head
COMICS   •   MOVIES   •   MUSIC   •   TELEVISION   •   GAMES   •   BOOKS
Blu-ray Review: Mad Max (Collector’s Edition)
  |  @   |  

Mad Max
Blu-ray (Collector’s Edition)
Director: George Miller
Screenwriter: George Miller, James McCausland
Cast: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward
Scream Factory
Rated R | 93 Minutes
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Directed by George Miller, 1979’s Mad Max is a dystopian Ozploitation film about Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), a Main Force Patrol officer fighting for peace on the roads of a lawless Australia.

After a major energy crisis cripples the world’s economy, law and order gives way to complete and total anarchy. The Outback is reduced to a desolate wasteland, roamed by motorcycle gangs who scavenge the lands for fuel and terrorize the few good people left. As a result, Main Force Patrol, an out-run police force, has been created to patrol the lands to uphold the remains of law and justice.

A berserk motorcycle gang member named Nightrider (Vincent Gil) kills a rookie officer and attempts to outrun the MFP in a stolen Pursuit Special. Enter Max, who engages the deranged sicko in a high-speed chase that ends in a fiery crash.

Max and the MFP are thrust into an all-out turf war with Nightrider’s gang, The Acolytes. Led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) and Bubba Zanetti (Geoff Parry), The Acolytes continue to rape and pillage the Outback, threatening the livelihood of Max’s wife (Joanne Samuel) and their infant son (Brendan Heath).

As a kid, I saw The Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome before I saw Mad Max. As a result, I associated the franchise with post-apocalyptic death machines, hockey masks, and lots of leather. I was also a huge pro wrestling fan, so I knew Hawk and Animal as The Road Warriors, but also recognized that WWF’s Demolition tag team stole their studded leather gear from Lord Humungus.

When I eventually got around to seeing the original 1979 film, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t populated with motorcycle-riding mutants or muscular freaks in sports equipment. The difference between the two films is comparable to Alien and Aliens – they’re two incredible films, in two entirely different genres, that both work on their own terms.

I have a newfound appreciation for Mad Max after watching this Scream Factory Blu-ray. This is not only one of the best Scream Factory releases to date – second only to their incredible Escape from New York release – but the definitive version of Miller’s debut motion picture.

In addition to the AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1, there are three audio options, including the original Australian version in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 mono, as well as the English (American) dub in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. There’s also some fantastic special features including Mel Gibson: The Birth Of A Superstar, Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon, and a slew of new interviews with Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, David Eggby, and more.

Scream Factory’s Mad Max (Collector’s Edition) Blu-ray is now available at Amazon. Check out the full list of bonus features, the release trailer, and movie clips and cover art below!

Bonus Features

* Contains original Australian English audio and US English dubbed audio
* NEW Interviews with Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, and David Eggby
* Audio Commentary by Jon Dowding, David Eggby, and more
* Mel Gibson: The Birth Of A Superstar
* Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon
* Theatrical trailers & TV spots
* Photo galleries

Trailer

“Explosive Crash” Clip

“Max vs. Biker Gang” Clip

Cover Art

Fun fact: there was a wrestler in the Memphis territory who called himself “Lord Humongous” and wrestled as the hockey mask-wearing villain.

Follow me on Twitter!

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

Previous Article
Next Article
«
»
You may have noticed that we're now AD FREE! Please support Geeks of Doom by using the Amazon Affiliate link above. All of our proceeds from the program go toward maintaining this site.
2023  ·   2022  ·   2021  ·   2020  ·   2019  ·   2018  ·   2017  ·   2016  ·   2015  ·   2014  ·  
2013  ·   2012  ·   2011  ·   2010  ·   2009  ·   2008  ·   2007  ·   2006  ·   2005
Geeks of Doom is proudly powered by WordPress.

Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press

Geeks of Doom is designed and maintained by our geeky webmaster
All original content copyright ©2005-2023 Geeks of Doom
All external content copyright of its respective owner, except where noted

This website is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
About | Privacy Policy | Contact