One of Australia’s most popular exports came to America’s shores via a Mel Gibson character that he and creator and film director George Miller had created. Mad Max was like an Old West outlaw, except instead of working the landscape of late 1800s New Mexico, Gibson’s Max drove his souped-up car across Australia’s Outback in the time after a nuclear war. The post-apocalyptic story has produced four films, won Oscars, and banked hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars.
Warner Bros. has a gift for fans who have followed Max on his journey for four decades, or those who recently hopped on the train with Mad Max Fury Road, this holiday and that’s all the Mad Max movies in one set, the Anthology, released in 4K in a technical upgrade that is a marvel. The Mad Max Anthology joins recent WB home video upgrades such as A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Speed, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory proving that there is something in the water over at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment! Each package is a must-own, not only for the film itself and its uncanny transfer to 4K, but also because of the extras that come along with it and the opportunity to add something that should have been in your collection all along—made all the sweeter by the fact that it is in 4K.
Warner reports that each of the four films was remastered in 4K from the original camera negatives scans. Do you know what that means? The end of the world never looked or sounded so fine! This is the first time that all four films have been in one place and on 4K. For Mad Max fans, this is manna from heaven.
The four-pack features 1979’s Mad Max, 1981’s Mad Max The Road Warrior, 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and 2015’s six-time Oscar winner Mad Max Fury Road together on a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack with digital codes for each film also included.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of the Mad Max The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and Mad Max Fury Road feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed with the home theater landscape in mind. One can hear the difference immediately. With the right equipment, the cinematic experience can be maximized and illustrate why home video has become such a force of nature in the motion picture business. To access the Dolby Atmos, the viewer will need a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos friendly soundbar.
When it comes to bonus features, there aren’t honestly that many. But that’s fine in this case because the institution that is the Mad Max is well documented. Their fans are among the most knowledgeable when it comes to how a film was made and trivia and the like about each picture. But there are some fascinating featurettes on the second flick, with an introduction by film critic extraordinaire Leonard Maltin… you will not want to miss the documentary Road War: The Making of Road Warrior. It also includes a stellar commentary track with Miller and cinematographer Dean Semler.
Mad Max arrives on 4K as a set, but they can also be purchased individually if that is the avenue you want to go down.
To recap, the set includes Mad Max—which landed in ‘79 and was directed by Miller, from a screenplay by Miller and James McCausland, based on a story by Miller and Byron Kennedy. Mad Max The Road Warrior hit screens in ’81 and helmed by Miller and written by Miller, Terry Hayes & Brian Hannant.
The third film in the series, 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome marked the first time that Miller brought along some help in the form of co-director George Ogilvie, based on a screenplay from Miller and Terry Hayes. Last, but not least by any means, is 2015’s Mad Max Fury Road, which was helmed by Miller and penned by Miller, Brendan McCarthy, and Nico Lathouris.
Films Grade: A
Bonus Features: B