The Sequel Was Better? is a series of reviews looking at famous movies with sequels that are considered, rightly or wrongly, to be better than the original movies. Typically, sequels are a step down in quality, acting, and/or production value. But not always. See other reviews here.
With the recent franchise revival Mad Max: Fury Road, viewers are probably familiar with the over-the-top styling of director George Miller's futuristic world. Weird costumes and over-built vehicles (it's hard to call them cars) are the norm in a future gone crazy. The origin of Mad Max is interesting, but the sequel is, in my judgment, much better than the first film that came out over forty years ago.
In a rough and tumble future, the police have a hard job keeping the roads safe. Max (Mel Gibson) is on the force but he's seen too much brutality. He and his partner Goose (Steve Bisley) patrol bleak highways and rundown towns, dealing with tough guys in tougher cars. The other cops aren't as good as Max and Goose, though even Goose can't keep out of trouble for too long. A biker gang led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) runs Goose off the road and burns him up while he's trapped inside his cop car. Max goes to the hospital to see Goose's charred body barely clinging to life. Max is very disturbed. He tries to resign, but his boss gives him a couple of weeks off to relax with his wife and toddler. In several strokes of incredibly bad luck, Max and his family keep running into the same sadistic biker gang that killed Max's partner. After a couple of harrowing encounters, Max's family is killed. Max then sets out for brutal revenge against the gang.
The simple plot gives plenty of room for car chases and action, though the parts in between feel slow and choppy. The initial set-up takes almost half the movie and the slow burn to Max's madness is pretty slow. The action is well directed with a lot of loving shots of cars and motorcycles. Gibson is charming and menacing when he needs to be, a very sympathetic character. The movie makers seem to want to make a statement about justice or how corrupt the system is, but those ideas are swallowed up by the action and suped-up cars.
In a post-apocalyptic future, Max wanders the wastelands searching for gasoline for his car. His first run-in with some bikers scores him some gas and a chance meeting with a gyrocopter captain (Bruce Spence). The captain tries to trick Max into giving up his gas. Max is too wily and turns the tables on him. The captain promises to take Max to where there's enough gas for anyone. The spot is an oil pump and refinery run by thirty or so defenders. They defend the refinery from The Humungus (Kjell Nillson), a fierce warlord who leads a band of misfits, including some of the bikers from Max's first scene in this movie.
Max initially wants to lay low but is drawn into the conflict when he helps one of the fleeing refinery people get back to the refinery after being injured. The refinery people don't trust Max but he makes a deal with them. He'll go get a big rig that will pull their oil tanker from the refinery (they want to flee to the coast); they'll let him leave with his car fully fueled. After a long walk, a harrowing battle, and a big chase back to the refinery, Max wants to take his gas and go, but the people want him to drive the rig for them. He refuses and drives off.
The bad guys attack him and leave Max for dead on the side of the road. The gyrocopter captain finds Max and brings him back to the refinery where he has no choice but to drive the rig. He and the others flee the refinery in their vehicles, leading to another spectacular car chase/battle. The battle ends with the tanker crashed and spilling dirt. The tanker was a decoy all the time, allowing the refinery people to escape to safety with the gas hidden in their vehicles. Max is left standing in the road, a battered, lonely, noble hero.
With the recent franchise revival Mad Max: Fury Road, viewers are probably familiar with the over-the-top styling of director George Miller's futuristic world. Weird costumes and over-built vehicles (it's hard to call them cars) are the norm in a future gone crazy. The origin of Mad Max is interesting, but the sequel is, in my judgment, much better than the first film that came out over forty years ago.
Mad Max (1979) co-written and directed by George Miller
In a rough and tumble future, the police have a hard job keeping the roads safe. Max (Mel Gibson) is on the force but he's seen too much brutality. He and his partner Goose (Steve Bisley) patrol bleak highways and rundown towns, dealing with tough guys in tougher cars. The other cops aren't as good as Max and Goose, though even Goose can't keep out of trouble for too long. A biker gang led by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) runs Goose off the road and burns him up while he's trapped inside his cop car. Max goes to the hospital to see Goose's charred body barely clinging to life. Max is very disturbed. He tries to resign, but his boss gives him a couple of weeks off to relax with his wife and toddler. In several strokes of incredibly bad luck, Max and his family keep running into the same sadistic biker gang that killed Max's partner. After a couple of harrowing encounters, Max's family is killed. Max then sets out for brutal revenge against the gang.
