If there is a saga that is too similar to what awaits us, that is, without a doubt, that of Mad Max . Set in a bleak, dystopian future, where gasoline and water are scarce and prized commodities that are fought over, the story spawned a series of cult films. These became a reference for many others framed in a devastated future. And for you to be an expert on the apocalypse, here’s everything you need to know about the Mad Max movies.
There are many apocalyptic stories, but few have had the importance of those that make up the saga of Mad Max , by George Miller. Set in a desolate world in which we fight for the last drops of gasoline and water, they have influenced practically all the films and series of this type that have come after.
The punk aesthetic, the broken technology, the devastated environment, the tough characters who wander trying to survive, the violence and despair… There are many characteristics of Mad Max that have appeared a thousand times in other stories of this type.
And, of course, the themes of ultraviolence, ecology and that man is the worst possible predator. That is, any television news.
For this reason, today we want to go to the original source of the films, since many forget that the first one has a quite different tone and aesthetic, even if only for budget.
What are the Mad Max movies about?
In general, from a desert and devastated future, where civilization has collapsed and it is a return to barbarian times, but with fast vehicles and a punk aesthetic.
Composed of four films and another in preparation, this is the plot and the most important of each one.
Mad Max: Freeway Savages (1979)
Shot in the late 1970s, it presented a future set just a few years later. With society collapsing and resources scarce, Australia’s roads are ruled by violent gangs who turn it into a battlefield, assaulting innocents and stealing precious and scarce gasoline.
Max Rockatansky is a policeman who loses his family and his partner at the hands of one of those biker gangs, led by the evil Toecutter .
Deeply affected, Max decides to take revenge and become the road warrior known as Mad Max .
The film was a total success. Made for just $350,000, it grossed about $100 million and was long the most profitable film according to Guinness World Records.
In addition, it was the launch to fame of an unknown and very young Mel Gibson.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
In this film we already see in all its splendor the aesthetics that would make the saga famous, thanks to having a larger budget.
No longer a cop, Max is a lonely wanderer traveling through post-nuclear war devastated Australia , searching for gasoline that has become the world’s most valuable resource.
A tough, born survivor, he comes across a small group of honest people who run an oil refinery. Reluctantly, he must protect them from the terrorizing biker gang , while transporting his entire fuel supply to a safer location.
Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Max wanders around Negocity, founded by Tía Ama, a Tina Turner who, without a doubt, fits perfectly into the saga.
There, Max will confront the Master Beater in the Thunderdome that gives the film its name, but he refuses to kill him, so he is abandoned in the desert and rescued by The Lost Tribe: a community of abandoned children who survive by their own. account, awaiting the arrival of the legendary Captain Walker.
Max will save them by confronting Aunt Mistress, so they can fly to a devastated Sidney that they will rebuild . The children will always remember the man who rescued them, turning on the city lights so that Max can find them one day.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It would take 30 years to have another installment in the saga, also directed by George Miller. The veteran director showed everyone that he is still in shape with an excellent action movie that rescued the best of the saga .
Here, Max is played by a Tom Hardy who says practically nothing, nor does he need to, and who is secondary to the main heroine, Imperator Furiosa .
This is a war captain of Immortan Joe, leader of a desert gang, against whom he rebels. Joe has the survivors of the apocalypse enslaved in his citadel, and Max gets caught up in the fray.
Joe’s hordes chase Max, Furiosa and the girls she has rescued from Joe’s clutches. The movie is basically an endless chase with fast-paced action and cool effects , ditching the computer in favor of more organic action.
Mad Max: Furiosa (upcoming movie)
There will still be, at least, another part of the saga, focused on the character of Furiosa and that will be a prequel .
Focusing on the origin of the heroine, at first it was going to be Charlize Theron again who would play the role, using deaging effects to represent a 20-year-old Furiosa.
However, Miller has finally ruled out this option and it will be one of the fashionable actresses, Anya Taylor-Joy , who will play the warrior of the apocalypse.
The film is still in its early stages, so little else is known about it.
Who is the creator and director of Mad Max?
Veteran George Miller, who created the story and has directed or co-directed (as in the case of Thunderdome ) all the movies.
Also responsible for other films like Babe, the brave little pig or Happy Feet , you could not imagine that the gentle Miller was responsible for some ultraviolent films that, as the world is, will soon be framed in the documentary section, but it is.
Actors and main characters
Without a doubt, this is the saga that made Mel Gibson an action hero and a sought-after actor. Plus, it’s had another curious effect, hardly anyone else is remembered from the original trilogy movies except the legendary Tina Turner.
- Max Rockatansky is an Australian ex-policeman in a society that is collapsing due to lack of resources. After the loss of his family, he will become a tough survivor who wanders the desert and can’t help but reluctantly help those in need. He is portrayed by Mel Gibson in the first three films and by Tom Hardy in the Fury Road installment .
- Tina Turner is Aunt Mistress , owner of Negocity in the third film and pretty much the only other known one.
- Imperator Furiosa is a tough captain of Immortan Joe’s gang who rebels against him and the slavery he imposes. She is played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road and Anya Taylor-Joy in the upcoming movie about her.
Some curiosities and secrets of the Mad Max saga
To wrap things up, here are some fascinating facts that many don’t know about Mad Max and its movie series.
- Miller worked as an ER doctor to complete the first Mad Max film . He ran out of money to edit and post-produce, so he did what he could to get it.
- Mel Gibson was only accompanying a friend to the casting for the role , but they ended up giving it to him.
- The film is inspired by the 1970s oil crisis , which lends it the theme of a world where gasoline is so precious and scarce.
- The tradition that Max speaks little comes from afar. If in Fury Road he barely growls, in the original film he only has 16 lines of dialogue.
- The ultra – violence of the original film was not liked by everyone and was banned in New Zealand and Sweden for a time .
As you can see, the Mad Max saga has forever marked the atmosphere and the stories that take place in dystopian and desolate futures.
One of the franchises with the most personality of its own, it shows that Miller, at almost 80 years old, has more skill for storytelling and action than 90 percent of Hollywood directors.
