MovieChat Forums > Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Discussion > I can see why Mad Max 1 & 2 fans hate th...

I can see why Mad Max 1 & 2 fans hate this, but I like it anyway

posted 9 years ago by kgb383
39 replies | jump to latest

So many people have fits about how terrible they think this movie is on here, finding all kinds of flaws in it and reasons to hate it, subjecting it to scrutiny and criticism they'd never give the first two movies. It's pretty much always people who loved the action and chases and adrenaline factor that comes with the first two movies and especially with this new Mad Max movie.

I can see why they hate Thunderdome. There really isn't anything much of the first two movies in this one, besides a somewhat watered down homage to the car chases from The Road Warrior at the very end. The rest is mostly an exploration of the bigger implications of the post-apocalyptic world they only narrowly explored in TRW. How do people survive? What remains of the world that was lost? What kind of future could the survivors of post nuclear destruction ever be able to make for themselves? In those respects, I've always found this movie a fascinating exploration.

I saw this movie before the first two back in the 80s, so maybe that makes me a little biased in its favor. As a kid, living in Reagan's Cold War America, the possibility of growing up in a nuclear wasteland like the kids do in this movie, seemed pretty relevant to me. All the hate getting spewed toward this movie nowadays seems like folks not getting the point. Miller and company decided to do something very different with this one, but unfortunately for them it didn't register with the fans of the other movies in the franchise. I still enjoy it though.

[–] SpongeBobek 9 years ago

Agree.
I watched all 4 movies as they emerged in cinema - 1st MM poster looked fine in the cinema window (it was the silver one with just the interceptor on it, surrounded by 5 or 6 impressive photos) to 13 yrs old kid (and I had no idea it was Australian movie, I only noticed some weird thick accent and left-lane driving).
By the time MM2 arrived, I've seen first one at least 3 times, and the rest is... well, the word "cult" wouldn't be inappropriate...
First 2 are fantastic in budget/acchievement ratio, but I love the No 3 too, for the reason most casual viewers hate it - it brought another, epic dimension - very wisely, because there was no way to up the action ante of Road Warrior, and I like the legend of Captain Walker merging with new wasteland legend called Max in the eyes of kids who were born on the eve of apocalypse and don't remember civilized world...

[–] rindercella 9 years ago

I liked it. I thought the children thinking Max was their savior was hilarious. Now I didn't like the chanting, ugh. So I fast forward through that, but overall I liked the story that beyond thunderdome there his this other world with beautiful country. I really think Max wanted to stay there.

The scene flying into the city was so eerie and haunting, great scene.

"Men like you don't die on toilets." Mel Gibson-Riggs, Lethal Weapon

[–] surgecess 9 years ago

I love it so much. I also love the first 2 Mad Max movies, but I try not to lump them together. Its much easier to enjoy them as completely seperate movies, and I love all of them. I have not seen #4, probably never will, as I cannot stand new movies.

__________
"Angels to some, demons to others..... Now you must come with us!"

[–] BirdmanT7 9 years ago

I agree the third one was great film, it was different with less action but it worked in the narrative of Max and his road ahead. I did see the new one with Hardy but it lacked the sense of depth and humor Gibson brought to this Character.

[–] JurijFedorov 9 years ago

They are the same people who hate Predator 2, Star Wars 3 and other movies clearly above average. There is always one guy saying "it's the worst movie I have ever seen". Here that guy just spread his message and made other people repeat it. I think if people watch this movie without thinking to much about what other people think they will appreciate it much, much more.

[–] NiteOwl94 9 years ago

I saw this movie before imdb even existed, and I've seen it a couple times since then.
It's not the worst movie ever, not even close. I wouldn't even say it's a bad movie.
But that doesn't mean it's a good movie either. It's very middle-of-the-road for me.

[–] MrRazorz 9 years ago

Common criticisms I've encountered with this film:

1) It's disjointed.

It seems that way, but there is an underlying theme. Aunty's trying to plant the seeds of a new civilization in Bartertown, but it's already gone rotten because she's been forced to run the town through intrigue and violence and political backstabbing, which Max becomes a victim of. After being cast out of Aunty's world, he finds the real seeds of civilization in Savannah Nix and her tribe, and helps them get to a place where they can start building a new society that will actually work.

2) It's too kid-friendly.

