Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

After being exiled from the most advanced town in post apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen.

Directors:

George Miller, George Ogilvie

Writers:

Terry Hayes, George Miller

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Mad Max
Bruce Spence	...	Jedediah
Adam Cockburn	...	Jedediah Jnr.
Tina Turner	...	Aunty Entity
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

Storyline

Left for dead in the unforgiving deserts of post-nuclear Australia, after defeating Lord Humungus' barbarian horde of bikers in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), the former officer of the tough Main Force Patrol, Max Rockatansky, happens upon Bartertown: the remote market-town outpost in the middle of the dry Wasteland, and the realm of the autocratic Queen Aunty Entity. There, a lethal challenge awaits Max, who, in return for his freedom and provisions, must engage in a bloody match to the death with the grotesque symbiotic being, the Master/Blaster. However, an unforeseen complication after the brutal fight in the stronghold's combat arena, The Thunderdome, will banish, once more, Max into the vast wilderness, only to discover the peaceful haven of The Lost Tribe: a community of marooned children who survive on their own, waiting for the arrival of the legendary Captain Walker. Is "Mad" Max, indeed, their saviour? Can he overthrow Bartertown's ruthless tyrant?

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Plot Keywords:

post apocalypse | cage match | australian outback | group of children | death match | 

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Taglines:

MIGHTY MAX!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally not a "Mad Max" film, but a post-apocalyptic "Lord of the Flies" film about a tribe of children who are found by an adult. It became the third Mad Max film when George Miller was suggested that Max is the man who finds the children.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Pigkiller: Remember: no matter where you go, there you are.

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Crazy Credits

Dedication: "...for Byron"

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Alternate Versions

Scenes filmed but cut from the final film: Max comforting the dying Ghekko while facing Bartertown from the desert dunes and telling him it's Tomorrowmorrow land (this scene can be glimpsed in the Tina Turner video for We Don't Need Another Hero.) Max waking in Crack in Earth in the middle of the night and remembering his wife Jessie and crying, realising he is no better than the people he has hunted for so long.

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Connections

Referenced in One Hit Wonderland: Beds Are Burning (2016)

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Soundtracks

One of the Living
Written by Holly Knight
Performed by Tina Turner with Device
Produced by Mike Chapman (as Mike Chapman)
Copyright (c) 1985 Makiki Publishing Co. Ltd.

User Reviews

Half and half

The first half of this film -- the part with Bartertown, Thunderdome, etc -- is brilliant, not just a repeat of THE ROAD WARRIOR but a totally new concept, thoroughly fleshed out. The second half, with the lost children, isn't as good -- and, more to the point, doesn't quite mesh with the first half, despite Miller's attempts to tie it all together at the end. Still, it's well above average in a genre that has increasingly come to believe (wrongly) that special effects are more important than plot and character.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [UK] Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Filming Locations:

Far Northern South Australia, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,283,714, 14 July 1985

Gross USA:

$36,230,219

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$36,230,219

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1