Mad max battles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by barbaric gangs. Includes scene access trailer and more. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 01/18/2005 Starring: Mel Gibson Vernon Wells Run time: 96 minutes Rating: R Director: George Miller

A strong candidate for the designation of most thrilling action movie ever made (the turbo-charged exhilaration of its full-throttle highway chases has never been equaled), the second part of George Miller's post-apocalyptic trilogy is also a magnificently imagined movie myth. Like the Star Wars trilogy (by that other George) the Mad Max films draw their inspiration from the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell. In the 1979 original, Max (Mel Gibson) is a policeman, the last guardian of civilization and order in a devastated world reduced to chaos. But when a leather-clad gang of sadomasochistic speed demons mows down Max's family, his remaining connections to humanity are also permanently severed. After brutally exacting his revenge, Max wanders off into the wasteland alone, "a burned out shell of a man" who (to paraphrase The Searchers) is destined to wander forever between the winds. In The Road Warrior, Max rediscovers a sliver of his shattered humanity, and a spark of redemption, when he helps an embattled colony of pioneers fight off the savages who are after that most precious of all commodities: "guzzline." Max is transformed into a legendary hero, just as Mel Gibson was catapulted to international movie stardom. With its final stirring images, The Road Warrior transcends its genre (whatever that may be--science fiction? Western? action adventure?) and becomes something timeless. It's a great movie. --Jim Emerson

A strong candidate for the designation of most thrilling action movie ever made (the turbo-charged exhilaration of its full-throttle highway chases has never been equaled), the second part of George Miller's post-apocalyptic trilogy is also a magnificently imagined movie myth. Like the Star Wars trilogy (by that other George) the Mad Max films draw their inspiration from the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell. In the 1979 original, Max (Mel Gibson) is a policeman, the last guardian of civilization and order in a devastated world reduced to chaos. But when a leather-clad gang of sadomasochistic speed demons mows down Max's family, his remaining connections to humanity are also permanently severed. After brutally exacting his revenge, Max wanders off into the wasteland alone, "a burned out shell of a man" who (to paraphrase The Searchers) is destined to wander forever between the winds. In The Road Warrior, Max rediscovers a sliver of his shattered humanity, and a spark of redemption, when he helps an embattled colony of pioneers fight off the savages who are after that most precious of all commodities: "guzzline." Max is transformed into a legendary hero, just as Mel Gibson was catapulted to international movie stardom. With its final stirring images, The Road Warrior transcends its genre (whatever that may be--science fiction? Western? action adventure?) and becomes something timeless. It's a great movie. --Jim Emerson

The title says it all here folks. I've been a long time fan of this series (and by series, I mean 'Mad Max' and 'The Road Warrior', not that abortion of a movie 'Max Max beyond Thunderdome'). Anyway, this is the Australian release titled 'Mad Max 2', not 'The Road Warrior', so it has a slightly different intro, and they do refer to Mel's character as Max, not as the 'man with no name' like they did in the U.S. version.

Not a lot in the way of extras here. The picture is very grainy when viewed in hi-def. Not anything you can do about it; it was a limitation of the time since it wasn't filmed in hi-def. Still, the film looks good despite it's age and the sound is good. If you don't have it on DVD, you can certainly pick it up in that format cheaper than this was ($13).

BTW, if you haven't seen Mad Max, I'd recommend it as it schools you as to why he's mad (angry, not crazy).

This is the best that Mad Max 2 has ever looked!!! This is a great Blu Ray title!!! Great soundtrack too!!! Extras are a bit skimpy but that's fine because it's in anamorphic widescreen and is a visual treat, with truly awesome stunts,no CGI effects here,just raw stuntwork at it's best!!! A true classic!!! A+

The Road Warrior is one of those rare beasts. A sequel that surpasses the original. There are many things that make this movie great. It's a post apocalyptic western. The hero barely speaks throughout the film. The excellent chase scene in the last half hour. The brilliant stunts. The dialogue. The tension of not knowing what will happen next. And a great set of bad guys. The list goes on and on. And thankfully it transfers on to blu-ray exceptionally well. I spotted all kinds of things I'd never noticed before and I've seen this film plenty.
Really worth buying on blu-ray.

The movie itself really doesn't need much said about it, but I forgot high this title set the bar. I actually own the HD-DVD version, but this Blu-Ray version is basically identical. Considering the age of the movie, the transfer looks great. Far better production quality versus the DVD releases. There were details in the video that I had completely overlooked. Don't expect the big Lucasarts style soundtrack, but the audio quality is good enough to get the job done. A great movie with a powerful and relevant political message to share with today's generation - if for no better reason to admire what was achieved in this movie without CGI effects.

Road gangs rule the wastelands in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of civilization's finale. The most valued commodities: oil, gasoline, cars and guns. Mel Gibson stars as the now iconic Mad Max--the quiet wandering scavenger, humankind's mysterious last hero. The plot is simple: The Road Warrior must decide between escape or to stay and defend the peaceful gasoline making tribe from the tyranny of a wasteland gang.

As each action scene is skillfully 'wiped' to the next the tension builds and the dramatic quality of the theme is rooted. The question is: Can these people escape the wasteland and journey toward the rumored last haven of civilized humankind? Or will they be hunted down, raped and murdered like animals by the whim of gang rule.

Despite the gruesome action and sometimes campy dialogue, the theme of the film is complex: the right to one's own life. This is portrayed in the conflict between the producer tribe and the thieving gang; the creators vs. the destroyers; and Max walks the the middle line as an individual standing against tyranny, the defender of that right to life (his own), and of that dream of a better place. Max can't escape his past as a policeman, as a arbiter of justice, but can he escape the gang's brutality and live to scavenge another day?

Through Max we identify with the fight against tyranny in defense of a future for humanity, and as we do, a new hero mystique is born: that of the brooding and cunning last remnant of humankind's ideals. Also, a warning rises to the surface of this film; a warning about gang rule and human corruption and where that may lead us.