Perhaps. It's less violent than the other two, has a lower rating and yes, it has kids in it. On the other hand, it has the most sophisticated plot of the original films, and the biggest budget. And kids die in this film, as do a bunch of other people, so it's hardly the Disney flick people make it out to be.

3) Not enough car chases.

So? The Road Warrior had very little of anything but car chases. This is a sequel, not a remake. Besides, it's consistent with the first two - in Mad Max the world was going to hell due to oil shortages, in The Road Warrior it had pretty much already gone to hell, and people were fighting over the last of the gasoline.

Beyond Thunderdome is set fifteen years after all that. The gas is gone, folks. Master (on Aunty's behalf) has figured out methane-powered vehicles, and Jedediah's somehow keeping his plane fueled up, but it wouldn't make sense to have Max still thundering around the wasteland in a muscle car and doing high-speed battle with barbarian biker gangs. And having him driving an old military vehicle pulled by a team of camels has much more "post-apocalyptic" feel to it.

Besides, in place of car chases we get the Thunderdome duel, which is one of the most unique and iconic fight scenes on film. Pretty good trade-off, I think.

As for the first film being unnecessary, I disagree. The first one is about society collapsing and taking Max down with it. In the second one the "shell of a man" that Max has become discovers that there are still civilized people left in the wasteland, even if he's just one of the scumbags trying to take advantage of them. He finally achieves redemption in the third film, helping to plant the seeds of a new civilization in the process.

Without the original film we'd never get to see the good man Max was before the world crushed him, and his redemption would seem hollow.

[–] T-eschberger 8 years ago

This is the complaint I take most issue with, because it makes no sense. Beyond Thunderdome isn't disjointed. It's a film with two clear halves. Having two distinct halves in a film does not make it disjointed. Having sloppy editing, vague plot elements and poor storytelling overall makes a film disjointed. One could say the two halves of the film don't mesh well, but to say the film is disjointed is wrong.

This complaint is especially annoying because the first film is actually disjointed. It meanders along with no clear protagonist for the first third. It doesn't have much of a story until the last act and overall the film is made up of great parts but the whole leaves much to be desired.

[–] bullblood9 9 years ago

I like it and I will watch it again and again

The others are also good

Fury road is what made me watch the whole thing from the start again

[–] mradam-3 9 years ago

I just rewatched all 4 Mad Max movies. This movie is excellent. The world it takes place adds so much to the setting of the previous movies. Bartertown, the Thunderdome, the tribe in the desert waiting for "Captain Walker". It had great music too, like the song in the initial credits and the hard saxophone playing while people toil in shít in Bartertown. This movie rivals the 2nd one, in my opinion. I still like the 1st movie the least. I always questioned the motivation of characters in that one. (Why is Max always so far away when the shít hits the fan?) And the 4th is so awesomely action-packed and full of crazy characters, like the guitarist with the flame thrower with a hundred speakers behind him; drummers behind that; a vehicle dedicated just to music and wasting gas in a world where gas is rare and hard to come by. They spray chrome on their mouths and do suicidal things to get into Valhalla. A guy draws faces with a sharpie on 2 cysts on his neck and calls them his mates. It's full of the exact kind of craziness that belongs in a movie like this.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bullblood9 9 years ago

/\ Yes

[–] Knowby_Warrior 9 years ago

I just rewatched all 4 Mad Max movies. This movie is excellent. The world it takes place adds so much to the setting of the previous movies. Bartertown, the Thunderdome, the tribe in the desert waiting for "Captain Walker". It had great music too, like the song in the initial credits and the hard saxophone playing while people toil in shít in Bartertown. This movie rivals the 2nd one, in my opinion.

Thank God, finally a meaningful post. You nailed it. Spot-on.
It's so rare when speaking about "Thunderdome".

[–] Leto II 8 years ago

Agreed. Absolutely excellent analysis. Thank you for this.

[–] Horror_Metal 8 years ago

I love this movie. People hate on it solely because they wanted another Road Warrior type movie, much like the people who hate Temple of Doom just because it isn't Raiders all over again. This film is definitely less action packed, more kid friendly, and overall more of an adventure type movie that explores the post apocalyptic world a lot more. I still like The Road Warrior the best out of the series, but this one has always been a close second and I find it very underrated.

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