Mad Max, the precursor to the box office smash "The Road Warrior", was the birth of a brand new genre of films that took place in the "not too distant" apocalyptic future. A classic revenge story featuring Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, a badass cop desperately seeking to escape from the violent landscape of this post apocalyptic world only to be drawn back in by a sadistic gang of motorcycle riding desperadoes led by their evil leader known only as "The Toe Cutter." In all honesty there is no real depth to the storyline. Cop inadvertently angers evil gang. Gang exacts revenge on cop. Cop exacts revenge on gang. The end. But the film makes up for this lack of depth in spades by filling the screen with magnificent stunts, strange characters, and balls out, high intensity action. The film itself is very much reminiscent of a Sergio Leone western. It has a very gritty look to the film, ambiguously dramatic soundtrack, and is made up of a series of classic moments played out by truly original characters. But still, the real reason to pick up this DVD is for the stunts. The opening sequence itself is probably one of the most brilliant chase scenes I have ever seen. There are not many films that have a chase sequence that can combine such over the top action and effectively build an introduction to the main character at the same time. I was praising the geniuses at MGM for releasing this film on DVD, only because it gave me the opportunity to watch this sequence over and over again in slow motion instant replay.
A lot of DVD purchases made today are not only based on the actual film itself but what "extra features" the disc will also provide. Thankfully the Mad Max - Special Edition does not disappoint. What I didn't realize when I first saw this film on television was that every single one of the Australian actors voices were dubbed over by American actors for the North American release of the film in theatres. So for the first time you are able to watch the film with the original voice track of the Australian actors. It clearly adds a new dimension to the film when listening to the Aussie accents in the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround format. Personally I prefer watching with the original mono dubbed track, which is also an option, but the original soundtrack is definitely worth checking out. The disc has the standard original theatrical trailers, television spots, documentaries and photo galleries, which are quite common among special edition discs these days but still create an interesting inside look to the making of the film. Also included on the disc is a technical commentary by the director of photography and the stunt master, as well as a "Road Rants - Trivia & Fun Fact" track. This neat little track provides a "Pop Up Video" feel to the film. As you watch, little windows of text come up on screen indicating little things to keep your eye out for in upcoming scenes or interesting bits of trivia that pertain to certain aspects of that particular scene. It was kind of like a directors commentary without losing any of the audio from the original film. A truly inspirational idea.
I hate hearing how this movie doesn't compare to its sequel "The Road Warrior" or even "Beyond Thunderdome." Despite the lack of shine and polish this prequel has, it definitely makes up for it with gritty no-holds-barred storytelling and action. It is not to be dismissed. A nice selection of extra features in combination with a damn good movie makes this disc well worth the twenty dollars I spent on it.
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