The simple plot gives plenty of room for car chases and action, though the parts in between feel slow and choppy. The initial set-up takes almost half the movie and the slow burn to Max's madness is pretty slow. The action is well directed with a lot of loving shots of cars and motorcycles. Gibson is charming and menacing when he needs to be, a very sympathetic character. The movie makers seem to want to make a statement about justice or how corrupt the system is, but those ideas are swallowed up by the action and suped-up cars.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) co-written and directed by George Miller
In a post-apocalyptic future, Max wanders the wastelands searching for gasoline for his car. His first run-in with some bikers scores him some gas and a chance meeting with a gyrocopter captain (Bruce Spence). The captain tries to trick Max into giving up his gas. Max is too wily and turns the tables on him. The captain promises to take Max to where there's enough gas for anyone. The spot is an oil pump and refinery run by thirty or so defenders. They defend the refinery from The Humungus (Kjell Nillson), a fierce warlord who leads a band of misfits, including some of the bikers from Max's first scene in this movie.
Max initially wants to lay low but is drawn into the conflict when he helps one of the fleeing refinery people get back to the refinery after being injured. The refinery people don't trust Max but he makes a deal with them. He'll go get a big rig that will pull their oil tanker from the refinery (they want to flee to the coast); they'll let him leave with his car fully fueled. After a long walk, a harrowing battle, and a big chase back to the refinery, Max wants to take his gas and go, but the people want him to drive the rig for them. He refuses and drives off.
The bad guys attack him and leave Max for dead on the side of the road. The gyrocopter captain finds Max and brings him back to the refinery where he has no choice but to drive the rig. He and the others flee the refinery in their vehicles, leading to another spectacular car chase/battle. The battle ends with the tanker crashed and spilling dirt. The tanker was a decoy all the time, allowing the refinery people to escape to safety with the gas hidden in their vehicles. Max is left standing in the road, a battered, lonely, noble hero.
So is the sequel better? Let's look at some points of comparison.
While both movies are very exciting and very violent, this is another case (like the Evil Dead films) where a bigger budget means a more convincing-looking film. The Road Warrior is also more distinctive with its wasteland setting that's a lot more post-apocalyptic than the first film which seems like it's just on the wrong side of tracks. The high amount of violence and the distinctive visual style of both films is not for everyone.
- SCRIPT--The first film tells a simple story of a guy driven over the edge by an ever worsening situation. The simplicity lends itself to padding out with action sequences and set pieces, which are executed fairly well. The second film starts with a voice-over explaining how obsession with fossil fuel led to the downfall of civilization, implying that a world war after WWII caused massive devastation. It comes off as being a lecture but viewers quickly forget about that as the story kicks into gear. The movie has a lot less dialog in the middle, relying on the action to tell the story. Even though the scripts are very different, it's too close to call a better here.
- ACTING--Gibson is good in both films as the titular hero. In the first film, he has more acting to do since his character has a character arc to move through. In the second film, Max is the same tough action hero from beginning to end. The supporting cast does a good job in the first film; in the second film, the cast also does a fine job though they have the more challenging situation of the post-apocalyptic punk costuming (lots of mohawks, leather, and piercings). Special mention should be made of...
- THE BIG BAD--Toecutter in the first movie is an odd fellow. He's soft-spoken for the most part with occasional bursts of anger and violence. His frizzy hair and somewhat portly shape makes him less threatening-looking, though he is indeed quite threatening. The Humungus in the second film is weird in his own way, but he's muscle-bound (you can tell because he wears hardly anything) and hockey-masked with a sort-of eastern European accent. He is a lot scarier and threatening. Advantage to the sequel.
- ADVANCES THE STORY/MYTHOLOGY--The sequel immediately switches from a rough and tumble future to a post-apocalyptic future, with Max wandering through a blighted landscape. His backstory becomes fairly negligible because he's an Old West action hero cut from the same cloth as Clint Eastwood's characters. The second film doesn't so much advance the mythology as switch it out. Slight advantage to sequel.
- SPECIAL EFFECTS--The bigger budget of the sequel naturally led to bigger effects and more impressive stunts and action sequence. The first movie has some very mundane locations--a good bit of it looks like it was filmed at someone's summer house. Advantage to the sequel.
- VISUAL STYLE--The first movie had a lot of amazing action sequences considering the low budget. The first film's biker gang members have a punk feel to them. The Humungus's gang in the second film is full on 80s punk, definitely crossing over into sadomasochism (which fits the characters). The cars in the second film are less like factory products and more like DIY armed and armored vehicles. They are more distinctive and make the action more exciting. Director Miller is able to have more style with more resources. The refinery is all by itself in this desert valley, fitting the post-apocalyptic tone of the film.
While both movies are very exciting and very violent, this is another case (like the Evil Dead films) where a bigger budget means a more convincing-looking film. The Road Warrior is also more distinctive with its wasteland setting that's a lot more post-apocalyptic than the first film which seems like it's just on the wrong side of tracks. The high amount of violence and the distinctive visual style of both films is not for everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment