'Thunderdome' was two different script proposals merged into one. The tribe of children was a non-Mad Max project. It was a disappointing, though well made technically follow-up that also suffered from a lower age certificate....and replacing composer May with Jarre (who was less quirkily effective).
I did find it a disappointment after Road Warrior which remains my favoured movie in the franchise. Still liked Gibson's take on the character - he is and remains the embodiment for me. Thought Tina Turner OK as stunt casting goes. And the action sequences and imagination invested in it helped raise it above the ordinary a few notches. Still a bit of a let down. T.
@@tonybush555Thunderdome lacked story momentum unfortunately. Gibson is irreplaceable in the role for many reasons. His ability with humour and skill with physicality both helped to keep the character human, despite the layers of emotional armour Max developed.
I agree with you Tony. Being a fan of the Mad Max films, I did go to see this at the cinema. I liked bits of the film but it felt like an empty shell and was way too long. It certainly was not an actors film despite Chris Hemsworth doing his best to fill in the gaps. Furiosa's back story could have been fitted into a twenty minute animated extra feature on a 'Fury Road' special edition. I feel George Miller seriously overestimated the public's enthusiasm for the character and this bloated effort has probably jinxed any future Mad Max projects.
A Mad Max film without the heroic, white, male hero in it ? What a shocker ! Like you Tony, I love movies but haven´t been to the cinema in 10 years. Can´t see that changing anytime soon.
Would come as no surprise to me if the next Bond movie doesn't have James Bond in it. I have a nightmare scenario spinning in my head whereby Lashana Lynch is sent on a mission to retrieve some of the atoms of what Bond was blown into at the close of No Time To Die with an aim of cloning him as an alphabet jockey amalgamation of pure genetic wokery for the next incarnation. My vision of what this looks like I don't have the words to describe - you'll have to imagine it for yourself. It is my long term plan to never visit a movie theatre again to see a new film. "New" being a term I use loosely as there are only prequels, sequels, reimaginings and reboots being made. Avoidance will work for me. It has to. Thanks for commenting, Moose. T.
@tonybush555 you've nailed it Tony with Bond. As a lifelong fan and who once was engaged to a Bond girl (ok, she was in the credits) I hated the last film. I pretty much hated soy-latte Craig's tenure to be honest. All the reasons we loved Bond have been sucked out little by little cos they don't fit the agenda. With modern films, nothing would surprise me anymore as it's obvious there is a deliberate effort to alienate fanbases and depress everyone....
@@moose6509 People vote with their feet, therefore, my advice: run away. The theory that if people are only given crap to eat they'll have to eat crap doesn't hold true when there's a refrigerated warehouse of accessible fine-dining for all. In this case, look to the past for entertainment. Works for me. T.
@@tonybush555I’m sorry but that whole scenario sounds like a bunch of nonsense. Judging from whatever information we know, the next Bond film is going to take place in a different timeline as the Craig films are in its own canon outside the classic Bond era. Also we still get ton of films and Tv shows with “strong white male leads”
@@Elementa2006 What are they? I can think of Reacher and Slow Horses. Some Cruise flicks (not a big fan, personally). If there's a ton of them, let me know which ones you'd recommend and I'll check them out when I can. I'm not all that clued in on the newer stuff. Which scenario were you referring to? The nightmare over exaggerated fantasy one I made up on the spot for the first reply? Yeah, mostly mindless nonsense. Elements of it, though? Well, who knows? Have to wait and see. T.
"The concept is wafer thin...Less than halfway in, I was bored shitless with it." Sadly I felt the same way about Fury Road. Huge fan of the original trilogy (about 2.5 of the films anyway), love pulpy Ozzie films in general and Miller's batshit, low budget, grubby and melancholic post-apocalypse world set the standard for that kind of film. Fury Road dispensed with all the dog food eating, ammo scrounging bleakness of the original films and replaced it with some madcap ADHD, guns-aplenty, beautiful people, fucking perfume advert of a film. I can see why people liked it and a Mad Max film in the vein of the original ones simply wouldn't have made box office returns, but it wasn't for me. I just found it noisy and a bit boring. So yeah, I wasn't actively tracking down Furiosa and this (not a) review has further nailed it in a 'maybe if it's on telly and Columbo's not on' coffin.
