Thirty years after the original Mad Max films — Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) — George Miller wowed critics and Academy voters with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The dystopian post-apocalyptic action spectacle won six Oscars, and has earned a spot on countless best of lists for 2015, the decade, and even the century. It stands to reason, then, that many eagerly await the next installment in the franchise: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The prequel film, which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival tomorrow and hits theaters May 23rd, recounts the traumatic past of Fury Road’s most beloved character.

On this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Greg, and I try to pass the time as we impatiently wait for Furiosa by looking back at the entire franchise to date. We recall our initial reactions to all the films (some made as recently as this past weekend!), try to trace common themes and elements across them, and rank them all based on personal preference. We eventually focus in on Fury Road and try to determine what made it so exceptional. Along the way, P.T. shares fascinating behind-the-scenes stories that re-contextualize a lot of what we notice in Miller’s work. The episode concludes with our discussion of early reviews of Furiosa as well as our speculation for it and the summer box office more broadly. Rev your engines and buckle up for another deep dive of an episode!

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Image Credit: Variety, LA Times, and IMDb

The Mad Max Franchise We each share how we have engaged with the franchise and what our reactions to the different films are. What appeals to us about this franchise? What common themes or elements can we trace across all the films? 4:58

To what extent has the role of women and feminism in these films evolved? 29:59

What context about the production or George Miller’s history can help us understand the franchise better? (There’s more of this throughout the rest of the episode as well.) How are we supposed to think about the original trilogy in relation to Fury Road? 41:46

P.T. asks Jen to guess what happens at the end of Beyond Thunderdome. 54:45

We very quickly rank all four films. 1:14:40

Oscars Watch Why did Fury Road win so many Oscars? Why is it so exceptional? 1:18:01

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Preview How do we think Furiosa will compare to Fury Road? What have early reviews of the film been saying? And what does the success of this film mean for the summer box office? 1:29:50

Show Notes:

The Kyle Buchanan piece from The New York Times that P.T. referred to during the episode.

And here are pieces on early reviews of Furiosa: Screen Rant on Hideo Kojima, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety.

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

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