Talk:Mad Max

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Contents 1 Science fiction? 2 Characters section 3 Further genre consideration 4 Falcon Picture 5 Max's wife 6 Low-budget vehicles 7 Interceptor Capitalization 8 Ford falcon 9 Production Costs 10 Plot Summary 11 Most profitable?

[edit] Science fiction?

The wrong genre. This is not science fiction. --Wetman 10:54, 24 Oct 2004 (UTC)

It is set in the future, but I gather you feel that is not enough to count as science fiction. Would Waterworld count as sci-fi though?--ZayZayEM 02:10, 25 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I think it would certainly be considered 'speculative fiction'. Cnwb 05:55, 29 Nov 2004 (UTC)

"Some consider Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) to be a retreatment of the original premise, using similar themes, characters and images, rather than a true sequel." Who says that? The two movies are not that much alike. I'd consider Roadwarrior to have more in common with Beyond Thunderdome. This is certainly nothing like Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. Besides, a studio making a sequel that's as much like the original as possible is far from unique, and many better examples exist. Also, I though I heard that the first Mad Max movie was not supposed to be post-apocalyptic, just set in a rather chaotic future, and the post-apocalyptic concept emerged for the sequels. Anyone know if they're any truth to that? -R. fiend 21:12, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I am in agreement with R. fiend. This sounds highly POV. Watching the two movies together just doesn't match this description. If the wiki member who entered it can give examples of critics etc who state this I will be happy to eat crow (er, I guess it would be roadkill crow in this case) and put it back in.MarnetteD | Talk 19:11, 27 May 2005 (UTC)

This first film in the trilogy is most definitely -not- (if we treat it as one film outside of any influence from the next two) post-apoc. It is futuristic, chaotic. "Thinking it back" from RW and MM:BT to make it seem post-apoc is shabby POV. Ranieldule 22:02, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

R. fiend said "Anyone know if they're any truth to that?" Yes - the paperback edition of the Beyond Thunderdome screenplay mentioned "the war" or "the bomb" happening a few weeks after Max "headed out for the wasteland," indicating between MM and RW. Jimmylogan0916 11:57, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

Its Speculative fiction, which can include Science Fiction Alastairward 09:36, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

On the subject of whether it's post-apocalyptic, at around 1:35 on the commentary track, cinematographer David Eggby says of the visuals, "it was all about desolation and, not so much post-apocalyptic, but certainly in the future less inviting and more desolate than today." Hypnosifl 05:06, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Characters section

Do people feel the section on characters is needed? Surely the plot summary is all that is needed in terms of outlining the characters. Galaga88 12:21, 12 Dec 2004 (UTC)

• Here here. I think a section on weapons used by Max and/or the other characters is also needed. I will help in these sections if someone would start them.-- Doo Doo 08:55, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

Uh, that post was against a separate character section, I believe. I don't think a section for weapons is at all neccessary.--Cúchullain t / c 09:05, 1 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Further genre consideration

I think this should be classified as post-apocalyptic, however post-apocalyptic is typically seen as a sub-genre of science fiction.

It could be reasoned that while a film such as Mad Max certainly doesn't have advanced science compared to today, as opposed to, for example, Star Trek, it does make use of fictional yet theoretically possible scenarios in social sciences such as economics and sociology.

Just my thoughts, Sdr 08:26, 3 August 2005 (UTC)

The link for Brian May goes to an article on Brian May of Queen... this is incorrect, it was a different Brian May. Perhaps someone could fix this.

Really? I thought it was the same guy.--Cuchullain 01:25, 19 December 2005 (UTC)

Lol, me too. I guess its like the Christopher Lloyd who works on Frasier Alastairward 09:33, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Falcon Picture

The picture of the so-called "Mad Max" car looks like an XC to me, not an XB (or maybe it is with an XC front on it.) Also, gotta love the bodgy supercharger :) --Jquarry 02:41, 27 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree, but I think the pic is fine. It's credited as a "replica" and there are differing levels of authenticity when it comes to replicas. Jimmylogan0916 20:14, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

It has a fairmont frontend (XC)--59.167.159.112 (talk) 03:27, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Max's wife

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did they ever say that Max's wife died? I know when Max was listening at the doorway the doctor rattled off a laundry list of problems but then he made remarks that she'd pull through and something about her possibly stabilizing through the night. Next thing we see is Max going out for revenge...so where is it assured that she even died?--Skeev 16:16, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I was wondering this myself, and the movie, left on it's own, doens't really give us a clear answer. It's only through MM2 and the novelization that we're sure that she perishes after the attack. One can infer that the story rhetorically states that she dies, however, given the level of rage he goes into, etc. But, technically, you're correct (for what it's worth, a similar argument can be made for Goose, although Fifi does later say that "the Goose bought it." But, still, that doesn't mean that he died for sure if just taken on that. Madmaxmarchhare 15:11, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

It also leaves us with the idea that after Max kills the bikers he just drives on into the night and deeper into the wasteland without really returning, even for the funeral which they showed as part of The Road Warrior's opening.

