Sunday, April 25, 2010

Mad Max 2 Synopsis

By Alisha Arnold

There's something to be said for action flicks, especially when they're as well crafted as The Road Warrior. This film was what really got Mel Gibson started on a global level. Mad Max saw him explode in the US, but since the film hadn't been released in the US yet, or throughout much of the rest of the world, it was The Road Warrior that made him a household name. It's definitely one of the must download movies of all time.

There aren't a lot of movies that work so well on so many levels, much less action films, which are typically used just to turn over a quick and easy profit at the box office. The movie is just, very, very strong on all possible levels. It's exciting, fun and has some moments of great humor, drama and humanity.

If you haven't seen it, and somehow have no idea what it's about: Mad Max Rockatansky is a former cop wandering a wasted outback in Australia. Food and water have become scarce after World War III, as has gasoline. Max is trying to find enough resources just to keep himself alive from day to day as he wanders across the wasteland.

Throughout the previous film, Max lost touch with his humanity, becoming just as cruel and ruthless as the villains he pursued. This time, he needs to take a chance at redemption and at getting in touch with his humanity once more by getting involved once more with society, or what's left of it.

The movie is really just one big chase scene, only stopping here and there just long enough to give the audience a moment to catch their breath. While a lesser movie might have been made boring by all this action, in The Road Warrior, the action and the story are one and the same. Character and plot are both developed through action, not like the modern action flick where the fights and chases only get in the way of the story.

The movie is really all about the nature of heroism. It gets into the Joseph Campbellian concepts of mythology and comes out with a legendary story that many Australians consider "The Australian Star Wars" in terms of cultural importance. It is, of course, one of the national treasures of the Australian cinema, and one of the most successful films ever to come from that country.

The movie is, really, a classic western in a new setting. It belongs on the same shelf as Stagecoach as one of the all time great examples of how the classic John Ford and Howard Hawks westerns developed their own stories.

The movie is incredibly loud, fast paced, and full of wild, unpredictable characters and stunts. It is, depending on your perspective, perhaps one of the greatest films of all time. If not, then it's at least one of the greatest action films ever made. If, for some reason, you still haven't seen it, put on your movie downloads queue right away. - 2361

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