Review of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) by Daniel A — 04 Jul 2009

After the high-octane grit of the prequels, the third and (thus far) final instalment of this trilogy proves somewhat disappointing. Yes, it has the rather sweet concept of the Thunderdome; yes, we have Tina Turner putting in a rather nuanced-yet-enthusiastic performance as antivillain Auntie Entity (and sandwiching the whole affair with some rather choice tunes!); yeah, you even get a Hollywoodized retread of the previous films climax chase.

Yet, turning Max from a badass loner antihero to a a glorified Messianic babysitter doesn't strike me as a particularly wise move. Was this the first stirring of Gibson's religion boner? Or the misfired, PG-13 ambition of Hollywood execs/writers hijacking a successfully sanguinary franchise? The tone in this film differs markedly from the previous two; so much so, I wondered whether I was watching a different franchise entirely at certain points.

Certainly not a bad film, but nevertheless a fall from grace for the series. Hopefully Fury Road'll set things back on track--if the fucking thing ever gets released!