From ‘Mad Max’ to ‘Furiosa’: A look back at George Miller’s films in Max’s catalogue

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award winner George Miller’s “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga,” the highly-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the “Mad Max” films. Miller now turns the page with a new original, standalone action-adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerful character from the multi-Academy Award-winning global blockbuster “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The new film from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Academy Award-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Babe”), under their Australia-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

• Mad Max
• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
• Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Furiosa: from the Mad Max saga

The Mad Max saga not only catapulted the international career of a young Mel Gibson, but also left its mark on film history, bringing a new twist to the action genre. Since the release of the first film in 1979, the franchise created by George Miller has captured the public’s attention, offering a unique vision of a world devastated by violence and the fight for survival.

With the arrival of Furiosa: From the Mad Max saga (2024) on the Max streaming service, the saga is renewed once again, bringing with it a prequel that explores the origins of a character much loved by fans, now embodied by Anya Taylor-Joy.

While this new installment seeks to further expand the Mad Max universe, maintaining the essence that has turned the franchise into a global phenomenon, today at Malditos Nerds we begin a tour of the most notable films in the saga, each with its own dose of adrenaline and unbridled action.

Mad Max (1979)

Before we delve into the various productions in the franchise, it’s necessary to talk about Mad Max, the film that started it all. Directed by George Miller and starring a young Mel Gibson, this feature film, which had a budget of $350,000, introduced the character of Max Rockatansky, a policeman who struggles to survive in a world devastated by scarce resources and rampant violence.

Set in a chaotic near future, the film sees Max facing off against a biker gang terrorising the few remaining civilians. The film is known for its raw depiction of violence and its innovative way of filming the chase scenes, many of which were shot by the actors themselves.

Despite its low budget, Mad Max was an international success, grossing over $100 million at the box office, a truly impressive figure for the time. Its cultural impact was such that it not only launched Gibson’s career to stardom, but also established George Miller as a visionary director.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Two years after the release of Mad Max, a sequel arrived. Known in some markets as Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, it picked up the journey of Max Rockatansky, who has now become a lonely drifter in search of gasoline, the most precious resource in a world on the brink of collapse. Along the way, Max encounters a community of survivors besieged by a brutal band of raiders, led by the fearsome Lord Humungus. What follows is an epic battle for survival and freedom.

Mad Max 2 surpassed its predecessor in terms of ambition and execution, offering more intense action scenes and a more developed plot.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The third installment of the series, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, further expands the post-apocalyptic universe created by George Miller. This time, Gibson’s Rockatansky arrives in Bartertown, a town ruled by Aunty Entity, played by Tina Turner.

The plot revolves around the power struggles within this community and the alliances that Max must form to survive in an increasingly hostile environment. This sequel opted for a lighter tone and fewer scenes of violence, something that failed to convince some critics and fans of the series.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

After a three-decade hiatus since his last installment, George Miller returned to the fray with 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, a film that quickly became a contemporary action classic and revitalized the series for a new generation.

This feature film functioned as a prequel to the main saga with Tom Hardy taking over from Gibson as Max Rockatansky and with Charlize Theron playing Furiosa, a new character who stole the screen to the point of getting her own spin-off.

Mad Max: Fury Road was very well received by critics and audiences alike. It also received 10 Oscar nominations and won six awards, including Best Editing and Best Production Design.

Furiosa: From the Mad Max saga | Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery

Furiosa: The Mad Max saga, which was just added to the Max catalogue along with the four previous films, is the most recent installment of Miller’s franchise. This new chapter functions as an origin story for the character previously played by Charlize Theron.

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Furiosa, the film chronicles the events that led her to become the fierce warrior fans have come to know. The fifth film is set in the aftermath of the Great Collapse, when Furiosa is taken from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a massive horde of bikers led by the Warlord Dementus. As two tyrants battle for dominance, the heroine must survive a series of trials as she searches for a way back home.

In addition to Taylor-Joy, this installment that comes from the cinema to Max features the participation of Chris Hemsworth, John Howard, Josh Helman and Tom Burke.