Of course, plenty of things don't quite add up between Mad Max and the last two movies. In part one we're lead to believe that while the world is post-apocalyptic, there is still some civilized normality like regular towns with police and local goverenments. In the second two movies we see a world that's well past any law and order and we never see a real town again, just odd makeshift towns where people don't even acknowledge there's a real world left and they dress in animal skins rather than the typical clothing people wore in part one. So, either something's gone really wrong between movies or Mad Max's world was reimagined for part two and three and part one is an almost stand-alone film which solves any problems with Max's wife surviving.--Skeev 16:16, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

"Mad Max" doesn't take place in a post-apocalyptic world, just a world decaying and on the verge of apocalypse. Max talks about it in "Beyond Thunderdome" ('poxyclype, etc.). Sparkhead 13:45, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I think you're right: we never find out if she died before the end of the film. BUT, there is that shot at the beginning of The Road Warrior where Max is standing near 2 crosses which are probably supposed to be gravesites. I guess the scene where the bikers run Max's family down is horrific enough to make us believe they were killed outright.

There is a line of dialogue about Max's wife being "salvageable", which is to say that her organs can be harvested. Presumably then she is alive but brain-dead, or otherwise not-coming-back. In the brief hospital scene she is visibly missing parts. The line about telling Max she's fine I would take to mean to stave off him collapsing emotionally. But then this film is very awkwardly edited.

[edit] Low-budget vehicles

The article says "Due to the film's low budget, all the vehicles in the film were just modified vehicles of that era." As opposed to what? Modified vehicles from the future, like big-budget movies can afford? Please clarify this point. :)—mjb 18:59, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

I'm guessing as opposed to a very basic chassis with a completely different body on it, or a completely custom built vehicle Alastairward 09:34, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interceptor Capitalization

Just like "Pursuit Special", think it should be capitalized, but if shown something that conclusively points to lowercase could change my mind. *Spark* 22:14, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

It's a bit of a 50/50, and I can see it going either way, but the reason why I don't believe that it should be there is because we're trying to say that it's NOT an "I"nterceptor.. therefore, while the mechanic could have meant Pursuit Special, but blurted out "interceptor," which would be just a generic term for a car that's designed to pursue, intercept, and catch a fleeing vehicle. Also, don't forget, the reason that you see "I"nterceptor is because of the erroneous notion that the car is, in fact, an "Interceptor," and not a "Pursuit Special." Throughout the series, there's nothing conclusive that ANY of the cars are "I"nterceptors. Although the yellow cars in MM read "INTERCEPTOR" and "PURSUIT" on the back of them, that only designates those cars' functions, and may or may not be their actual "name." In fact, two of the cars, March Hare and Big Bopper, have _names_, which are distinct from their function (that of an interceptor or pursuit vehicle). I'll not fight for this one hard, because I can see your point, and I think there's validity to it, and I could probably argue it effectively, as well. Madmaxmarchhare 00:00, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

If you watch through the movie again, theres a point where old mate that cops a lump of metal in the throat is commenting on what he can see out the window of the MFP building - when Bubba's lawyer comes back for Johnny. He says two things, through his vocoder-thingy.

"I think he's out there." and then; "I can see the in-ter-cep-tor."

Whats that all about then, being as it is, in the first movie? StopeDancer

I'm with Madmaxmarchhare, interceptor and pursuit special are just different types of patrol car. They might not even technically be different types (although IIRC, there were 6 and 8 cylinder cars used), the badge simply being there to remind the public what duties this particular vehicle has been assigned to Alastairward 17:44, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Ford falcon

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fv20071111pl.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.108.16.189 (talk) 01:45, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Production Costs

Did the film cost $300,000 to produce, or was it $400,000? The 400,000 figure is in the introduction (but absent any information on what currency it is--AUS, US, etc) and then the 300,000 Australian is listed later. Primium mobile (talk) 13:15, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Plot Summary

Is it just me, or is this sentence in the plot summary completely devoid of context: "The big house, where the old lady lived, is situated on top of Mt.Ridley, Craigieburn, and has been renovated since (no beach in area at all)." What big house? Who is "the old lady", Is it his wife? Why does the location (real or fictional?) matter, why should I care that it has been renovated, what does "no beach in area at all" mean? Is it something I would've had to have seen the movie to recognise? 203.171.97.136 (talk) 09:15, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Most profitable?

Removed the following for a lack of any source:

for decades it had the highest profit-to-cost ratio of any motion picture (cost $400,000, profit in excess on $100,000,000) only losing the record 20 years later in 1999 to The Blair Witch Project

Seems entirely invented. In order to make that much "profit" as opposed to gross, the film would have had to take in something like $300M. SteveCoppock (talk) 18:28, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

This is also problematic as it disagrees with the American Graffiti article, which also claims the most-profitable crown. That claim has a citation (a 1999 book about George Lucas' films), so this one should probably go unless somebody can provide a source. Any takers? Elmo iscariot (talk) 13:28, 6 May 2008 (UTC)