Ranking the Mad Max Films: Which Movie Reigns Supreme in the Wasteland?

With the release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, I decided to watch through all of the Mad Max films. This was the first time I had seen any of the Mad Max films and knew very little about them so I was going into this with fresh eyes. In general, I quite enjoyed the Mad Max films. I liked the whole setting of a post-apocalyptic Australia and thought everything was a lot of fun. The franchise also grows quite a bit. The first film was made with a $300,000 budget while the newest film has a $170 million budget. Part of that was due to inflation but it is still crazy how big this franchise has gotten. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the five Mad Max films.

5. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is the weakest of the franchise while still being a lot of fun. This movie takes some of the best parts of the previous films and just does them again. It doubles down on the apocalypse warfare with this cool fight in the Thunderdome and also delivers a solid desert chase at the end of the film. I also liked how the movie built the city of Bartertown. It does a decent job of establishing the lifestyle here and who the rulers are. The movie also has some great practical effects. From the fights to the car chases and the explosions, everything is done with real effects. What brought this movie down was the plot itself. It feels like two separate stories smashed together in one with neither fitting together with the other. The first half is all about Max entering this city and freeing it from The Master while the second half sees him camping out with a bunch of kids as they try to find a new home. The movie kind of comes together in the end but it feels very forced and doesn't really work. I don't quite understand why Mad and the children needed to return to Bartertown. I also didn't find Tina Turner all that great in her role. She isn't all that great of an actress. Overall, while it was a fun watch, it was not very good plot-wise.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. Mad Max

Mad Max is easily the most grounded of the franchise and is a far cry from the epic action we see in Fury Road. The best thing about this movie is how it gives the origin story of Max going from a family man with a job as a cop to a loner who is driven by revenge. I enjoy Max as a character. Mel Gibson does a great job as this intense cop who has to cope with his loss. The movie also goes in a unique direction with the dystopian setting. It still creates some semblance of normality while also showing how society is beginning to go downhill. What keeps this movie down on the list is just how small-scale it is. When compared to the other films on this list, it comes across as a little dull. You can also really feel the low budget in this film. The movie did a good job for what it had but you can definitely feel that it was only made for $300,000. In the end, Mad Max is a decent enough start to the franchise but it just pales in comparison to all of the others on this list.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Mad Max: The Road Warrior

Mad Max: The Road Warrior is easily the best of the original three films. It takes the best part of the franchise, the dystopian action sequences, and goes all in on them. We get to see Max shine as more of an action hero and get an epic car chase scene at the end of the film. The movie also does a great job of embracing the dystopian world with lots of ruined cities, more animalistic people, and cool-looking cars and buildings with random spikes on them. This film also has some of the more memorable characters of the original trilogy with The Feral Kid, Humungus, and The Gyro King. I also found this film to have the easiest-to-follow plot of the original films. It doesn't get bogged down by too much drama or get confusing about what is going on like the other films do. I don't take much issue with this film, it is just a solid dystopian action film. Overall, this is a great action film and the best of the trilogy and really sets the stage for the movies that are higher on this list.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga does a great job of recapturing some of the highs of Mad Max: Fury Road. This movie tells an epic story about Furiosa and does so in a way that makes the story fit perfectly. The movie isn't overstuffed with ideas, nor does it feel too long. The movie makes the wise decision to have a chapter-like format with each chapter telling a different component of Furiosa's story. It runs a bit like episodes of a TV show but is still done seamlessly enough that a TV show would not be the better version. As with Mad Max: Fury Road, the action sequences are so well done with practical stunt work and great visual effects. The CGI is used to enhance scenes and not just to flood the screen. Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy are great in this film. Any Taylor-Joy does a great job in a role so different than her normal and manages to deliver a great performance with very little dialogue. Chris Hemsworth is also a lot of fun in this film. You can see that he is going all in with the role and is just having a blast filming the movie. Overall, this is one of the best films of the franchise and a great follow up to Fury Road.

Click Here to read my full review for this movie.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is definitively the best in the franchise. From an effects standpoint, it is just so much bigger and better than the original three films. It is just so fascinating that the franchise went from the original film to this. What makes this movie so great is its ability to deliver excellence through simplicity. The story itself is extremely simple as it is essentially a two-hour car chase but what elevates it is the amazing action sequences and interesting characters. The action sequences are all just so much fun with so many different car chases and fight choreography jumping across different vehicles. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are great as Max and Furiosa. Furiosa is such an interesting character and a great addition to the franchise. The visual effects in this movie were also fantastic with most of the effects being done practically with CGI only used to enhance elements in certain scenes. It is just so great to see a film that delivers practical action sequences like this. This movie also managed to get nominated for Best Picture if that gives any indication of how great this movie is. In the end, this is just a fantastic action movie with great visual effects and fun action sequences. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A