Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorleaned into the gonzo absurdity of George Miller’s post-apocalyptic wasteland, realizing the vision that he didn’t have the money to pull off the first time. Whilethe originalMad Maxis a timeless gem, the series didn’t become the uniquely bleak, surreal, high-octane action franchise it is today until Miller expanded the wasteland inThe Road Warrior. The first film is a dystopian police thriller set in a world on the brink of a gas-guzzling apocalypse, but the second film took it way past the brink to the desolate badlands that remain.
Since Miller was working from a shoestring budget in his independent directorial debut, he could only fulfill a fraction of his vision of a lawless post-apocalyptic world. ButMad Maxproved to be successful enough for Miller to complete his vision in the bigger-budgeted sequel.Mad Maxis a great movie — as evidenced byits impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, which was matched byFuriosaearlier this year — butThe Road Warrioris even greater. UntilFury Roadcame along in 2015,The Road Warriorwas widely regarded to be the bestMad Maxfilm (and this big change is why).
The firstMad Maxfilm takes place in a dystopian near-futurewhere widespread ecocide and oil shortages have led to a breakdown in civil order. Butthere’s still a law enforcement body in operationthat’s the last line of defense against the outlaw bikers and sadistic berserkers rapidly taking over the world.Fearless Max Rockatanskyis the top bounty hunter working for the Main Force Patrol, an underfunded police force desperately trying and failing to maintain law and order as the world descends into chaos. Whereas the rest of theMad Maxsaga is post-apocalyptic,the first film is pre-apocalyptic.
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The Original Mad Max Trilogy
George Miller’s original Mad Max trilogy contains some of the greatest action in movie history, but there are some harsh realities of rewatching it.
Mad Max 2, on the other hand, takes Miller’s curious sci-fi universe way past the brink of annihilationto the ruins of that annihilation. The earth is a cold, unforgiving desert as far as the eye can see and the survivors have congregated in various makeshift towns and communities, constructed with scrap metal. The original movie had introduced Max’s driving motivation, the grisly tone of Miller’s filmmaking, and the frenetic pace and style of his action scenes. ButtheMad Maxuniverse wasn’t fully formed untilThe Road Warriorcame along.
As a first-time filmmaker with a really weird vision, Miller could only secure a budget of somewhere between AU$350,000 and AU$400,000 for the firstMad Maxmovie (viaVanity Fair). That was enough to cover some big action scenes, like a car chase and an explosion, but it wasn’t enough to transform his shooting locations into a barren wasteland. Against all odds, the originalMad Maxbecame a massive blockbuster.It earned over $100 million at the box office,makingMad Maxthe most profitable movie ever made. The film’s success allowed Miller a much larger budget for the sequel.
Miller could only secure a budget of somewhere between AU$350,000 and AU$400,000 for the first Mad Max movie.
According to David Stratton’s bookThe Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry,Mad Max 2was afforded a budget of AU$4.5 million, more than 10 times what the original movie cost. This allowed Miller to finally realize his vision of a gonzo post-apocalyptic wasteland full of bleak landscapes and gas-guzzling marauders. TheMad Maxuniverse as it’s known today — and as it always existed in Miller’s imagination — was born.
Most Sequels Go Bigger, But Very Few Are Better
Mad Max 2is a rare example of a sequel that’s both bigger and better than its predecessor. It’s par for the coursefor a sequel to go bigger than its predecessor, with a larger scale, higher narrative stakes, and more explosive action.The Terminatoris a low-budget tech-noir slasher;Terminator 2: Judgment Dayis a giant, action-packed blockbuster.First Bloodis an intimate small-town cat-and-mouse thriller;Rambo: First Blood Part IIis a loud, gun-toting action epic. But it’s rare that those bigger sequels are actually better than the original.
I’m Not Ready To Say Goodbye To Mad Max After Furiosa’s Box Office Failure
Furiosa’s box office failure means there probably won’t be any more Mad Max films – and that’s a tragedy, because they’re a staple of action cinema.
Usually, in expanding the scale, a sequel loses the magic that made the original so great.Mad Max 2is a rare example of a sequel that goes bigger with the spectacle, but also improves on the storytelling and characterization of its predecessor.Mad Maxis a very straightforward revenge story;The Road Warrioris more like a post-apocalyptic spaghetti westernabout a lone warrior protecting an innocent community from a nefarious gang. Along withThe Godfather Part IIandThe Empire Strikes Back,Mad Max 2is one of the greatest sequels ever made.
Source:Vanity Fair,The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Cast
The Road Warrior, aka Mad Max 2, picks up after the original 1976 film and continues following Max’s (Mel Gibson) journey through a post-apocalyptic Australia. This time, Max helps a group of locals escape bandits to protect their wealth of gasoline. George Miller again directs the Mad Max sequel and is often considered the fan-favorite of the original trilogy.
