Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Warner Bros./Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 107 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence) Director: George Miller and George Ogilvie Screenplay: Terry Hayes and George Miller Music: Maurice Jarre Cinematography: Dean Semler Release date: July 10, 1985 (US) Cast: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence, Adam Cockburn, Frank Thring, Angelo Rossitto, Paul Larsson, Angry Anderson, Robert Grubb, Helen Buday, Tom Jennings, Edwin Hodgeman, Rod Zuanic, Mark Kounnas. Box Office: $36.2 million (US)
Rating: ***
In Australia, the word “mad” has an entirely different meaning. When somebody is described as mad, it doesn’t mean they’re angry, it means they’re crazy or insane. That’s one of the most common misconceptions about the character of Mad Max. It’s also my main problem with Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, the third installment of the popular series starring Mel Gibson as the post-apocalyptic anti-hero. Thanks to studio involvement, the character and the violence have been toned down to more teen-friendly PG-13 rating. They may as well have renamed the character Mildly Agitated Max. Not only that, the makers brought in popular singer Tina Turner to play Max’s latest nemesis as a way of attracting young American audiences. I admit she’s nice to look at, but not much of a villain when compared to the likes of Toecutter, Humungus and Wez. It didn’t have to be that way. Beyond Thunderdome starts off well enough, there’s a great fight scene about a half hour in and a cool climactic chase scene. It has its strong points, but the overall effect is rather underwhelming. It’s pretty good, but uneven.
It’s been many years since Max defeated Humungus and helped the settlers escape to a presumably better life. He’s been wandering through the desert ever since and is about to stumble into a scenario taken directly from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. At one point, somebody refers to Max as “The Man with No Name”. I got a good laugh out of that one. After being robbed of all his belongings, he makes his way to a place called Bartertown, a seedy town where goods and services can be bought, traded or sold. Depending on who you ask, it’s either run by Auntie Entity (Turner) or Master Blaster. Master is a genius dwarf that rides on the back of Blaster, a super-strong behemoth. The town is powered by methane gas derived from pig feces.
Auntie strikes a deal with Max; she will return his property if he kills Blaster in a fight to the death. Such fights are held in Thunderdome, an upside-down cage-like structure where spectators climb up the sides to watch the fight. The participants are suspended by elastic straps allowing them to jump and fly all over the place. Weapons like chainsaws, broadaxes and sledge hammers hang from the top. There are no rules but one: “Two men enter, one man leaves!” It’s a great fight! Max doesn’t live up to his end of the deal, so Auntie exiles him to the deep desert. That’s when he comes across a band of children, kind of a post-apocalyptic Lost Boys, waiting for “Captain Walker” to come and shepherd them to a city they call “Tomorrow-morrow Land”. Guess who they think Max is?
In general, I like Beyond Thunderdome. It continues the western motif established in The Road Warrior with a lone wolf character coming to the aid of the defenseless. For me, the movie lost its way when Max found himself in the Lord of the Flies situation. I realize that the makers are trying to show his character regain his humanity, but it’s a bit too tame for the original tone of the series. Gibson still does a good job portraying Max. I do like the set design. Bartertown is reminiscent of Casablanca, an overcrowded crossroads where all commerce is overseen by “The Collector” (Thring), a fat man that looks a lot like Sydney Greenstreet. It’s great how George Miller and co-director George Ogilvie fill the screen with a lot of throwaway details (a town eatery is called “The Atomic Café”). Yes, there are two directors. Miller did the action scenes; Ogilvie did the rest. The look of Beyond Thunderdome is very imaginative. Okay, I could have done with less of people wading through pig poop, but so be it. The final chase involves a locomotive and a bunch of makeshift vehicles chasing after it. Once again, Miller doesn’t disappoint. It’s not as awesome as The Road Warrior, but that’s impossible to top. I wasn’t so crazy about the score this time out. Maurice Jarre takes over for Brian May and it’s just not the same. Turner contributes a couple of songs; they’re good, but we all know that the studio wanted these songs so they can promote Beyond Thunderdome with a couple of MTV videos. While the weakest entry in the series, it’s still a solid three-star action flick.
