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Movies / On DVD / Mad Max
Mad Max

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Mad Max (1979)

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95 %
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Reviews Counted: 37

Fresh: 35

Rotten:2

Average Rating: 7.6/10

Consensus: Staging the improbable car stunts and crashes to perfection, director George Miller succeeds completely in bringing the violent, post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max to visceral life.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Synopsis: Futuristic tale set in Australia, which has become a wasteland where vicious, fast-driving criminals cause death, destruction, and mayhem on the highways. The police do their best to maintain control, but their attempts prove futile.... Futuristic tale set in Australia, which has become a wasteland where vicious, fast-driving criminals cause death, destruction, and mayhem on the highways. The police do their best to maintain control, but their attempts prove futile. As a result, one cop named Max quits his job and goes on a vacation with his family. However they are terrorized by a gang of malicious speed-demons, who kill Max' wife and baby. Angry, Max rejoins the force, revs up his motorcycle -- and seeks bloody revenge against the fiends who murdered his family. [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns, Steve Bisley

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns, Steve Bisley

Director: George Miller

Director: George Miller
Producer: Bill Miller
Composer: Brian May
Screenwriter: George Miller

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Mad Max

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Ratings Image

This is brutal, exciting stuff, all the more impressive for its budget constraints.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/06/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Simple, but effective.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/30/07
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

The tone sometimes wavers into self-parody, and there are occasional crude patches, but overall this edge-of-seat revenge movie marks the most exciting debut from an Australian director since Peter Weir.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
11/14/07
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Ratings Image

Classic cult fun made famous by director Miller and then new star Gibson.

comment Comment
08/03/07
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com
Ratings Image

The stunt work is spectacular.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/04/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

Overnight, Mad Max went from being a U.S. cult hero to a mainstream figure, and Mel Gibson's place in the firmament was secured.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
05/30/07
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Ratings Image

Australia exported this creative, original, exciting, low-budget genre landmark which gave the young Mel Gibson his first starring role.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/30/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Stunts themselves would be nothing without a filmmaker behind the camera and George Miller, a doctor and film buff making his first feature, shows he knows what cinema is all about.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/30/07
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Some of the most determinedly formalist filmmaking this side of Michael Snow.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
05/30/07
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Ratings Image

This was a great movie!

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
08/04/06
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Ratings Image

Though director George Miller took the post-apocalyptic tough guy Max a lot farther in the sequel The Road Warrior, Mad Max still packs in Miller's particular brand of black-comedy thrills.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/25/05
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/14/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

Encompasses the essence of the sexy revenge flick.

comment Comment
07/08/05
Gregory Weinkauf
ÜberCiné
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
01/05/05
Jay Antani
Los Angeles Alternative
Ratings Image

Cult low-budgeter that benefits from Miller's direction and Gibson's then lack of self-importance.

comment Comment
07/19/04
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/04
Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
02/04/04
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
11/07/03
Spence D.
IGN Movies
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Mad Max

August 14, 2008: George Miller Catches Sequel Fever; in Pre-Production on JLA? Opens in new window
The gang at /Film has been doing some digging, and although it's all just speculation at this point, signs are pointing to George Miller being in various stages of production on... More...

March 18, 2008: George Miller Vows to End Crappy Film-to-Game Ports
For almost as long as videogames have existed, filmmakers have been trying to bring them successfully to theaters -- and failing. George Miller, however, aims to change all that. More...

October 26, 2007: Mad Max 4 Coming Soon?
After over two decades, George Miller might finally be ready to take Mad Max past Beyond Thunderdome and onto Fury Road. More...

August 02, 2007: Happy Feet Director To Helm Justice League of America?
Warner Bros.' latest potential franchise-in-waiting, Justice League of America, continues to sprint past production hurdles with Flash-like speed. Just over a month after JLA... More...

See More Topics...

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