My First Time… Watching ‘Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior’

Up until today, I had never seen any of the Mad Max films. I had never seen the first Mad Max, or the second, or the infamous third. I was going to binge the entire trilogy this week — all leading up to the release of Mad Max: Fury Road this weekend — but my esteemed co-worker, Olivia Armstrong, beat me to a My First Time: Mad Max.

So, here I am, starting in the middle of the trilogy. I’m watching Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior without ever seeing the original.

Apparently, though, I didn’t miss much. A voice over and video montage gave me all the backstory I needed in the first two minutes. From there, I was strapped in for a wild ride.

Two things immediately struck me about Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. One, it’s shot like a cool art house film that just so happens to be a dystopian thrill ride. There are beautifully framed shots, tons of ambiance, and not too much dialogue. In fact, I think this could have just as easily been a silent film — which is a huge compliment to George Miller‘s directorial skills.

Look at that. That’s a gorgeous shot. The film is full of weirdly wonderful shots.

Second, I didn’t remember Mel Gibson being this hot.

Like, he’s young. He’s lanky. He’s brooding. He’s dangerous. He’s Australian. (I’m not crazy. There was a moment when Gibson shed his Aussie lilt in favor of an American accent, right?) It’s been a long time since we’ve took Mel Gibson seriously as a “movie star.” Drunken anti-Semitic rants and alleged domestic violence can take the shine off of an actor’s career. However, when you see Gibson as Mad Max, you see a guy with nothing but potential. It’s endearing. He oozes charisma and you can’t help but want to root for him.

So, what’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior about? Well, it’s about a lone wolf learning how to help a community. It’s also about a bad guy named The Humungus, his army of savages, and their quest to steal a bunch of oil from a small band of innocents. Oh, and it’s about this feral kid.

This kid’s a trip, right? He and Max bond silently over a music box piece and the kid becomes one of Max’s strongest allies. Oh, and this kid’s also killer with a boomerang.

There’s also a quirky gyroscope captain, a girl with an absurd ponytail, and the best dog I’ve seen on film this year.

That’s a great dog, right? He’s noble and handsome. He wears a bandana well. However, the best part about him is how he’s Max’s most loyal companion. He’s my favorite onscreen dog since John Wick’s dog in John Wick (and I’m sorry to say they might have similar roles to play in the story).

The last ten minutes of this film gave me one of the biggest adrenaline rushes I’ve had in a long, long time. Between the exquisite car chase choreography, George Miller’s perfectly edited action sequences, and the drama of watching a broken man drive a tractor trailer while asking a feral child to climb out of the broken window to retrieve a last bullet bouncing on the edge of the hood, I was a mess.

I saw women getting shot with arrows, men being gored with grappling hooks, and people getting lit on fire. There was a gyroscope crash and somersaulting cars. I think someone was stabbed with the sharp end of a trident?? And in the end, what was it all for? A tanker full of dirt.

That’s right. The entire final action sequence is a diversion to save the innocents.

This movie essentially knocked me back and blew my mind. If this is what George Miller could do in 1981 with a tiny budget in Australia, then I’m going to suffer a nervous breakdown when I see Mad Max: Fury Road in theaters this weekend. [Where to Stream Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjBb4SZ0F6Q]

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[Photos & Gifs: Warner Bros.]