Mad Max (1979)

With cool poses like these it's not surprising that this is considered a classic. Sweet Sawed-Off!

Genre: Apocalyptic Action Adventure Drama Sci-Fi Serial (Australia)

Starring: Mel Gibson (Braveheart; We Were Soldiers), Joanne Samuel

Directed By: George Miller (The Witches of Eastwick; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

Overview: In this near post-apocalypse, the police have little more than their wits and their souped up cars to bust the bad guys. For Mad Max, that just might be enough.

Acting: The bad guys are a little too crazy, too dramatic. Max isn't that much over the top though. The director clearly puts the effort on the people who are leading the charge, but it seemed that they were more focused on action than drama.
Rating: 6

Cinematography: The car chases are worth it, especially that long one at the beginning, and the jacked-out killer car chase at the end. Expanses of desert highway and car-smashing stunts are certainly the order of the day in this, and you know what? Does it for me.
Rating: 8

Script: The writing is a smidge better than average but the bad moments really linger. In all fairness, there aren't that many and they don't go out of their way to be uncharacteristic, but let's just say that this isn't what this film's all about.
Rating: 7

Plot: The end is fantastic, but it's a little slow in coming and it ends too quickly for me. Call me formulaic, but drawing it out a little more and focusing on vengeance one guy at a time while climbing to the top is pretty safe, wish they'd have done that a little better. I liked the film overall but man is there ever some cheese in the middle.
Rating: 7

Mood: Endless stretches of bleak highway and beat-up law-enforcement areas, cops without justice turned into anarchy patrols... surely that stays with you, but the terribly dated costumes and the little touches of corny cheese. Ugh. That horrible scene with the woman singing on stage? I was embarrassed for her.
Rating: 7

See what I'm talking about?! He can even do Team Poses with cool car backgrounds!

Overall Rating: 70% (Won't Leave you Frothing At The Mouth)

Aftertaste: For as much as everyone know this one's a classic, everyone also knows it's not that good. How is this a classic then? It's a strange phenomenon with film, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Does a film with a sequel automatically make it worth seeing? Certainly not. How about a film with two sequels? Well just look at Final Destination 3 for that answer. I think it will remain a mystery lost to the ages. I guess Mad Max is too dated nowadays to be considered more than 'that was good for its time'. Either way, glad I saw it.