083 Mad Max 2 (1981)

Retro Grade Podcast

“AND IT WAS HERE, IN THIS BLIGHTED PLACE, THAT HE LEARNED TO LIVE AGAIN.“
On this episode of the podcast we talk about one of the most influential post-apocalypse films of all time. One that’s legacy has just been extended in an incredible prequel film that hit theaters on this year’s Memorial Day weekend. We are talking about Mad Max 2, also known as The Road Warrior, directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson. We are also honored to have a guest, Nebula, who is a streamer, and a big Mad Max fan. In fact, Nebula was on our FIRST Mad Max episode: here. This is Jorge’s first time watching the film, having only seen Fury Road and the first Mad Max film, so we were curious to see how he would react to George Miller’s second attempt at depicting Australia at the end of the world.

Sequels are often regarded as derivative, and “cash grabs“ of a previously successful movie. What makes Mad Max 2 different? We talk about how the film demonstrates how much George Miller has gotten as a film maker, being more deliberate with cinematography, making use of the bigger budget, and building a world without relying on heavy dialogue. There is so much to look at in this film, so much character, and for what little dialogue there is, some absolutely classic lines that we will remember forever. To this day, George Miller continues to grow as a filmmaker, challenging audiences and everyone crazy enough to be in his movies. And despite all of that, everyone seems to enjoy working with him.

We talk about the iconic look of this film. Mad Max 2 is often used as the blue print for how people dress in the apocalypse, and maybe how some depictions of the gang might not hold up as well when we consider the history of how queer characters are represented in film. We nerd out about the stunts and the effect of real danger being caught on film, and what steps they took to keep people safe. And of course, we talk about Dog, the Australian cattle dog that acted as Max’s companion in the Wasteland, but was rescued from an animal shelter in real life!

We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you haven’t yet, consider seeing Furiosa in theaters! Austin got a chance to see it and highly recommends to any one looking for a great theatrical experience by one of the greatest living filmmakers!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o