Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

George Miller
George Ogilvie

Writers:

Terry Hayes (written by) &
George Miller (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

Max is back...and Tina's got him!

Plot:

Mad Max becomes a pawn in a decadent oasis of technological society, and when exiled, becomes the deliverer of a colony of children.

Plot Keywords:

Children | Desert | Gladiator | Australian Outback | Orphan

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 14	12:00 AM	AMC
Sat. Nov. 14	5:30 PM	AMC

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	'Mad' Max Rockatansky
Tina Turner	...	Aunty Entity
Bruce Spence	...	Jedediah the Pilot
Adam Cockburn	...	Jedediah Jr.
Frank Thring	...	The Collector
Angelo Rossitto	...	The Master
Paul Larsson	...	The Blaster
Angry Anderson	...	Ironbar
Robert Grubb	...	Pig Killer
George Spartels	...	Blackfinger
Edwin Hodgeman	...	Dr. Dealgood
Bob Hornery	...	Waterseller
Andrew Oh	...	Ton Ton Tattoo
Ollie Hall	...	Aunty's Guard
Lee Rice	...	Aunty's Guard

Also Known As:

Mad Max 3
Mad Max III (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1988) | Finland:K-18 (1985) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M | France:U | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1985) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Trivia:

Originally, the film was supposed to be about a group of children living without parents in the wild. They were trying to decide what adult character would find them, when someone thought of Max. After that suggestion, it became a "Mad Max" film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During Max and the children's attempt to rescue Master, they sneak into the underground in order to free him from the pigpen. At one point, as the escape is put into play, Ironbar arrives and hits Max in the face with a shovel. The problem is that in order to establish the shot and weapon used, the shovel stops abruptly in front of the camera as Max falls backwards, where, unfortunately, the rubber that forms the shovel's fake blade continues to jiggle from the motion.

Quotes:

Master: These our witness, Aunty. Us suffer bad. Want justice. We want Thunderdome!
Aunty Entity: You know the law: Two men enter, one man leaves.
Master: This Blaster! Twenty men enter, only him leave!
Aunty Entity: Then it's your choice. Thunderdome.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sweatshop (2009)

Soundtrack:

We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)

Mad Max, Lord Of the Flyers

Sequels to successful movies are always treated like unwanted children. I think this third film in the Mad Max saga deserves to be treated like a firstborn. I don't care much for the first Mad Max movie, but the second one is an action masterpiece. I love this second sequel because it does not try to copy the previous movies in the series; this is an entirely different creature. The film has its own energy, but it never betrays the ideas and characters of the first two movies. In fact, I think the only way to understand what the filmmakers are trying to do with the character of Max, is to watch all three movies. If we were to apply Christian values to the saga (I'm sure Gibson himself would not object to that), all three chapters can be seen as one long story of redemption. In the first movie Max loses his humanity. The second movie deals mostly with a soulless creature, and in the third film Max finally reclaims his humanity. From that perspective, this is a very interesting (final?) chapter. At first, the viewer is fooled into believing that this is going to be another action-filled story, but soon the real story unravels and we are treated with a terrific storyline that has philosophical undertones. Tina Turner is mesmerizing as the main baddie, and she also sings the great main song. A fitting conclusion to a very interesting saga, and still a very much unappreciated movie.