My enjoyment of Fury Road was in part fuelled (ahem!) by my expectations being very low - you know, when something strikes you as better than you imagined it was going to be. Yes, in comparison to the first two entries it's nowhere near that gloriously punishing high-octane thoroughly deglamourised souped-up grindhouse level of rampaging genius. But as a "modern" release, I was able to cut it some slack. I don't know about a Mad Max flick in the vein of the earlier ones not being a financial success, considering the sanitised Furiosa version of the Mad Max universe stumbled badly at the box office. Maybe, if the tide were to turn, it could be just the sort of thing that does punch through to audiences. Thank you for commenting, John. T.
The original Mad Max was a gritty, well paced/delivered B late 70's aussie-exploitation flick. The Road Warrior was a masterpiece. It reshaped post-apocalyptic films and influenced culture in a way that even Jason Voorhees borrowed Lord Humungus' mask back in 1983. Thunderdome deserves a second glance... I hated the movie back then (almost 40 yrs ago) but now I dare say it's a damn solid PA action-drama - perhaps even better than Fury Road. I don't know, somehow Fury Road and Furiosa made me fell like watching a bunch of delirious Ken Russell movies over the weekend (The Devils, Tommy, Altered States, Gothic, and Lair of the White Worm all at once). They're just beautiful opera like DMT trips that fade away after the credits roll. Not a real Mad Max saga.
I need to review some Ken Russell. Most of his output is on my list, it's just a matter of finding the will and getting the timing right. Still waiting for the Blu Ray director's cut of The Devils which Warners continue to refuse to release. It's just sitting there. Mark Kermode has been petitioning them for years, in fairness to him. All this time has passed and they're still fearful of the thought of stirring up controversy. Anyway, thanks for commenting, Ricardo. T.
Must admit started watching this movie with real dread after your scathing review. And was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. If it has issues it the excessive running time and thin characters. But to be fair to George miller he tended to deal in archetypes in the first three MM movies. Another issue which really struck me though was Hemsworths name front and centre as is millers. So the good old feminist bandwagon cannot exist without a hand from the fellas
Well, sincerely, Graeme, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm sure you're not alone in that. Just wasn't for me. Wish it had been. Many thanks for commenting. T.
I thought a prequel about Furiosa’s youth would take us back to the world of the original Mad Max, where the world had not yet degenerated into the apocalyptic wastelands of Road Warrior…et al, since the character seemed about the same age as Max in Fury Road. But I guess hoping for an exciting and quick-paced 100 minute actioner with practical effects circa 1980 was hoping too much.
Ah, now, I see the problem with your thinking there, chanceotter8121. You're applying creative logic and reasoning, some consideration of a meaningful trajectory with narrative judgement and relevance in the context of the franchise as a coherent entity. Such an approach couldn't possibly fly in the Hollywood of today. Although I appreciate your effort. T.
@@chanceotter8121 It's a weird creative and marketing strategy. Take a well established franchise/character (Bond/Dr Who/Mad Max/Star Wars) and recreate it in such a way you know full well the core fanbase/audience won't like and will be alienated by and run for the hills. Lose money. Rinse and repeat. It's a puzzler, and no mistake. An industry built on fiscal greed favouring manufactured ideology over income. If there's method to the madness I'm missing it so far. T. PS: Almost forgot. The other thing that's become standard operating practice is to gaslight the fans, blame them when stuff fails, act like it's their fault for not liking it, nothing to do with the quality of the dire garbage they've made. How does that work?
