooth sailing. The entire way that this Bartertown functions is kind of ridiculous. They never establish any logical explanation for how the underground became so independent from the above ground crew, nor why they have such animosity towards one another. In fact nothing is all that well-established other than the rules of the Thunderdome. Battling in this dome looks like a game you might play on American Gladiators. There's very little logic to it, and I can't help laughing at that scene (which is supposed to be really tense.) In fact, that is possibly the biggest problem with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the tone is too light and silly. Road Warrior established a really dark tone, and it makes sense in this world they have manufactured for us. But here we are treated to some sequences that are downright slapstick and silly. Even the "intimidating" Master Blaster is more of a joke than a threat.

Now that's not to say that the actors playing Master and Blaster were bad, in fact I thought most of the acting was pretty solid in this movie. Even Tina Turner was just fine as the queen of Bartertown. I was a bit annoyed that they brought back Bruce Spence and yet he appeared to be a different character, but I guess if both he and Max have really horrible memories it could be the same guy. When things really get odd in Beyond Thunderdome is when Max is exiled to the desert and is discovered by a colony of children. I'm not sure why the adults fed these kids lies before they died, nor why every adult was dead, but it can be interesting when you have a "prophecy" like this. The problem, as I look back on this film, is that there really is no need for these kids. They are a pointless tangent that sidetracks the movie completely. It takes a while before the movie gets back to the main plot, and all that time is needlessly wasted because the kids add nothing to the climax of the film. Speaking of the climax, the setup for it doesn't make sense at all, but it's nice that we finally get a chase scene. It's amazing that, in a franchise that has built itself on remarkable practical stunt car chases, we don't get one until the last 10 minutes. Also I was kind of disappointed because they didn't seem to capture the action as well. I frequently lost track of where people were within the action sequences, and so it kept me from getting emotionally invested. Now, I will admit that I had some fun and laughs while watching Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (it was certainly more enjoyable than the first film in the series.) Yet it's safe to say that fans of The Road Warrior will take issue with this one, because it is considerably different in tone and quality.