The Road Warrior Reviews

"The warrior Max... In the roar of an engine, he lost everything... and became a shell of a man... a burnt-out, desolate man, a man haunted by the demons of his past, a man who wandered out into the wasteland. And it was here, in this blighted place, that he learned to live again."

It is indeed rare to behold a sequel which surpasses its predecessor, but Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is a textbook illustration of such a case. Furthermore, this follow-up to the low-budget 1979 Australian grindhouse gem stands as a phenomenal achievement as a standalone motion picture, a gonzo post-apocalyptic action-adventure that remains one of this reviewer's personal all-time favourites. With a bigger budget, Mad Max 2 takes full advantage of its premise, yielding an organic continuation of the original movie as well as an amazing Ozploitation actioner on its own merits. The scope is bigger, the production values are sublime, the filmmaking is more proficient, and plenty of vehicles are wrecked - Mad Max 2 stays true to its B-movie roots whilst adding a bit of polish, and the result is pure dynamite.

Several years have elapsed since Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) lost his wife and child, and in the interim, civilisation has deteriorated completely. World War III broke out, and its effects on society were irreversible. No cities remain, law enforcement services have vanished, and petrol has become the world's most valuable commodity. Danger and uncertainty have become part of Max's daily routine, with every day a struggle to find sufficient food and fuel to survive just a little bit longer. Traversing the desolate landscape in his V8 Interceptor, Max happens upon a fortified oil refinery with plenty of precious "juice," but a gang of vicious murderers are determined to get their hands on it, threatening to kill everyone if their demands are not met. The colony wishes to take their gas and leave, thus Max strikes a deal with them: he will secure a big rig truck to haul the fuel in exchange for as much petrol as he can carry. However, the marauders - who have set up a camp nearby - are not willing to let anyone escape.

One does not need to have watched the original movie in order to "get" this sequel. Mad Max 2 actually begins with a skilful black-and-white montage of images set to voiceover narration that outlines the events leading up the collapse of society, and effectively re-introduces us to Max by recapping the first film. What's particularly notable about Mad Max 2 is its concise storytelling and breakneck pace, both of which are achieved without neglecting crucial character or story development. It's a model of efficiency, and it's so fast-paced and deliriously enjoyable that its ninety-minute duration simply flies by. It's over before you realise it, and you're left begging for more, a sign that this is one fucking badass movie.

The real star of Mad Max 2 is, of course, the stunt work. Returning director George Miller uses all the extra funds at his disposal (the budget was over $2 million whereas the first movie was produced for barely $200,000) to create a joyously crazy action picture peppered with multiple car chases. There is not a single bit of CGI to be seen here; Mad Max 2 is the result of stuntmen putting their lives on the line for a sake of a shot. It's hard to believe that nobody involved in the production wasn't severely maimed or killed, given how bonkers many of the stunts look to be. (Only one stuntman was injured.) Naturally, it's the twenty-minute climactic chase which closes the picture that really shines, with at least twenty-five vehicles barrelling down a desert highway at insane speeds. Although it's a lengthy sequence, Miller and cinematographer Dean Semlar sustain the chase, continually upping the ante and maintaining an edge-of-your-seat level of tension. There are a few shots which were obviously sped up, but such moments are all part of the feature's goofy charm. It's all topped off by a pounding soundtrack courtesy of Brian May, who also scored the 1979 movie.

Luckily, production design remains as colourful as ever, with imaginative vehicles and awesomely inventive costumes. Max's V8 Interceptor is one of the most iconic vehicles in cinema history, and its inclusion here is most welcome. The Interceptor which was used for the first film was actually salvaged and re-used here, a small detail that's nevertheless appreciated. Mad Max 2 continues the strong western theme of this series, finding Max as the archetypical, morally ambiguous antihero in the same vein as Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name. Max is even more of an antihero here than ever before, as he is no longer bound by his duty as a police officer. Unsurprisingly, Gibson nails the role yet again, relying more on stern facial expressions and restrained dialogue delivery. The cast is jam-packed full of colourful faces, from Bruce Spence as Max's new ally, to Vernon Wells (Bennett from Commando!) as one of the campy bad guys.

The original Mad Max was a niche release in the United States, hence this sequel was renamed The Road Warrior by its North American distributor to avoid any confusion. Miller has actually said that he has always considered Mad Max 2 as a chance to re-do Mad Max properly, with the benefit of a bigger budget and more directorial experience. The first film remains a classic, but Mad Max 2 is definitely superior, an infinitely enjoyable guy flick that's literally never boring. This may be an action movie built on a thin premise, but movies of this ilk are all about the execution, and they do not come much more thrilling or exhilarating than this.

