The Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Thriller Classic That Deserves More Love From Fans
George Miller knows how to make great action films, and his third Mad Max effort is perhaps one of his most underrated. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome gets some mixed reactions from fans, with some thinking it’s one of the best and some thinking it’s some of the worst, but it’s a great watch either way. If you want to check it out this weekend, it’s streaming right now on FuboTV and available to watch video-on-demand through various other services.
Mel Gibson In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the final entry of the original trilogy, completing Mel Gibson’s journey as Max Rockatansky in George Miller’s Australian post-apocalypse.
George Miller co-directed the film with George Ogilvie and co-wrote it with Terry Hayes. The film follows Mel Gibson’s Max as he ends up being a gladiator in a town ruled by Tina Turner’s Aunty Entity.
End Of The Original Trilogy
By the time Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome released, interest was apparently waning in the franchise a little bit.
While fans enjoyed the film, its box office performance was less than both Mad Max and Mad Max 2. It’s not too surprising that the original trilogy went off into the sunset at this point before it was run into the ground with too many more sequels.
Mad Max Fury Road Followed 30 Years Later
Giving the Mad Max franchise time to breathe after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome turned out to be the right move because George Miller decided to bring the franchise back 30 years back with Mad Max: Fury Road.
Fury Road ended up being the highest-grossing movie in the franchise, and many consider it one of the best action movies of the 2010s. In fact, some people would even put it in their list of greatest action movies of all time.
George Miller’s Mad Max Ideas
Interestingly, George Miller actually had the idea for Fury Road shortly after the release of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Miller came up with the idea in 1987, and the project spent over a decade in development hell before pre-production started in 1998. But further filming delays would happen due to events like the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq War, and Mel Gibson’s various controversies at the time.
Mad Max Thunderdome Was Last For Mel Gibson
So, there’s an alternate timeline out there where Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome wouldn’t have been Mel Gibson’s final ride as Max, as he could have ended up in Fury Road if the film hadn’t faced so many delays.
Instead, Miller ended up recasting the role of Max with Tom Hardy taking over. Things worked out for the franchise in the end because now Fury Road is highly successful, and Miller is releasing a prequel this year that focuses on a younger Furiosa, with Anya Taylor-Joy inheriting the role from Charlize Theron.
Stream Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Needless to say, there is a ton of hype around Furiosa, and a Mad Max marathon seems like the perfect way to keep that hype going until it releases in May.
If you want to check out Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome on streaming, you can find it on Fubo. For video-on-demand options, you can choose from services like Apple TV+, Amazon, and YouTube.
