Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Review

 

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Beyond Thunderdome, follows Max as he must rescue a tribe of children and deliver them to the world as it used to be.

In the third film of the series, we see a stark departure from what we know of Max and his world. Life has progressed past the point of warring tribes and communities have formed in the ruins of an older world. It is organized chaos, with laws and structures in place, but still very much being a land of lawlessness. This is an inherently 80s flick that draws on all of the cliches of the time and not even really feeling like a Mad Max film, aside from the final act. It’s more Lord of the Flies meets Max, who must act as a guardian and father figure to a tribe of young, lost souls. Seeing him take on such a role is heartwarming because up till now, he’s been much more of a reluctant hero who plays life on his own terms.

I’d also say this is the most stylish and good looking of the three as well, having a much higher budget with bigger actors, a bigger world, and beautiful cinematography that jumps out of the screen in the sprawling Australian deserts.

It’s well acted featuring Tina Turner, Angel Rossitto, Bruce Spence (playing a different flying guy?), Helen Buday, and Mel Gibson. The Lost Tribe never gets fleshed out enough for me to care about them, but the acting was done okay on their parts, something that is tricky with having kids in an adult film. Gibson, as usual is great, somehow still keeping the stern darkness of Max, while also showing a care, fatherly side we don’t normally get to see.

The third and final film in the original run, Beyond Thunderdome, directed by George Miller, is a film that strips Max of all that is Max, even leaving him without a car (the Interceptor is almost as important as Max himself), but giving him purpose as a keeper for the children of a forgotten world. It goes a long way in deifying this legendary wanderer and feels fitting as a closure for the Mel Gibson run that saw him go from a young man who lost it all, to an older man with purpose to help those in need.

8/10