10/10

The road warrior is probably the best "action" movie. For someone who isn't a fan of action movies, I guess that's not much of compliment.

I remember it very well, I saw this flick when I was very young, I was maybe 12 years old and probably much too young to watch something like this but I was quite impressed at the time and I thought it was really awesome. Anyway, after all these years, it remains my favorite Mad Max installment (apparently, Mel Gibson shares this feeling as well). Indeed, in my opinion, it is with this movie that they really created the trademark look of this franchise inspiring most of the post-apocalyptic features which have been made ever after. This time, George Miller had a bigger budget (allegedly 10 times larger than its predecessor) and it was apparently the most expensive Australian production ever made at the time. Anyway, the whole thing looked pretty awesome and Mel Gibson was really bad-ass back in those days. Still, even though I always had a weak spot for this movie when I was a kid, I’m not so sure if it is actually so amazing. I mean, it was really original (at least back then) and the mood was really interesting but the story was not really amazing in my opinion. Still, it remains one of the best sequels ever made and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

What can be said about, "The Road Warrior" in terms of it's overall value of a feature film? Now personally I've been a Mad Max fan since I watch the first Mad Max film from 1979. Yes I've also seen all three parts of the Mad Max story and each have high and low points.
However, I came hear today to talk about the second installment; "The Road Warrior" as it is known. In my professional opinion in critical reviewing films this story jumps out at me.

The first time I saw this movie I was hooked before the opening narration was finished. The way the narrator used images and subtle almost savage words to describe the fall of human society was chilling. In fact in the series it doesn't even fully address there was an Apocalypse until the third film.

In the opening chase scene when we see Max the auidence can clearly see how worn out he has become ever since the closing to the first film. He drifts all over the wasteland with only the search for gasoline to fuel his motivation.

We also get two main villians: A Mohawk Warrior named Wez and the Leader The Lord Humungus. Here we see the contrast between these two; where Wez is a loud and violent warrior with a thirst for blood. The Lord Humungus attempts to lure his enemies into false sercurity with his empty promises this goes well with his Mask as he hides his real face and with it his true nature. (His mask which you will later see ripped off in Friday the 13th Part 3 by Jason LOL no it's cool.) I mean if the first Saw movie can steal the ending death for the first Mad Max movie with cutting off your own leg then why not LOL.

Basically, to sum it up Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior is more then just an action packed summer flic. It has depth to it's story however due to the short lines of dialouge a big portion of the stories hidden messages is told strictly through visuals. As seen in the outfits, weapons, and of course the cars.

This film only gets better the further you watch it and the final climax car chase in my opinion is one of the greatest and most realistic action scenes I've ever had the pleasure of viewing in my time. This movie was so well put together in terms of an action film and it also had some quite and light hearted moments so we as the auidence could sit back and take in the atmosphere and the story itself.

Personally I love all the Mad Max films but in my opinion The Road Warrior is so well directed, written, and spaced out that it could have been a stand alone film without parts 1 and 3. However, I am grateful to both George Miller and Terry Hayes for writing this picture and of course Mel Gibson who will always be the one and the only Mad Max.

We all feel your loss Max we've all lost someone we've loved. But, you shall regain your humainty Max and you will be able to live again thank you for your time :)

-(For a first review I hope I did okay)

A bad-ass lead character, a feral wolf-boy and his boomerang, a "junk-yard" fortress, an ayatollah of rock-n-rolla, a kick-ass car-chase, Australian accents, & more S&M costumes than a German hardcore porn video (or so I heard...).
Everything you need to make a solid thrill-ride of a post-apocalyptic action movie, moyt.

I get this movie has a huge cult following, because i see no other reason why it is so highly rated. Of course, if you are into a young Mel Gibson clad in leather, sweating and bleeding, you will be more than satisfied. If you are into a good storyline or acting you should give chase like one of those you'll see in this movie.

The story kind of continues the first part of the Mad Max series, but on a second look it is only loosely tied into the trilogy, as you will notice some continuity and logical errors when you watch the movies from the beginning until the end. However, since the first part the world or at least Australia went down completely, because some kind of unspecified conflict got the world into a wasteland with marauding gangs of criminals roaming the lands. One of these gangs besieges a Fort that holds one of the last oil refineries, protected by lawful citizens.

At this point, where gas is scarce, you wonder how the gang is able to roam around the refinery 24/7 with their cars, bikes, trikes and whatnot. But this is only one of the many questions you will ask yourself. Another one is how a gang of supposedly brutal individuals follows someone who looks like an almost naked and ridiculous Jason Vorhees on steroids. However, amongst all the other campy elements in this movie you'll hardly notice that.

The only real interesting part are the stunts, especially the car chases. They make up most of this movie and are definitively worth watching.