Mad Max is one of
those movies I’d heard of growing up, but never had a chance to see, as it was
before my time. Being a cult classic, and perhaps the pioneer in
post-apocalyptic themed movies, it joined my watch list. The ironic part is me
finally watching it less than an hour before hitting the theatre for the 2015 Mad Max – Fury Road release. To the
unfamiliar, Mad Max is the story of a
highway law enforcer, set in a chaotic and desolate world of the future, taking
on a ruthless biker gang.
Being a really old movie, I had set my expectations fairly
low, because I figured that with time it would have lost its charm; but boy was
I wrong. Kicking things off with no introduction, audiences are thrown right into
the action from the get go. The visual and narrative style are raw, uncut, and
downright crude like the theme and setting of the movie. The world is portrayed
as desolate, where society has fallen, governments and order have failed, and
what remains are people who have lost all moral values. As the plot unfolded,
it was interesting to observe the brand of twisted humor that was woven into
the narrative. Though not obvious, with the heavy setting of the world in a
state of decay, with carnage and gore in many of the sequences, the comic elements help balance things and
make for a good viewing experience. Worth special mention is the theatrical
sense to the acting, and the overall presentation. Thanks to the attention
given to the various elements, be it the costumes and set design, the acting
and performances, or the editing and narrative exposure, Mad Max is in every sense a classic, and a genre defining movie.
All the jagged elements are masterfully aligned, to create an ensemble
presentation, that’s well paced, and has a long lasting, forever sorta feel. And
the best part yet, is that as much as this future is tragic and decadent, it
actually feels real, and somewhat plausible. Kudos to George Miller, the
creator and director, for the artsy legacy created in Mad Max.
Characters are similarly crude with rough edges, with several
stereotypes. You can’t but laugh with an antagonist named Toecutter, but then
again, when the violence is unleashed, it gets very real, very fast. In addition to the treacherous biker gang, all the nomad villains are pretty cut
throat and scary. Mel Gibson stars as Max, the title character. He is incredibly
young, and does a decent job; his sense of inexperience and immaturity, fitting
in well, as his character slowly evolves into a more heroic one.
The DVD I was watching was an India spec DVD, but it looked
like the content hadn’t been changed in any way from other international
releases. The presentation was decent, and though the picture looked dated, it
was clear, especially in the case of skin texture. Sound was a very primitive
Dolby 1.0; the center channel was sorely missed in the case of dialog, with the
overall sound levels being really low.
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