Mad Max has lingered in the pop culture zeitgeist since George Miller introduced the vengeance-seeking post-apocalyptic warrior to movie audiences in 1979. Since then, the character has appeared in four sequels and a pair of video games and has inspired countless filmmakers with its blend of heavy metal mayhem and ponderous themes about humanity. This weekend, Miller gifted moviegoers with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the fifth of the Mad Max movies and a prequel to 2015’s Fury Road. Given the much-deserved acclaim hoisted on the Any Taylor-Joy-led chapter, the box office is the only thing keeping Miller from further expanding his Wasteland.
No, really. Furiosa is really, really good. Where does it rank among the other Mad Max movies? Read on to find out! (Ranked from worst to best.)
5) Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
For half of its running time, Thunderdome delivers the goods. Max Rockatansky arrives in Bartertown, gets into trouble with the locals, namely Tina Turner’s ruthless Aunty Entity, and takes on a horde of leather-clad baddies gladiator style in the titular Thunderdome. It’s pure Mad Max, packed with oddly named characters—Master Blaster, Pig Killer, etc.—fascinating economics and an astonishing amount of world-building.
Unfortunately, after the tremendous first act, Thunderdome falls off a cliff. Max gets banished into the Wasteland and encounters a group of children, morphing the picture into something akin to Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. (It’s remarkable how much of Thunderdome snuck into Steven Spielberg’s Hook!) Here, Max loses his edge. While this plot point does add a few unique details to Miller’s bizarre world and the Max character overall, it lacks the grit of previous entries, watering down this dry dystopian universe into a PG-13-rated family picture. In other words, Thunderdome looks and occasionally feels like Mad Max and boasts incredible production values compared to the first two. Regardless, Miller’s softened approach knocks the threequel down a peg, marking a disappointing end to the Gibson era of Mad Max movies.
4) Mad Max (1979)
In 1979, Mad Max was a novelty, a rare concoction of intense action, outlandish characters, and a world-weary warrior seeking revenge for his family’s death. George Miller stretched his meager budget to its breaking point. He was rewarded with a colossal hit that captivated audiences, shot Gibson to stardom, and spawned a massive franchise.
Mad Max remains a fun piece of filmmaking, even if it pales compared to its propulsive sequels. The pacing is sluggish, Miller’s strange world is never fully explained or explored, and viewers must endure a meandering midsection before the revenge angle kicks in.
Yes, the chaos is glorious, a sort of zany Australian riff on Dukes of Hazzard; Gibson (in only his second role) demonstrates the magnetism that would launch him to fame and fortune. Mad Max is fun and worth a watch, but don’t expect the shine of later entries.
3) Mad Max: The Road Warrior (1981)
The Road Warrior, the peak of Gibson’s Max trilogy, finds our beleaguered hero wandering a more refined Wasteland in search of supplies. His journey leads him to an oil-filled compound guarded by a peaceful group attempting to move their supplies to another location far away from nearby gangs. As typical, Max does his best to steer clear of the situation before dutifully assuming the role of savior in the third act, a trend the character follows in later films.
With a larger budget and a firmer grasp on his post-apocalyptic landscape, Miller finally created the Mad Max picture he tried to make in 1979. The results are spectacular if not slightly dated. Road Warrior is packed with relentless violence, memorable villains, and colorful heroes, a dark tale about the lengths one is willing to go to survive. More than anything, Miller establishes a sand-infested world brimming with unusual economics and politics, where might is king and the weak are swiftly cast aside.
The Road Warrior deserves the most credit for molding the Mad Max franchise into a coherent whole. Without this visual marvel, we wouldn’t have Fury Road, Furiosa, or the numerous action pictures that mimicked its hypercharged, adrenaline-fueled mayhem. Modern viewers may balk at the weird, ass-cheek-exposing costumes, the crazed antics of the boomerang-tossing Feral Kid, or the vehicle-obsessed heroes and villains populating the world, but that’s missing the film’s overarching point. We’re not meant to question what we see, only accept the madness. This is how the world operates in the Wasteland. We are merely guests observing the mechanics of a rotting civilization. Viewers willing to venture down Miller’s outrageous highway of madness will relish a deliriously insane, classic piece of retro 80s entertainment, which is why it ranks so highly on our list of the best Mad Max movies.
2) Furiosa (2024)
We are a spoiled society. Before 2015, only three Mad Max films existed. I never imagined we’d receive another chapter in the Wasteland, much less two. A decade later, Miller gifted us two additional Mad Max pictures and two of the most incredible action films ever produced, and nobody is watching them.
As anyone not living under a rock full of cannibals already knows, Furiosa chronicles the events leading up to Fury Road, showing us how Charlize Theron’s redemption-seeking road warrior wound up at the Citadel encumbered with a quest to return home. Here, the character is played by Alyla Browne (in the first 40 or so minutes) and Any Taylor-Joy, both of whom capture Theron’s intensity without sacrificing the emotional depth that made Furiosa so compelling in Fury Road. We watch as she is taken from her home by Dr. Dementus (a terrific, scene-stealing Chris Hemsworth), who takes her to the Citadel, where she meets a young Immortan Joe and quickly rises the ranks amidst escalating tensions between the Wasteland’s motor gangs.
More ponderous than Fury Road, Furiosa is no less captivating. Miller’s fourth sequel functions as one long chase sequence, punctuated by quiet character beats accelerating the decades-long story toward its inevitable conclusion. More than any other Mad Max picture, Furiosa is coated with a thick, prevailing sense of doom. We are witnessing humanity’s last attempt at survival, the most dire state of civilization, from which there is likely no return. Even the villains are driven less by evil inclinations than by a need to do something to take their minds off hopelessness.
Dementus is the franchise’s most distinctive villain. He fully comprehends his predicament and strives only to escape the boredom of the vast, hopeless desert. He lacks emotion, purpose, and resolve, making him the perfect foil to Furiosa’s deeply entrenched optimism. The picture concludes with Dementus defending his ideologies to our world-weary heroine in an intense confrontation that figuratively shatters Furiosa’s soul, ultimately molding her actions in Fury Road.
In other words, Furiosa is the perfect prequel, effectively delving into themes and ideas that resonate more profoundly in Fury Road than before.
It’s also the ultimate Mad Max movie. In previous installments, Miller hinted at the larger world on the outskirts. Furiosa expands on this and delves into the broader Wasteland, showcasing locations like Gastown and the Bullet Farm. We witness how minor conflicts escalate into full-scale war and how choices have serious consequences. The fragile barrier keeping humanity from total destruction gradually deteriorates with every wasted bullet or gallon of gasoline.
If you can’t already tell, I loved Furiosa. It’s an astonishing film that searches for the last vestiges of light in a pitch-black world. Is it as good as Fury Road? That’s hard to say because they are entirely different pictures in style and scope. Original Cin’s Thom Ernst noted, “Furiosa is not Fury Road in the same way that Aliens is not Alien and The Godfather is not The Godfather II.” That’s an apt explanation for this astonishing prequel. Miller doesn’t try to top Fury Road’s kinetic energy but instead tries to help us better understand the Wasteland—its chaotic rules and severe limitations—so that Furiosa’s vital decision to turn left carries more emotional weight that resonates far beyond the barren landscape.
I can’t wait to see it again.
1) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
There isn’t much more I can say about Fury Road that hasn’t already been told countless times before. It’s a perfect film, beautifully directed, shot, edited, and acted, brimming with pathos and surprising emotional stakes. I daresay this is the Mad Max film Miller envisioned all along, and it’s too bad Gibson (who had aged out of the role) couldn’t come along for the ride.
In his stead is Tom Hardy, who offers layers of madness to the long-suffering character. Once again, our reluctant hero stumbles upon people needing aid and eventually assumes the road warrior role. Charlize Theron co-stars as Furiosa, a battle-hardened soldier who flees a locale known as the Citadel with a group of “breeders” hoping to bring them to the “Green Place.” The result is a two-hour chase through the Wasteland with Furiosa and Max pursued by a tyrant, Immortan Joe.
Fury Road hits the gas and never relents, delivering a relentless action extravaganza that expertly combines practical and digital effects viewed through John Seale’s unbelievable cinematography. Miller sprinkles critical character beats throughout, ensuring the stakes remain high and the action offers more than empty vehicular carnage, which is why it sits atop our list of the best Mad Max movies.
At some point, I’ll sit down and watch Furiosa and Fury Road from back to back. I’m eager to see Miller’s complete vision in one viewing and hope he’ll be able to return to the Wasteland for more adventures. I can’t get enough of this world.
