Mad Max 2 (1981)
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Mad Max 2 Movie Review
Mad Max 2 is a 1981 science fiction action film directed by George Miller and starring Mel Gibson. It’s a solid, though not great sequel.
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“I’m just here for the gasoline“
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A former police officer is now a lone wanderer. He lives to survive and is none too pleased when he finds himself the only hope of a small group of honest people running a remote oil refinery. The movie mostly consists of action with the SF elements only being in the background, and that bothered me as I expected more of those, being a sci-fi fan myself.
But I did love the post-apocalyptic setting, the crazy BDSM, strangely homoerotic costumes for the villains and the over-the-top, fun action is great. The action is actually stupendously executed here, it’s just that it’s overwhelming and never-ending.
Mad Max 2 benefits from an increased budget hugely. That is evident from the first moment onward. The effects are better, the chases are greater and the action is simply grander in scope and better executed overall. It’s clear that George Miller got more freedom to do what he wanted with this film, but it did lead to a slight disconnect from the first movie.
I found the first movie’s pulpy, 70s exploitation vibes missing here, and its slower scenes were also sorely missed along with the romance. So that’s why I would deem the two not too far off from each other in terms of quality, which is where I diverge from many who find this one to be an immense improvement upon the original.
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Mel Gibson is excellent once again. He was simply an action star during this period, and it’s a shame that he did not get more such movies in the future. His character is less developed this time around, but more badass of course. I loved the villains how over-the-top and crazy they are, and I found the production design, the many details in costuming and the utilization of the beautiful Australian landscapes all superb. I just wish it was less frenetic and that it had any plot to it.
Mad Max 2 is not that much better than its predecessor. It clearly benefited from a much bigger budget, leading to a more epic scale and much greater technical aspects, but it also has fewer smaller scenes, and it lacks any semblance of plot to it as it consists of endless, frenetic action. That action, though, is superbly executed and mostly a lot of fun, the villains are excellent and the costumes and landscapes are both terrific.
