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View Full Version : Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome


GrahamBlake1984
08-16-12, 04:02 AM
I have always enjoyed this film, from the over the top action in thunderdome, to the train chase at the end. The Max character continues on his journey through the post-apocolyptic wastelands.


However, after watching this back to back with the first two Mad Max movies I was a little disappointed. The movie slows right down in comparison, which made it hard to watch in places. The introduction of Tina Turner done nothing to the movie, although she didnt play a bad part at all. The vehicles were there in their glory and the post apocolyptic scenes of Sydney at the end was good to watch.


When the movie starts there is no chase seen or intro, we see Max lose his camels and vehicle, and walk on foot to a place called Barter Town where he makes a deal to fight a powerful warrior called Blaster, one half of a duo that run Underworld, the place that creates Barter Towns power. The fight takes place inside a cage called Thunderdome which is a fight to the death.
After Max refuses to kill Blaster, thus breaking a deal, he must face a wheel of death where fate decides what is going to happen to you. He gets what is known as goolag, whereby he has to where a giant mask and is sent out into the desert on a horse.


He is found by a group of lost children, which are reminiscent to the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, and they nurse him back to health, thinking that he is a man called Captain Walker. Here we find out all of these kids are from a crashed plane, and they think Max is going to fly them to Tomorrow Morrow Land. Once he lets them know the truth the decide they want to leave.
Max has to go after the one's who left, knowing that they will not survive the desert, and once he has found them, they head for Barter Town, as it is their only chance of survival. Here they enter up rescuing the prisoners and Blasters other half, Master, the brains of the duo, and they make a daring escape on a train.


They are closely persued by the residents of Barter Town as they want Master back, as he alone knows how the power of Barter Town works. After an enjoyable chase, the train comes to an abrupt stop when a child is trying to hold up the train. The chase the child and come across the man from the beginning of the movie, who stole Max's vehicle.


The man has the plane so he helps them escape. Only problem, there is not enough run way to take off, so Max takes out the oncoming traffic by crashing into his attackers, and letting the children and the dude who stole his gear at the beginning, get away.


At the end Tina Turner decides not to kill a wounded Max and walks away.


One thing I did find a little confusing, the bloke who plays the aeroplane man in this movie, is the same man who plays the Gyro Captain in the second movie. Is this supposed to be the same character? I don't no.


This movie is worth a watch, and is enjoyable, but doesn't pack the punch of Mad Max 2. George Miller is currently rebooting the series, so hopefully he will go back to the action packed sequences of number 2.

TylerDurden99
08-16-12, 09:20 AM
Never saw this, despite my parents owning it. I think it's all down to me not being a fan of the first, and while liking the second, I've never felt the need to see this one.

earlsmoviepicks
08-16-12, 03:29 PM
They strayed too far on this sequel...

Powderfinger
08-16-12, 03:36 PM
The first one was the best by a long shot!

Sedai
08-16-12, 04:18 PM
Yes - Gyro-Captain is the same guy.

I like the entire series, but the second film is the best, IMO.

GrahamBlake1984
08-16-12, 05:59 PM
I agree the second movie is the best by far.

Deadite
08-16-12, 06:35 PM
It is one of the best post-apocalypse sci-fi action movies of all time.

mark f
08-16-12, 08:17 PM
I probably like Thunderdome more than most because it has a pumped-up production, but after starting out with the Maddest Max yet, they tried to mellow him out and turn him into a Saviour of Lost Children (pre-Pulp Fiction, ha!) to make up for all his previous violent acts of revenge. I liked the Master/Blaster character, and Master was none other than Angelo Rossitto from Tod Browning's classic Freaks (1932) 53 years earlier.

http://canibuk.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/angelo-rossito.jpg?w=300&h=225http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/2/Open/Warner%20Brothers%20Distribution/Movies/Mad%20Max%20Beyond%20Thunderdome/_derived_jpg_q90_410x410_m0/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome-Still7.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

I may have a different perspective than many do since I watched all the films at the theatre when they first came out. I could see the evolution and the increase in budgets with each successive movie. They at least did try to do something different with Thunderdome because otherwise, what's the point? I certainly like The Road Warrior the best because I thought it had the best characters (Lord Humongous, Wez, Feral Kid, Gyro Captain, Dingo) and certainly the best sense of humor. Many people don't realize that the first Mad Max actually won the equivalent of the Australian Oscar for Best Picture. I can still remember the L.A. Times reviewer (I believe it was Charles Champlin) complaining that such a violent piece of revenge dreck winning an Oscar reflected poorly on the land of Oz. Of course, I first watched it with the weird, disembodied American voices dubbed in, so I didn't actually find out what Mel Gibson sounded like until I saw Gallipoli at the theatre the next year. When I finally heard the original soundtrack, I could only scratch my head at how stupid studio executives were/are.

dadgumblah
08-22-12, 07:34 AM
Good comments on Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and the MM movies in general. The first and second films are masterpieces of action, IMO. The third is a very good post-apocalyptic movie, but given the standard set by the first two, is a bit of a letdown. My main problem is that they took Max off the road, which is where he thrives. I know, gasoline is in short supply in that future, but once he got to Bartertown, the writers could have put him in a vehicle with gas instead of offering to give him his camel and rig back.

And the kids were interesting but they kind of brought the film to a crawl. But, I guess they did bring Max full-circle back to his non-selfish humanity when he saved them all, with nothing in the bargain for him.

I look forward to the new film: I wonder if it's a reboot or are they just going to tell the same story all over again? I'd rather they go in a somewhat different direction but, fan that I am, I'll be plunking down the coin for the new one.

The Rodent
08-22-12, 07:40 AM
The new movie looks like more of the same, but with Tom Hardy as Max. I think it's another story of Max's adventures... kind of a 'New Adventures Of..' rather than a reboot or remake exactly.

I love all the Mad Max films... I have to say, Thunderdome was the first one I saw when I was a kid, so it kinda stuck with me... but now I'm older and a tiny bit wiser, I prefer the first one out of all of them. The beginnings of his descent into madness and anger and all that.

Used Future
08-22-12, 01:20 PM
Thunderdome is easily the weakest of the series for me. It just screams namby pamby PG-13 cop out, and loses the kinetic grit of the first two entries. Obvious the makers were trying to attract a wider audience, but bigger production values don't always make a better movie, and they 'glossed' over the good stuff by introducing those pesky kids.

We got two great road movies, followed by a thrid installment in which the hero doesn't even have a vehicle save for the token car chase at the end. One of the most disappointing films I've ever seen.