Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

The tremendous worldwide success of the second Mad Max unleashed a flood of mostly second-rate copies that ruled video rental shops in the 1980s. Director and screenwriter George Miller responded with an unexpected move. Instead of appealing directly to viewers craving a repeat of the previous film, he conceived the third instalment in the series as an absolutely different variation on the post-apocalyptic myth. The still largely unappreciated but all the more fascinating Beyond Thunderdome stands out in the context of the whole saga due to its distinctive and inspiring eccentricity, which combines a post-apocalyptic setting with both extinct (western, noir) and popular genres of the time (children’s adventure stories in the style of Amblin). As in the second film, this time Max is a legendary figure in the myths of post-apocalyptic society. As such, he rather becomes a guide to this bizarre new world, where two women stand against each other, carrying on their shoulders the seeds of two new but fundamentally different civilisations. (Annotation for the series marathon at Kino Aero, 2019) (03/14/2021)

A big budget made a big film this time. The post-apocalyptic world is amazing. Not only the magnificent set design, but the overall feeling of the film is at the best possible level. Although Tina Turner is as good an actress as she is a singer (take that as you will) and the terribly politically correct themes such as the rescue of young children dampen the benevolence of viewers who loved the previous two films, there's nothing to do other than to enjoy every last grain of sand from the Nothing, a gripping spectacle that for once doesn't rely on cars (only to impress you with the breathtaking chase at the end) and also deals a little with the world around it. Mel Gibson successfully rivals a diamond in terms of overall toughness and I believe everything that he does. I can also safely say that underneath the Thunderdome clearly resides the best film in the franchise! (08/27/2006)

This is certainly the weakest episode in the Mad Max series. It lacks the amazing car chases and the story is rather fragmentary. But still, the beginning when Max arrives in Bartertown is pretty well done and the final action sequence with the train is also quite impressive. And at the end, we get to take a look at Sydney. Slightly above mediocre. (07/03/2006)

The worst for last, but fortunately it's not all that bad. When we arrive in Bartertown and the great fight in the titular Cathedral, everything is still fine, but as the kids arrive, the film starts to turn into a kind of adventure spectacle for the whole family, which is bad, bad, bad. Well, these are the tastes of American viewers. At least we get to enjoy the action scene with the "locomotive" at the end, although it's spoiled a bit by the kids again, and the great looking vehicles (especially Auntie's turbine-powered one and the one covered in cowhide). Maurice Jarre's music is also more than good. So three and a half crazy stars. (05/29/2015)

As much as I was impressed by the second installment, the third one was underwhelming, and it wasn’t Tina Turner's fault. Too many kids and shamefully little action and suspense. The Road Warrior certainly deserved a much better follow-up. (06/24/2016)