Nice one Tony, Cheers. I confess to not been keen on the idea of a Mad Max Film, without Mad Max. And Furiosa without Furiosa was a stretch too far. With mediocre effects and a dull story, it was as much fun as waking up on Christmas morning to discover that one's main gift that year was Mumps. Thank you for your honest summary. Until such time as Hollywood invents something akin to the MMR jab for modern Films, we are going to see more of this sh*te no doubt. We have survived all the Superhero crap, I am sure we will get through the current drought just in time for the next stack of horsesh*t to be foisted upon us. And executives wonder why cinema is dying on its arse. Go figure.
As these days Hollywood seems to exalt and revel in artistic and financial failure, I envisage a sequel and/or a Disney+ streaming show soon. Cheers, Tom. T.
surprisingly I've never seen any of the Mad Max films despite owning the original on VHS, others in the anti-woke sphere can't seem to decide whether this is woke or not, to be honest, it looks woke as hell to me just from the promotions alone, I wholeheartedly trust your judgement however so when I do eventually go through the Mad Max films, I'll be skipping this one, thanks for helping me avoid another cinematic aberration T, as you say, much appreciated :)
I'm sure a lot of people did, Wayne, and I have no beef with that - people like what they like. Hemsworth felt to me like an impression of eccentric off-the-wall villainy, a cookie-cutter Joker or Lecter composited from established ticks and traits rather than something organic or original. I might be nit-picking, as he was in fact the character I enjoyed the most in the film. To the point where I thought it would be a nice twist if he won in the end. Which doesn't say much for the character's I'm supposed to be rooting for. Thanks as always for commenting. T.
@@tonybush555 Well he based the accent of his grandfather`s. Most Aussies aren`t that bogan anymore sadly. And i think he`s over the top because it`s a Mad Max movie
a little off topic but how do you feel about The Wild Angels (1966) ? it's regarded as an exploitation cult classic but when I finally sat down and watched it on TCM at 4 A.M. no hyperbole Tony I got so angry, I became delirious, it was a hideously boring experience wrapped up in a contradictory moral that made absolutely no sense, the film seriously wants you to sympathize and root for a racist nazi biker gang that kills, rapes and trashes the place under the guise of "we wanna be free to do what we wanna do" I'm all for freedom and self expression mind you but this film's practically advocating for a bunch of low life thugs to destroy everything just because they want "freedom" that's what transcended this from a mere dull forgettable biker exploitation film to a barely watchable pile of shit, I have no hatred for Corman but it's pretty clear he had no passion invested in this project and it was likely nothing but a nuanceless cash-in, on the off chance that you haven't seen it, please avoid it, there is nothing of substance to be found, it isn't even watchable on a "gritty exploitation film fun" level
I have seen it, Streed, on a double bill with Hell's Angels On Wheels way back in the early seventies. That one had Adam Roarke and Jack Nicholson in it, and was for my money the better film. The most impressive thing about The Wild Angels was the cast list of future stars. I tend to agree with you insofar as it was an underwhelming article with a dodgy social message that uncredited scriptwriter Peter Bogdanovich seemingly felt would be provocative, anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment and resonant with the youth culture of the time. It became an almost instant cult item and has remained so, it's reputation as such outstripping it's actual qualitative worth. For that reason it's still a milestone in exploitation cinema, but not something I personally enjoy or return to. Cheers, mate. T.
@@tonybush555 ouch.. I can't believe you saw two boring biker films at the same time, I'm sorry you had to go through that man, although I dislike The Wild Angels (1966) a lot more than Hells Angels On Wheels (1967) which is something I never thought I'd be saying considering how dull and lifeless Hells Angels was, tragic part is I love biker films but they're such a 50/50 gamble, sometimes you get violent, graphic glory like Wild Riders (1971) and other times you get hideous unwatchable junk like Savages From Hell (1968) I consider that the number one worst biker exploitation film I've ever seen, anyways thanks for the reply T, well wishes✌
'Thunderdome' was two different script proposals merged into one. The tribe of children was a non-Mad Max project. It was a disappointing, though well made technically follow-up that also suffered from a lower age certificate....and replacing composer May with Jarre (who was less quirkily effective).
