Filmmaker reacts to Mad Max (1979) for the FIRST TIME! 

Yeah, I'd be pretty mad too. Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Re-watching Blade Friday/Saturday! Enjoy the day!

Cool fact: the actor who plays the villain Toecutter in this film plays Immortan Joe in “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

The Mad Max series shows the fall of civilization. This one shows the world just before the final collapse. The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2) shows the world a few years after the collapse, Beyond Thunder Dome (Mad Max 3) shows the bleakness and insanity as humans fall back into tribes. So worth watching all three of the original trilogy.

A fact I always thought was interesting, is that the Director and creator of Mad Max was actually a paramedic. He had first hand experience on the kinds of accidents, collisions, wipeouts, and injuries depicted in the film. Which only adds to the gritty reality because literally everything is 100% practical effects. Not a single green screen.

This was George Millers first film. He got the high speed motorcycle footage by sitting on the back of another motorcycle, no helmet, camera in hand following the action. He directed all the Mad Max films as well as Happy Feet.

This I would say is the definition of “Ozploitation”, Guerilla style filmmaking, shoestring budget all based on really bizarre, chaotic almost satirical look at all the craziness of rural Australia in the 70s. Some of the actors where even payed in cases of beer by the director.

You definitely have to watch The Road Warrior, they did groundbreaking stunts that no one at the time had ever dared to do.

Fun fact: The stunts in this film were so impressive at the time, when the film made it's U.S. release, Hollywood stuntmen were jealous about how well the stunts were done. They spread a rumor that a couple of stuntmen died in the making of the film in order to give the film a bad rap.

That blue van that gets destroyed in the opening chase was George millers own van. He sacrificed his own car for the sake of shooting that stunt. What a legend. He really had a lot of faith in his film as he should.

The days when Mel had an Australian accent! Even in these early films you can see the camera loves Mel and he had ‘it’. You need to see the sequel (Mad Max 2) it is a masterpiece.

I really have a special attachment to this film. When I saw it for the first time, it was a few years before the release of "Fury Road" (I didn't even know they were going to make a Mad Max 4). At that time, I was 14 years old and my father absolutely wanted to show me this, he told me : "when I was a teenager, this movie came out and we fucking loved it !!!!" 😂😂. It was so cool to be able to see it with my dad, it's unforgettable ^^

I saw this film on the Sci Fi Channel in 2000 and it was pretty insane! Then 2 years later, I watched Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior on the now defunct UPN network. Mad Max 2 is now considered to be the best action movie ever made.

'The steering in on the other side!' it's set in Australia bro :) This is an all time aussie classic. They had actual zero money (300k) so the crashes are all 1 takes, the crew/extras were paid in slabs of beer, and they just asked a real biker gang to be in the movie. 40+ years later it's still a blast :)

I think this is the grittiest and most visceral of the Mad Max movies.AS the movies progress and we venture further from the event that ended traditional society,the movies are more fantastical.This movie still shows towns still trying to enforce and protect the increasing rebellious and hostile people running rampant along the roads.

When this movie came out theatrically and originally on cable, the voices including Mel Gibson was horribly dubbed into American sounding English. The Road Warrior is incredible, it’s Fury Road 30 years earlier

Fun fact James. When this film was first shown in the US( mostly in drive-ins) the distributor didn't think American audiences would be able to understand the Australian accents so they had the film dubbed by voice over actors for North America. It was a number of years until the film was available with the original dialouge. The "experimental" thing you are seeing is actually an old techniques from early westerns. The filming was done at real world speeds and sped up to make the chase scenes look faster.

Road Warrior is by far and away my favorite of the Mad Max Films. Looking forward to your reaction to it.

i´m glad you choose the original Australia dub version.

A cool fact: The villain - 'Toecutter' - in this original "Mad Max" film was portrayed by actor Hugh Keays-Byrne. They brought him back to play the villain - 'Immortan Joe' - in the recent "Mad Max - Fury Road" film!

George Miller got the idea for Mad Max from his time as a doctor. When he was doing his residency he worked on a lot of victims of car accidents. You should check out some other movies from the Aussie New Wave. Just off the top of my head: Wake in Fright, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Breaker Morant, Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously.

And next, The Road Warrior. The original Mad Max wasn't released in the states until after The Road Warrior so the second movie was my first introduction to this world and it did not disappoint. In fact it's top 5 movies ever for me.

"How one director's idea is this and how another director's idea is this." Yeaaaah, I know you like not doing much research on these, but the same director literally directed all of the Mad Max films. And yes, this is indeed the first one. Made with a shoestring budget.

George Miller is one of the nicest blokes from the film industry that I ever had the pleasure to speak with. He showed up at the post-production party for Croc Hunter, my wife was a stand-in for one of the other characters in the movie. His made-for-TV movies that he produced with George Kennedy in the 1980s here in Oz were similarly fantastic, if different in theme than Max’s world.

Hey man...thanks for watching another absolute classic. Somthing to remember is that these aren't meant to be a chronological account of max, but rather the telling of the legends of "MAX" in the post apocalyptic world. Keep watching the max movies, they're all bangers.

This was a low budget movie so many decisions were made for practical budgetary reasons, I'm sure that also greatly effected the world building we got here. But this actually worked in its favor. Instead of a full post-apocalyptic world we see in most movies (and indeed in all later Mad Max movies) here we get this in between world where society is still trying to hang on but there are these big ugly cracks. Just one of those things that make this movie still interesting after all those years. Now, on to The Road Warrior!

I love this and The Road Warrior.I love the fact that both are basically Westerns in futuristic garb.

Great reaction. BTW, the way the director directed the car chases was inspired by Vanishing point which he likes a lot. A movie you should see!

This ending is the OG Saw. I'm pretty sure the writers of Saw thought "Love this scene! What if we made a whole movie of this?"

It's funny how you mentioned that what you see in the film is "what's gonna be happening soon" with gas prices going the way they are. The USA and the rest of the world were in a similar situation in the late 1970s when Mad Max first came out. The entire world was going through an energy crisis and a gasoline shortage due to a combination of wars and crises in the Middle East and OPEC shutting down production and distribution, causing gasoline prices to soar and lines at gas stations forming for miles. Mad Max was a reflection of the direction the world seemed to be going in 1979, in a dystopian setting of a collapsing infrastructure and urban decay. The sequel, The Road Warrior, was practically an entirely different movie, depicting a post-apocalyptic world in the wake of a nuclear holocaust.

Saw this in Australia back when I was 4-5 in 1985. Saw the tv cut and we recorded it and I would watch it over and over again. It became my obsession and the movie that helped kick start my channel with that one video about the car and its history.

The girl in the flashbacks in Fury Road is not his daughter, but a girl named Glory. Glory and her mother are characters from the Mad Max comic series. Max saves them only to watch them die from being run over by a tribe called The Buzzards. They are one of many he couldn't save.

One thing I love about this first one, is there's just a vibe of the landscape that feels so recognisable as an Australia, like it could of been filmed around the corner from my old place, those two land country roads, particularly during the intro.

Love this movie. This is the first one. This one and Road Warrior the second movie are my favorite. But i love them all. And the one with Tom Hardy is really great to and so cool.

as I understand it, the actor who played the lead villain from 1979's Mad Max returned to play Immortan Joe in Fury Road.

What I love about the Mad Max movies is that each one is it's own thing with it's own vibe.

Hugh Keays-Byrne, the guy who played Toecutter in this movie, (the main villain) also played Immortan Joe, the main villain in Mad Max Fury Road.

Thank you for using the Aussie version and not the US overdubbed... ruins the experience... Especially given I am an Aussie lol... thanks for your content... you need to watch MadMax 2 and 3 now... worth it. Cheers

I just got SO excited to see you reviewed this movie! I love it so much! The piece itself is filmed in such a different way: visually, auditory, and storytelling wise. I also think the energy created from being filmed in such an anamorphic format goes crazy, too. It’s perpetually captivating! Loved your commentary as well, definitely laughed along with you ✨

You should watch Mad Max 2 soon to keep this one fresh in your mind and to see the massive contrast and the progression Miller had for Fury Road.

Fun Fact: The Grease Monkey who Max drops the car on is Nick Lathuris. A fellow Greek Australian like George Miller and Co-Writer of Fury Road.

This is Max's origin story, the other movies show some of his adventures. He's a myth....

It took me a few years to rate the original Mad Max. It wasn’t as post apocalyptic as I liked and I preferred 2. The more I read, the more I learned to more I appreciated the genius of this film!

The interceptor Max had at the beginning of Fury Road was not the same one he set out with, he spent the better part of 15 years rebuilding it from scratch.

This is the most “Australian” film ever. The slang, the terminology, the environments used. Makes you proud to be an Aussie. I first saw this on videotape in the very early eighties. One of those movies that has a vibe all its own.

This was the first film I ever watched, based on where I was living at the time I had to have been 5 years old. I'd go to the library with my mom and she said to pick out a movie, I grabbed this one cause the cover looked cool. I watched this everyday and return it to rent it again, I was hooked.

Fury Road is after the collapse of society but this one is as society is collapsing. This movie was also originally released in the US with the dialog dubbed with American accents. The writer/director was inspired by the wounds he saw from fights at gas lines while he was working in the ER.

For a first time filmmaker, Mad Max is definitely something special. It really grinds to a halt when he and Jess first leave after Goose's death, but beyond that it's got great pacing and incredible stunts, plus a very young Mel Gibson giving an awesome performance

My favorite gag in this movie is when you see his happy home with the romantic sax playing, setting the mood, then you realize, damn, thats actually his old lady, playing the sax! Makes me laugh everytime!

The first 3 movies, Mad Max, Road Warrior, Thunderdome were all in chronological order, with the newest being a spiritual sequel in the spirit of the Clint Eastwood "man with no name trilogies". All canon from my view.

This film was a big influence on 80s action cinema. Also, you gotta give a shout out to the awesome work of the stunt team.

The late Hugh Keays-Byrne returned to the Mad Max series to play Fury Road's primary villain Immortan Joe, decades after he played the original Mad Max's antagonist, Toecutter.

Now, you MUST watch The Road Warrior. Also, the guy who played Toecutter in this one played Immortan Joe in Fury Road.

I love at the end when hes setting that trap for Johnny, you can see Max have a face like hes almost regretting what hes doing, then his next face is like hes actually becoming insane, really great call back to how he feels like hes losing his soul on the road, loved watching your reaction!

I've heard that the character of Max is meant to be a like that of a folktale of the wasteland, someone that people tell tales about around the campfire. His deeds and adventures are talked about across the wasteland and that the movies are just some of these tales. Like a folk hero.

This IS the original Mad Max, the second one is The Road Warrior which was my introduction to the franchise during my college years as a film student. I then went back to see this one to understand the back-story of the title character. The third one is Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. It was a lot more "commercial" whereas the first two had more of an independent film motif. I'll be here to enjoy all of them with you. I love this franchise.

Gorge Miller has a wild filmography. Mad max, to Happy feet and back to mad max 40 years later. Plus the actor who played Toe Cutter played Imorten Joe.

My favorite of all the Mad Max films. This one just seems more unhinged and real. The very real stunt driving helps. I also like where it takes place in the timeline, right before the world collapses and is overrun by mohawked leather daddies. I don't believe there's a movie before this one, but if you could count a prequel, it would be the 70s Aussie movie STONE, which has some of the same actors (Toecutter/Night Rider). It's a pretty cool film with a dope soundtrack.

All these years later and I still want Max's car more than anything! 🚔

Also, in response to your question about the audio, this might help explain some of it. From wikipedia: "According to Miller, his interest while writing Mad Max was 'a silent movie with sound', employing highly kinetic images reminiscent of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd while the narrative itself was basic and simple. Miller believed that audiences would find his violent story more believable if set in a bleak dystopian future."

Fun fact - The end scene with the car blowing up and the hacksaw in MadMax is credited by the writers of the movies SAW as the original idea of their movie 🍿🍿🍿🎥🎥 Keep up the good work James, always great to watch you 👍👍👍👍

That end scene is basically the premise for the Saw movies. 😁

This movie is authentic and real. I saw it in High School. I had no idea that the future of movie making would be so pathetic. . . . and RIP Jim Goose and long live the KZ 1000 Kwaka!

Mad Max 2 was my first introduction to the franchise. I was about 12 when I first saw it and loved it. Shortly after, Mad Max 1 was on TV and I remember being bored by it, thinking there wasn't enough action and there was too much talking, lol. Nowadays, as an adult, I have a lot more respect for that first film and appreciate how it laid the ground work for such an influential series.

Thanks for dropping this reaction, I always did like these films

Was looking for someone to do a reaction to the first mad max but everyone was doing fury road and my man you pulled through 🤙🏻 that’s why you’re the best 👏🏻👏🏻

"My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land. But most of all, I remember the road warrior, the man we called Max." Get Ready for the next adventure

I think you'll love the other films in the series. Road Warrior and Thunderdome are incredible. Yes, I love Thunderdome too.

Nice James. So glad you didn't skip this one and go straight to "Road Warrior". I love this movie. really interesting camera angles and shot selection.

The cars were Australian Ford Falcons, Night Riders Holden Monaro, and a Chevy Impala (orange with flames). Max's panel van is a GM Holden Sandman panel van. The bikes were Kawasaki KZ-750 and KZ- 1000.

Regarding the sound quality: the film was edited (to include sound) using a small, home-built "studio" inside a friend's apartment, over the span of seven months. So it's very possible (probable, even) that the odd mixing choices you picked up on are just a result of the "amateurish" post-production methods. George Miller did also say that his initial vision for the film was "a silent movie with sound", so it could also be a conscious decision to minimize the importance of dialog to the overall product.

Thanks for this, your thoughts and insights are great to hear, as always, stay awesome, stay genuine.. much love

You really have to check out the documentary of the making of this film. It will blow your mind. It was made on an extremely cheap budget, one take multiple shots and they had to be quick since the filming was done in Australia, they had to shoot the scenes, pack up and move to another spot before the law enforcement caught up with them. In a few scenes, stunt men actually had fatal accidents and they left some of it in the film.

THANK YOU JAMES! One of my top films ever! Saw it in the theater and was totally blown away! It had the exploitation feel in Spades + the Aussie madness! Matchless! Peace.

Always great analysis. thanks ..It is a prequel in the time-line. This was when the world was descending into chaos, but before the apocalyptic wars. The next movie in the series seems to be after the wars.

I love Mad Max, one of my favorites franchises and the game is 🔥 too, underrated masterpiece.

Man, Im from Europe, my friend I love your videos, just want to tell you, I watched this movie like... 50 times hahaha, I swear, grew up with this movie...I love your reactions... to this day I sometimes imagine myself Im Mad Max entering in my car hahahahhahhahahah, trust me man, I cannot even explain it. Love your reactions, love how you always pay attention on camera angle, you're THE MAN, greets from Croatia (one small country in Europe).

Oh yes!! So excited for you to watch the second movie!

Awesome Movie and Work Bro, Thanks 👍👍👍😎 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸

Fun Fact: the actor who played the gang leader Toe Cutter (Hugh Keas-Byrne) played the lead villain in "Mad Max Fury Road", Immortan Joe.

Can't believe Mel was only 23 in this movie.

LOVE YOU DUDE. NICE REVIEW

As a yank who moved to regional AUS to do biology, I've had a lot of fun finding the places they filmed for Mad Max. I really love how this film captures the scenery that is common in Victoria and parts of South Australia. Max's house reminds me strongly of a shack I stayed in for a few nights on Kangaroo Island a couple of years ago.

It’s weird to think this film got so much heat for the violence in it when it came out. The film was even banned inNew Zealand and only released a few years later after the success of mad max 2 but only on condition it be given the dreaded R18 rating (similar to an nc17 in the U.S) but watching it again recently virtually all of the violence takes place off screen and we only see the aftermath

Something I appreciate about the sequels: So when he gets shot, it busts his kneecap. He is wearing a leg brace on that leg in all the following movies.

Another cool note, the actor that plays Toecutter also plays Imortan Joe in Fury Road

Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) is where Mad Max as we think of it begins. In Mad Max1, society is on the edge of collapse. In 2 it's full on post apocalypse.. and in 3, societies are reforming... then theres the bleak insanity of Fury Road.

This first Mad Max was shot with a limited budget which is why the audio probably sounded bad at times. This low budget accidentally inspired Mad Max is post apocalyptic aesthetic. The locations they could afford were very cheap, they mostly shot in am abandoned and run down Australian town. Also at the time there was a gas shortage that was all over the news, and Mad Max sort asks what would happen if this gas shortage was led chaos and destruction of society. These elements he later expounded on Mad Max 2, where the post apocalyptic Mad Max aesthetic we know was established. It wasn't even intended to be post apocalyptic at first, just a revenge cop movie, but the location and news events inspired what Mad Max became in pop culture. Also Mad Max isn't exactly a sequel movie, they're all related, but the stories are inconsistent. Some details remain the same between movies, others change, but they all are sort of stand alone movies. George Miller said he likes to think of Mad Max as a legend that gets retold over and over again in this post apocalyptic society, it's the story of a great Road Warrior, who's a tortured sole and saves people he comes across in his travel. I like to think of the original mad max as what actually happened, each movie is a distortion of the simpler true, the story gets more fantastical and further from the original truth each time it's retold, and as society deteriorates more and more and forgets what the world use to be like the legend becomes that much more epic.

This has always been my favorite of the Mad Max films.

Awesome reaction sir

Hey man enjoy your channel and it’s a great movie I’m 40 now and I first saw it when I was 6. Keep safe and well 👍 Matt from Australia 🇦🇺

Trivia, the van that got smashed in the first chase was George Millers own car. Also if you see the moment Toecutter goes under the truck, you see its a fake sheet steel front to prevent the bumper on the rental semi.......didn't want to lose the deposit....

You’re gonna love Road Warrior so much dude! Stunts are truly one of a kind (at least until Fury Road, but they did it 30 years earlier!)

Hope to see you watch "The Road Warrior (A.K.A. Mad Max 2)" and Mad Max 3 "Beyond Thunderdome". The Road Warrior is my favorite and it really shows what the world was changing into.

The blue van that gets destroyed in the opening chase was director Miller's van. Also alot of the "chase" scenes were filmed by a camera man on the back of a motorcycle with a hand held. And yes, they were going that fast. Most shots are not sped up.

Personally I think these movies get better as they go. The world building they do in each one is amazing.

this movie made me fall in love with Motorcycles...im 45 now, still riding every day stay safe dude ✌

such a raw, original movie, love it..

The 1979 film had the effect of a wildfire among us young men in West Berlin (I was just 18 and had recently gotten my first car). It was already an absolute cult film in 79 (to this day). The film (partly also No. 2) was absolutely a symbol of the time. You can't simply separate it out and evaluate it with today's perspective.

Dude watching you enjoy my favorite movies with insight as a director is just the best. Nothing worse than showing someone you love a movie you like and their not interested looking at their phone or going to the bathroom when something dope is about to happen. Ugh! You are dialed in and it makes me happy. Cheers!

Hugh Keays-Byrne played the Toecutter in this film, he was also in Fury Road as Immortan Joe.