Mad Max Minute presents: The Road Warrior (1981)

In the same year that he portrayed Scottish Hero William Wallace, Mel Gibson lent his voice to the colonial explorer John Smith in Disney’s Pocahontas. Join us, along with Julia’s family, as we watch and discuss Disney’s 33rd feature-length animated production, with music by Alan Menken. A fanciful depiction of the first contact between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers in what would one day become Jamestown, Virginia. Along for the ride are sassy animal sidekicks, landscapes that look nothing like Virginia, and more magical leaves than can be believed.

In the fight against Fascism in Europe Captain Invincible was a shining hero and beacon of freedom for all Americans to look up to. A man mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers, taking the fight to the Nazis. But in the throes of the Red Scare and McCarthy era scrutiny, Captain Invincible disappeared. Forty years pass and in the wake of the emergence of the evil Mr. Midnight, the President of the United States call for Captain Invincible to return, a call answered by a Police Detective in Sydney, who is certain that a local drunkard is just the man they need.

After going toe-to-toe with Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior, Vernon Wells is back as Bennett, the Army special forces commando who was expelled from his unit for excessive violence by his commanding officer, John Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Together with a deposed South American Dictator, Bennett is determined to ruin the man who wronged him by kidnapping his daughter, and he’s even doing it for free. It’s up to John Matrix, along with his sidekick Cindy, to track down his daughter and rescue her from her kidnappers before he runs out of time.

It’s the film that MadMaxMovies.com describes as “Mad Max 2 mixed up with Star Wars.” Metalstorm is the tale of Dogen (Jeffrey Byron), our leather-clad, fast-driving hero and his pursuit of the villainous Jared-Syn (Mike Preston) who is determined to harvest enough soul energy to dominate the wasteland. To defeat his enemy, Dogen must find a mystical crystal mask which can defend him from Jared-Syn’s evil magics, but sinister forces hunt our hero, including the villainous cyborg, Baal. If this movie sounds ridiculous, rest assured, it is.

From acclaimed German director, Werner Herzog comes the story of modernity versus antiquity and the geologist stuck between them. Bruce Spence is Lance Hackett, an employee of the Ayers Mining Company who finds his search for a uranium deposit in the Australian outback held up by a group of Aborigines who are bound by tradition to stop the company’s expansion into the area in order to preserve the land where the green ants dream. Unable to reach compromise, the two sides meet in High Court to decide if the future belongs to commerce or tradition.

Hot on the heels of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior our hiatus begins with Peter Weir’s story of two Australian sprinters in 1915 and the brutal cost of war. Mark Lee stars as Archy Hamilton, a gifted young runner, who meets up with Frank Dunne, played by Mel Gibson, and together they set out to enlist in the Australian Light Cavalry. From Australia to the training grounds in Egypt they revel in the status afforded them by military service until the day comes that they are shipped to the front lines and the realities of the First World War begin exploding around them.

It’s the return of Yuri Lowenthal and Travis Sentell, from You Are Awaited: A Mad Max Fury Road Podcast, as we open the Thunderdome and pit Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior against Mad Max: Fury Road to see how George Miller’s sophomore effort stacks up against his 2015 mega-hit. Who was the better Max? How does the Lord Humungus stand up against Immortan Joe? Does Pappagallo stand a chance against Furiosa? All this and more as we bid a fond farewell to The Road Warrior.

In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, we take a step back to examine the movie as a whole. We talk about our favorite parts, as well as discuss some elements that just didn’t work for us. We also talk about how The Road Warrior fits into the circular storytelling road map of the hero's journey and we try to come to a consensus over whether Max has a character arc.

With one final departing look at Max, the movie fades to black and the end credits begin. With the conclusion of this chapter in Max’s story let us take a step back and examine how the end chase would have been different if the film had more closely followed the original screenplay. With added instances of fighting, details that clarify questions from watching the movie, and a twist that upsets the entire structure of the horde, the screenplay is a must read.

The Gyro Captain finds Max and the two share a moment before they bring the Feral Child to the rendezvous point to meet up with the other compound dwellers. While the Gyro Captain and the Feral Child choose to travel with the convoy to the coast, Max refuses and chooses to stay behind in the wasteland, drifting into legend. The narrator’s voice returns to share the success of the convoy and how they found new leadership in their new home.