Mad Max

Long before The Fast and the Furious revved up to the starting line, George Miller's 1979 post-apocalyptic road rage flick Mad Max (which launched Mel Gibson to international stardom) rose above its B-movie origins to reinvent the racing action film. Set in the near future, the film combines mind-boggling stunts with smart special effects (including speeded-up film) to chronicle the vigilante revenge mission of knight in grungy armor motorcycle officer Max Rockatansky (Gibson), whose wife and infant child are killed by a gang of crazed bikers. Later followed by a pair of bigger budgeted sequels--The Road Warrior (1981) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)--the indie cult action film here receives special edition treatment on several levels. First, the nicely saturated transfer is spiffed up with a booming Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (with the original Australian soundtrack making its debut in the U.S.--previously this was only available dubbed). Second, the DVD includes a pair of original documentaries, "Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar" (charting Gibson's meteoric rise as an actor) and "Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon" on the film's place in cinematic history. Third, four of the key technicians on the film offer up a nuts-and-bolts (as opposed to artistic) commentary. Finally, a "Road Rants" onscreen trivia text option enables viewers to watch the film with pop-up trivia tidbits served up like roadside attractions along the way. Including both widescreen and pan and scan versions on the disc, the one notable omission here is the absence of both Gibson and Miller for either the commentary tracks or the docs. Still, this is a fine treatment of a seminal film and is definitely recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Nov 9, 2010—MGM, 2 discs, 93 min., R, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1980's Mad Max sports a decent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by art director Jon Dowding, cinematographer David Eggby, special effects artist Chris Murray, and collector Tim Ridge, “The Film Phenomenon” featurette on the film's impact (26 min.), the featurette “Mel Gibson: The High Octane Birth of a Superstar” (17 min.), a “Road Rants” track featuring trivia and fun facts, a poster gallery, trailers, and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for this winning opener in the franchise.]