I did find it a disappointment after Road Warrior which remains my favoured movie in the franchise. Still liked Gibson's take on the character - he is and remains the embodiment for me. Thought Tina Turner OK as stunt casting goes. And the action sequences and imagination invested in it helped raise it above the ordinary a few notches. Still a bit of a let down. T.
@@tonybush555Thunderdome lacked story momentum unfortunately. Gibson is irreplaceable in the role for many reasons. His ability with humour and skill with physicality both helped to keep the character human, despite the layers of emotional armour Max developed.
I agree with you Tony. Being a fan of the Mad Max films, I did go to see this at the cinema. I liked bits of the film but it felt like an empty shell and was way too long. It certainly was not an actors film despite Chris Hemsworth doing his best to fill in the gaps. Furiosa's back story could have been fitted into a twenty minute animated extra feature on a 'Fury Road' special edition. I feel George Miller seriously overestimated the public's enthusiasm for the character and this bloated effort has probably jinxed any future Mad Max projects.
I kind of hope it hasn't, backrowbrighton, but I think Miller's involvement is probably at an end.
A Mad Max film without the heroic, white, male hero in it ? What a shocker ! Like you Tony, I love movies but haven´t been to the cinema in 10 years. Can´t see that changing anytime soon.
Would come as no surprise to me if the next Bond movie doesn't have James Bond in it. I have a nightmare scenario spinning in my head whereby Lashana Lynch is sent on a mission to retrieve some of the atoms of what Bond was blown into at the close of No Time To Die with an aim of cloning him as an alphabet jockey amalgamation of pure genetic wokery for the next incarnation. My vision of what this looks like I don't have the words to describe - you'll have to imagine it for yourself. It is my long term plan to never visit a movie theatre again to see a new film. "New" being a term I use loosely as there are only prequels, sequels, reimaginings and reboots being made. Avoidance will work for me. It has to. Thanks for commenting, Moose. T.
@tonybush555 you've nailed it Tony with Bond. As a lifelong fan and who once was engaged to a Bond girl (ok, she was in the credits)
I hated the last film. I pretty much hated soy-latte Craig's tenure to be honest. All the reasons we loved Bond have been sucked out little by little cos they don't fit the agenda. With modern films, nothing would surprise me anymore as it's obvious there is a deliberate effort to alienate fanbases and depress everyone....
@@moose6509 People vote with their feet, therefore, my advice: run away. The theory that if people are only given crap to eat they'll have to eat crap doesn't hold true when there's a refrigerated warehouse of accessible fine-dining for all. In this case, look to the past for entertainment. Works for me. T.
@@tonybush555I’m sorry but that whole scenario sounds like a bunch of nonsense. Judging from whatever information we know, the next Bond film is going to take place in a different timeline as the Craig films are in its own canon outside the classic Bond era.
Also we still get ton of films and Tv shows with “strong white male leads”
@@Elementa2006 What are they? I can think of Reacher and Slow Horses. Some Cruise flicks (not a big fan, personally). If there's a ton of them, let me know which ones you'd recommend and I'll check them out when I can. I'm not all that clued in on the newer stuff. Which scenario were you referring to? The nightmare over exaggerated fantasy one I made up on the spot for the first reply? Yeah, mostly mindless nonsense. Elements of it, though? Well, who knows? Have to wait and see. T.
"The concept is wafer thin...Less than halfway in, I was bored shitless with it." Sadly I felt the same way about Fury Road. Huge fan of the original trilogy (about 2.5 of the films anyway), love pulpy Ozzie films in general and Miller's batshit, low budget, grubby and melancholic post-apocalypse world set the standard for that kind of film. Fury Road dispensed with all the dog food eating, ammo scrounging bleakness of the original films and replaced it with some madcap ADHD, guns-aplenty, beautiful people, fucking perfume advert of a film. I can see why people liked it and a Mad Max film in the vein of the original ones simply wouldn't have made box office returns, but it wasn't for me. I just found it noisy and a bit boring.
So yeah, I wasn't actively tracking down Furiosa and this (not a) review has further nailed it in a 'maybe if it's on telly and Columbo's not on' coffin.
My enjoyment of Fury Road was in part fuelled (ahem!) by my expectations being very low - you know, when something strikes you as better than you imagined it was going to be. Yes, in comparison to the first two entries it's nowhere near that gloriously punishing high-octane thoroughly deglamourised souped-up grindhouse level of rampaging genius. But as a "modern" release, I was able to cut it some slack. I don't know about a Mad Max flick in the vein of the earlier ones not being a financial success, considering the sanitised Furiosa version of the Mad Max universe stumbled badly at the box office. Maybe, if the tide were to turn, it could be just the sort of thing that does punch through to audiences. Thank you for commenting, John. T.
The original Mad Max was a gritty, well paced/delivered B late 70's aussie-exploitation flick. The Road Warrior was a masterpiece. It reshaped post-apocalyptic films and influenced culture in a way that even Jason Voorhees borrowed Lord Humungus' mask back in 1983. Thunderdome deserves a second glance... I hated the movie back then (almost 40 yrs ago) but now I dare say it's a damn solid PA action-drama - perhaps even better than Fury Road. I don't know, somehow Fury Road and Furiosa made me fell like watching a bunch of delirious Ken Russell movies over the weekend (The Devils, Tommy, Altered States, Gothic, and Lair of the White Worm all at once). They're just beautiful opera like DMT trips that fade away after the credits roll. Not a real Mad Max saga.
I need to review some Ken Russell. Most of his output is on my list, it's just a matter of finding the will and getting the timing right. Still waiting for the Blu Ray director's cut of The Devils which Warners continue to refuse to release. It's just sitting there. Mark Kermode has been petitioning them for years, in fairness to him. All this time has passed and they're still fearful of the thought of stirring up controversy. Anyway, thanks for commenting, Ricardo. T.
Must admit started watching this movie with real dread after your scathing review. And was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. If it has issues it the excessive running time and thin characters. But to be fair to George miller he tended to deal in archetypes in the first three MM movies. Another issue which really struck me though was Hemsworths name front and centre as is millers. So the good old feminist bandwagon cannot exist without a hand from the fellas
Well, sincerely, Graeme, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm sure you're not alone in that. Just wasn't for me. Wish it had been. Many thanks for commenting. T.
@tonybush555 thanks for reply. Keep safe
I thought a prequel about Furiosa’s youth would take us back to the world of the original Mad Max, where the world had not yet degenerated into the apocalyptic wastelands of Road Warrior…et al, since the character seemed about the same age as Max in Fury Road. But I guess hoping for an exciting and quick-paced 100 minute actioner with practical effects circa 1980 was hoping too much.
Ah, now, I see the problem with your thinking there, chanceotter8121. You're applying creative logic and reasoning, some consideration of a meaningful trajectory with narrative judgement and relevance in the context of the franchise as a coherent entity. Such an approach couldn't possibly fly in the Hollywood of today. Although I appreciate your effort. T.
@@tonybush555 you’re right. What was I thinking? I thought it might have been made with fans of 40 years in mind. 🥸
@@chanceotter8121 It's a weird creative and marketing strategy. Take a well established franchise/character (Bond/Dr Who/Mad Max/Star Wars) and recreate it in such a way you know full well the core fanbase/audience won't like and will be alienated by and run for the hills. Lose money. Rinse and repeat. It's a puzzler, and no mistake. An industry built on fiscal greed favouring manufactured ideology over income. If there's method to the madness I'm missing it so far. T. PS: Almost forgot. The other thing that's become standard operating practice is to gaslight the fans, blame them when stuff fails, act like it's their fault for not liking it, nothing to do with the quality of the dire garbage they've made. How does that work?
Remember all those things you hoped they wouldn’t do when they bring back Mad Max?Well I have no doubt that all these will be done.
You and me both. T.
Nice one Tony, Cheers. I confess to not been keen on the idea of a Mad Max Film, without Mad Max. And Furiosa without Furiosa was a stretch too far. With mediocre effects and a dull story, it was as much fun as waking up on Christmas morning to discover that one's main gift that year was Mumps.
Thank you for your honest summary. Until such time as Hollywood invents something akin to the MMR jab for modern Films, we are going to see more of this sh*te no doubt.
We have survived all the Superhero crap, I am sure we will get through the current drought just in time for the next stack of horsesh*t to be foisted upon us.
And executives wonder why cinema is dying on its arse. Go figure.
As these days Hollywood seems to exalt and revel in artistic and financial failure, I envisage a sequel and/or a Disney+ streaming show soon. Cheers, Tom. T.
surprisingly I've never seen any of the Mad Max films despite owning the original on VHS, others in the anti-woke sphere can't seem to decide whether this is woke or not, to be honest, it looks woke as hell to me just from the promotions alone, I wholeheartedly trust your judgement however so when I do eventually go through the Mad Max films, I'll be skipping this one, thanks for helping me avoid another cinematic aberration T, as you say, much appreciated :)
👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌
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I liked it. At least Chris Thor Hemsworth played a Aussie in it
I'm sure a lot of people did, Wayne, and I have no beef with that - people like what they like. Hemsworth felt to me like an impression of eccentric off-the-wall villainy, a cookie-cutter Joker or Lecter composited from established ticks and traits rather than something organic or original. I might be nit-picking, as he was in fact the character I enjoyed the most in the film. To the point where I thought it would be a nice twist if he won in the end. Which doesn't say much for the character's I'm supposed to be rooting for. Thanks as always for commenting. T.
@@tonybush555 Well he based the accent of his grandfather`s. Most Aussies aren`t that bogan anymore sadly. And i think he`s over the top because it`s a Mad Max movie
Incorrect
How so? Feel free to elucidate, expand. We're all friends here.
a little off topic but how do you feel about The Wild Angels (1966) ? it's regarded as an exploitation cult classic but when I finally sat down and watched it on TCM at 4 A.M. no hyperbole Tony I got so angry, I became delirious, it was a hideously boring experience wrapped up in a contradictory moral that made absolutely no sense, the film seriously wants you to sympathize and root for a racist nazi biker gang that kills, rapes and trashes the place under the guise of "we wanna be free to do what we wanna do" I'm all for freedom and self expression mind you but this film's practically advocating for a bunch of low life thugs to destroy everything just because they want "freedom" that's what transcended this from a mere dull forgettable biker exploitation film to a barely watchable pile of shit, I have no hatred for Corman but it's pretty clear he had no passion invested in this project and it was likely nothing but a nuanceless cash-in, on the off chance that you haven't seen it, please avoid it, there is nothing of substance to be found, it isn't even watchable on a "gritty exploitation film fun" level
I have seen it, Streed, on a double bill with Hell's Angels On Wheels way back in the early seventies. That one had Adam Roarke and Jack Nicholson in it, and was for my money the better film. The most impressive thing about The Wild Angels was the cast list of future stars. I tend to agree with you insofar as it was an underwhelming article with a dodgy social message that uncredited scriptwriter Peter Bogdanovich seemingly felt would be provocative, anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment and resonant with the youth culture of the time. It became an almost instant cult item and has remained so, it's reputation as such outstripping it's actual qualitative worth. For that reason it's still a milestone in exploitation cinema, but not something I personally enjoy or return to. Cheers, mate. T.
@@tonybush555 ouch.. I can't believe you saw two boring biker films at the same time, I'm sorry you had to go through that man, although I dislike The Wild Angels (1966) a lot more than Hells Angels On Wheels (1967) which is something I never thought I'd be saying considering how dull and lifeless Hells Angels was, tragic part is I love biker films but they're such a 50/50 gamble, sometimes you get violent, graphic glory like Wild Riders (1971) and other times you get hideous unwatchable junk like Savages From Hell (1968) I consider that the number one worst biker exploitation film I've ever seen, anyways thanks for the reply T, well wishes✌
@@AbrasiousProductions Have a good one, Streed.