The Road Warrior

Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Max Phillips, Vernon Wells
Directed by: George Miller
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
1982

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Max (Mel Gibson) discovers a colony of survivors sitting on a huge amount of gasoline, fighting to protect themselves from a band of savages determined to get the fuel. Max forms a loose partnership with the survivors, agreeing to help them fend off the brutes in exchange for all the gasoline he can carry.

Review:

Tim: The Road Warrior is definitely one of classic science fiction movies. I liked Mad Max, but this movie infuses some much needed cash into the production. The original film felt a bit small because of the limited budget, but this movie comes to us on a much larger scope. It has a bit of an epic quality to it. Australia works well to depict the barren wasteland of the post-apocalyptic future, and some of the sets here are impressive.

Mel Gibson is once again terrific as Max. This isn't the first role I think of when I think about Gibson, but it is certainly one of his best. He is believable as our antihero, showing only the faintest traces of humanity left in him. I really liked him in this movie. He gets some support from the rest of the cast, but this is really all about him.

As I mentioned, this film boasts some impressive scenes. The battles around the walled-in colony are strong. Plus, the movie has one of the all-time great chase scenes with the semi at the end. This long, long scene is action-packed, and oftentimes fantastic. There are some great action sequences throughout, and some truly thrilling moments. This is a very exciting movie. The film also has an excellent introductory montage, getting the audience up to speed on the events of the original movie.

The Road Warrior truly a classic sci-fi movie. I probably wasn't as blown away as some, but I recognize the greatness in this movie. It is impressive how much of an improvement this film was over the original. It is one of those few sequels that improves upon the first film in nearly every way. That is a great achievement.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mad Max, Max Max: Beyond Thunderdome