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Mad Max: Collector's Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (10th May 2015). |
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The Film
 Long before Mel Gibson was one of the biggest actors in the world, and long before post-apocalyptic films featuring marauding gangs of lunatics were churned out by the dozen, there was “Mad Max” (1979). In writer/director George Miller’s seminal film, the world hadn’t quite gone to hell yet – that would be saved for the (arguably) best film in the series, “Mad Max 2” (1981, a.k.a. “The Road Warrior”) – but the writing was seared onto the walls. Miller’s dystopian wasteland set a tone and visual palette that has seen more copies than a Xerox machine. And, really, where better to film such a sparse dust bowl future than the Australia of 1979? Half the country is one big desert already. What really gives “Mad Max” the power of longevity is the strong characterization, with each actor bringing a distinct flair to their respective roles. Additionally, there’s a real sense of danger here – anyone could be a victim at any moment, and even Max’s fate isn’t assured as he attempts to do his job amidst a maelstrom of violence. Opening “a few years from now…” the film joins in on the hot pursuit of a wanted cop killer, known as the Nightrider (Vincent Gil), who so far has managed to successfully evade the Main Force Patrol (MFP) officers in tow. But he isn’t so lucky when Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) gets on his tail, ending with the Nightrider’s fiery death. An energy crisis has left much of the Outback low on fuel and sparsely populated, with motorcycle gangs patrolling the streets and terrorizing citizens. The MFP’s main directive is to keep the highways safe and stop the gangs by any means necessary. Their job is made very difficult, however, due to political red tape and crooked lawyers who lobby hard for their scummy clients. Max’s partner, Jim Goose (Steve Bisley), loses his cool when a suspect he knows is guilty winds up being released due to a technicality. Later on, that same suspect, Johnny “the boy” Boyle (Tim Burns), is egged on by the gang’s leader, Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne), to horribly burn Goose while trapped in a wrecked car they helped demolish. Max is stricken with grief after seeing his partner’s wounds and quits the force. He’d rather spend his days traveling with his wife (Joanne Samuel) and new baby, enjoying the countryside. But when an unexpected run-in with Toecutter and his gang rips Max’s idyllic world right in two, the former MFP officer becomes focused on only one thing – brutal and swift revenge. If there’s one aspect of Miller’s film that helped make it a massive success (other than Gibson’s laconic, magnetic performance), it’s the stunt work. “Mad Max” has fast cars, lots of ‘em, and more often than not they wind up in a crumpled heap on the hot asphalt. Adding to the impact of those stunts is the very clear indication that many did not go as planned, but since they had one shot in some instances however the stunt went is how it wound up in the film. When the Nightrider’s car collides with a petrol truck, it’s pretty obvious the car veered off course and didn’t hit the mark, which actually makes the stunt even scarier. And then there are also the numerous motorcycle stunts. During one such stunt, as seen in slo-mo, a wheel smacks the back of the stuntman’s helmet so hard you’d think he died on set. He didn’t, but he was definitely worse for the wear. Miller managed to outdo the stunts seen here when he made this film’s sequel, but for a first-time director this was some big stuff. It would be interesting to see how today’s audiences – especially those who seem to need every detail of backstory explained ad nauseum - would react to “Mad Max” were it released today. Aside from the opening scrawl explaining the energy crisis, there’s very little history provided for the MFP, Max or the vicious gangs. I feel this only strengthens the film. Miller provides a solid framework within which these characters operate, and any reasonably sharp viewer should be able to fill in any gaps and make sense of how we’ve arrived at this situation. Just like Max, viewers are thrust into this savage land where danger lurks around every bend in the road. In particular, the Toecutter is an enigmatic force who controls his henchman with a firm grasp despite very little violence on his part. It makes you wonder what his story is. I mean, the guy is called “Toecutter” yet we never see him actually cutting off any toes. This sort of ambiguity would carry on through the series, and Miller always handles it perfectly. Here’s to hoping Max’s resurrection (albeit in a new form) is just as thrilling in “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015).
Video
There’s been a great deal of scuttlebutt on the web regarding Scream Factory’s 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image. Specifically, whether or not it’s any better than MGM’s previous Blu-ray edition, which was perfectly serviceable but far from perfect. As far as anyone knows the negative has been lost, meaning it would be difficult to improve upon what’s already been released. Unless you’re an obsessive about picture quality and go through a film frame-by-frame analyzing individual hairs and shrubs in the background, chances are you’ll find this edition to be on par with MGM’s release, if not a tad lesser. It does appear that some mild DNR has been applied, leaving skin tones looking occasionally waxy, and the grain structure is… odd; it’s not a visual eyesore but it doesn’t exactly look natural. Still, contrast is generally strong, with good color saturation and appreciable detail in many shots.
Audio
There are three tracks from which to choose here – "Australian" English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (48kHz/24-bit) or 2.0 stereo, as well as the infamous(ly bad) English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono dub. The multi-channel Aussie option is your best bet, offering up a dynamic experience featuring great panning of effects and engine roars along with a decent low end during some of the more bombastic sequences. Dialogue has a bit of a reverb thing going on at times, though it never happens often enough to be a problem. Subtitles are included in English.
Extras
Scream Factory has only added one new feature here – a retrospective piece with interviews – as well as including most of the bonus features found on MGM’s previous releases, which included an audio commentary, a couple of featurettes, theatrical trailers and TV spots. The audio commentary doesn’t feature the names you’d probably prefer to see – specifically, Miller and Gibson – but it does offer up a perspective from art director Jon Dowding, director of photography David Eggby, special effects artist Chris Murray and film historian Tim Ridge. Given the jobs of the men involved here, this track offers up a great perspective on the film’s production on a much more technical level. With so many people on the track, the energy remains high and talk stays lively and informative. “New Interviews with Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel and Director of Photography David Eggby” (1080p) featurette runs for 26 minutes and 27 seconds. Although nothing too revelatory comes out of these talks, it’s wonderful to hear Gibson speak about the role that launched his career. Mel is candid as ever, brimming with enthusiasm and seemingly stoked to be talking about this seminal film so many years later. Samuel has some great anecdotes about her casting, while Eggby discusses the film’s wild stunt work and dangerous environments. “Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar” (SD) is a featurette that runs for 16 minutes and 43 seconds. This was included on the previous MGM special editions and covers Mel’s career, from his humble beginnings in Australia right up to his massive career in Hollywood. There’s a lot of gushing and glad-handing, with talk of what makes Mel different from other stars. “Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon” (SD) is a featurette that runs for 25 minutes and 35 seconds. This is another carryover, obviously focusing on Miller’s film and how it set off a chain reaction of productions centering on post-apocalyptic/dystopian future films. Two U.S. theatrical trailers (1080p) are included, running for 4 minutes and 2 seconds. A trio of TV spots (1080i) runs for 1 minute and 26 seconds. There is also an extensive photo gallery (1080i) that runs for 8 minutes and 47 seconds, featuring 104 images.
Packaging
The single disc comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case. The cover art is reversible, allowing for display of the new artwork (which is excellent) or the original one sheet. A slip-cover featuring the new art is included on first pressings.
Overall
Over thirty years later, “Mad Max” still stands tall as one of the best dystopian films ever made. It never quite reaches into full-on post-apocalyptic territory (that would be saved for the sequel) but it doesn’t need to because the future presented here is grim, populated with death and violence around every corner. Gibson is superb, as are the other actors who play against him. Scream Factory’s release is solid, if not slightly unnecessary simply because it just barely outperforms the previous Blu-ray edition.
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