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May 08, 2015 Web Exclusive By Stephen Danay

In an era where the most popular show on cable is set in an apocalyptic zombie wasteland and film franchises which feature attractive teens battling dystopian fascist governments are surefire box office successes, it’s difficult to remember a time before pop culture was obsessed with the end of the world. In 1979, the western world was reeling from decades of social unrest, rising crime rates, corrupt governments and a major gas crisis. It’s fitting, then, that Mad Max is set not in a world on fire, but one slowly circling the drain.

Shot on a shoe-string budget and starring a handsome but unknown 23-year-old actor named Mel Gibson, Mad Max is a straight forward fusion of two B-movie genres popular in the 1970s; the car chase film and the vigilante revenge film. The plot is as simple as they come: Max Rockatansky is a cop in Melbourne, a dwindling oasis of civilization in an Australia that is slowly crumbling into anarchy. His skills as a fearless driver come in handy against the gangs of psychotic bikers ravaging the countryside. As the war between the police and the outlaws escalates, Max is forced to take the law into his own hands (and wheels).

What sets Mad Max apart from the scores of imitators that would follow are the elements best brought to life in Scream Factory’s new blu-ray collector’s edition, released to coincide with the long-awaited third sequel, Mad Max: Fury Road. The work of director George Miller and his daredevil crew comes to life in all its grimy glory. The shots racing behind speeding cars, cameras so close to the road you can see the cracks in the asphalt; the closeups on the filthy, sweat soaked faces; ugly has never looked so beautiful. Small details become obvious after being so elusive on VHS and DVD. The tiny spider tattoo on the back of the police chief’s head; the fact that the film’s antagonist, the Toecutter (played with such relish by Hugh Keays-Byrne that Miller had him return after over three decades to play a new villain in Fury Road), has one of his eyebrows shaved off. The audio is equally crisp, doing justice to the radio chatter and police scanners that are carefully layered in as subtle world-building and exposition.

Most of the special features are repurposed from the 2013 Mad Max Trilogy blu-ray release. The only new feature is a series of new interviews with stars Mel Gibson and Joanne Samuel and cinematographer David Eggby. Eggby’s contributions play like a shortened version of the commentary track and Gibson’s portions mostly showcase what a twitchy weirdo he’s become in the 36 years since the film was released. Most worthwhile is the commentary track, featuring Eggby, art director Jon Dowding and special effects artist Chris Murray. Laid back but informative, they relay numerous anecdotes such as paying most of the background actors in beer and death-defying tales of filming speeding cars and collisions without the benefit of modern safety regulations.

Author rating: 9/10