RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

robertandrews-44556 Well....the first Mad Max film. Watching this film nowadays is still a delight and it remains as entertaining and violent as when it did when it was released in 1979. I wasn't born when it first came out, and like many others, I only became aware of it after seeing the sequel, The Road Warrior. When I was little, I was forbidden to rent this movie from the video store, as my parents told me it was much too violent and would give me nightmares. Its silly now of course, but at the time, you could see this was a pretty violent film. The plot is simple. In future Australia, a small group of leather-clad police officers are the only law standing after Earth's downfall. They appear to be somewhat competent and on top of things until they make enemies with a violent biker gang led by the frightening psychotic Toecutter. Max is one of these police ifficers, and when Toecutter and his gang kill his best friend, wife, and child, Max sets out in his souped up V8 Interceptor to give the bikers a taste of their own medicine. The original Mad Max is a very simple and cheap film and is WAY different than its three sequels. This movie is almost very similar to other revenge films of the 70's, such as Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave. In fact, the biker villains in this film are very much like the villains in Last House on the Left in their psychotic mannerisms and Toecutter reminds me awfully of Krug Stillo. Also, the villains in both movies have the tables turned on them in the name of revenge. Thus, the bad guys in this film are somewhat more realistic than the villains in the sequels.As mentioned, the film is cheap but that is also what gives it its charm. You could definitely see that Mel Gibson was going to go on to become a star. This is still my favorite Mad Max movie and i always love watching it at leadt five times a year. 10/10

gab-14712 Mad Max is a film that spawned a new genre of post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies and the career of Mel Gibson. This movie also gave birth to three sequels and a variety of spinoffs. Its been years since I first learned of this franchise, but it took me awhile to actually get around into seeing these movies. I have now seen this movie twice. The first time, I did not really like the film. While still an imperfect film, I appreciated the film much more. The story isn't spectacular-it's a just a road trip action/thriller with Mel Gibson killing all the bad guys who get in his way, but the characters are what make this movie work.So Mel Gibson plays a man named Max, a cop in the wastelands of post-apocalyptic Australia. To say Max is a savage cop to those who undermine him is like saying I only merely like watching movies. This man is ruthless when it comes to his career, but what makes Max a bigger character is the other side of himself. He is a happy family man with a loving life and child and they mean the world to him. But his world crashes down on him when a family tragedy occurs thanks to the work of a vicious motorcycle gang led by a dude named "The Toecutter" (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Then the story turns into a revenge movie and a rather good one at that.This movie starred Mel Gibson before he was a well-known movie superstar. This was only a small Aussie film and at the time, Gibson was only known in his Australian continent and then just barely as he was new to acting. But you can see why he blossomed into such a lovable (for a time) movie star. He added the emotional gravitas that his character needed. Gibson made Max his own and he really kicked ass when it came down to it.One thing you have to understand about the movie is how utterly violent it can be. You wouldn't expect this much violence to be in a 1980 film, but give credit to George Miller because he did not hold anything back. From the opening chase sequence to witnessing the harsh actions of The Toecutter and his gang, it can be hard to watch. But the action is built for high-octane action, raw power, and insane speed. That is really all we want in a film like this.My biggest issue with the film is how outdated it can get. This film was released in 1979 overseas and 1980 here in the States, so it's an older film obviously. But sometimes I was jolted away from the film thanks to the old-fashioned costuming and hairstyles. The cinematography is fine for when it came out, but it really does not hold up too well and it can be distracting when there are not any high-speed chases going on.I thought Mad Max was a thoroughly fun film. I viewed the film as an experiment and it works very well in that regard. After all, it came out with three sequels and dozens of similar sci-fi films. Even though the film is filled to the brim with brutal violence and crazy action scenes, it really works because of the emotional themes at its core about family. That really made Max the hero worth watching. It's not perfect, but it's good enough for the low-budget unknown film it was at first.My Grade: B

Tweekums Set in a not too distant future where law and order is breaking down and murderous biker gangs roam the roads of rural Australia in the search for thrills and fuel. Standing against them are the men of the Main Patrol Force. After 'Mad' Max Rockansky chases a gang member until he has a fatal crash the MPF find themselves targeted by the gang; they leave his partner, and best friend, horrifically burned and Max decides he has had enough. He heads off with his wife and child but their troubles are far from over; they run into the gang again with tragic consequences. With nothing left to lose Max hunts down the gang.The fact that this was a low budget film is pretty obvious although it works well with what it has. The motorcycle gang is suitably unpleasant although at times they play up their 'madness' just a bit too much. Mel Gibson does a solid job in the role that launched him as a major Hollywood action star and the rest of the cast are decent enough. No one will be too surprised at the general ways it ends but Max's final confrontation with one of the gang is one of the most memorable in any film and has been copied more than once. There is a degree of nastiness of course; the gang are cruel and the way Max treats that gang member is fairly sadistic… even if few viewers will have any sympathy for him. Overall a solid revenge movie; just don't expect the large scale of the big budget sequels.

slightlymad22 It is easy to forget, not that long ago Gibson was one of the kings of Hollywood.  He was so loved that even if he made a poor movie, his hoards of fans always came out in force, and it wouldn't flop. Then came the meltdowns. His fans and seemingly most of his friends deserted him (a few publicly said positive things about him) Hollywood blackballed him, and his career was seemingly over as many casual movie fans can't look at the man anymore without seeing a totally vile, despicable human being. Yet somehow, he could be looking an Oscar nomination for best director soon. So I thought I would look back at Mel Gibson's roller-coaster career. Starting with Mad Max Plot In A Paragraph: As society crumbles around him, a vengeful police officer (Gibson) attempts to stop a vicious motorcycle gang.I outright do not like this movie, I love the final scene, and the preceding 20 minutes are OK, but getting there is not worth the effort. Watching this now, I never would have believed Gibson would grow old in the business.