Mad Max - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Mad Max



Movie:
4K Video:
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Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
The film that started it all has one of the most problematic rights issues of the bunch, and has been loaned out from previous studios multiple times for Warner to make a boxset of. The original Blu-ray was put out by Lionsgate (with mediocre results) and Shout Factory had a go at it after that (with a highly controversial transfer). Kino Lorber actually got the rights to do a 4K UHD transfer back a year ago, and from what I can tell this disc is taken from the same master (which is a great thing), although I’m just going by reports as I never actually picked up the Kino release.

Back before Mel Gibson was a black listed actor by most of hollywood due to his drunken rants, and back before he was the massive heartthrob of the 1980s and 1990s, we had Mel Gibson the young Aussie kid. Fresh faced and soft as a baby’s bottom he starred in the 1979 George Miller movie that started his entire career. A high paced, high octane, post apocalyptic car flick that was in many ways a spiritual successor to Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, which was the gold standard for 1960s car flicks. This time with a darker bite to it, and a post apocalyptic view of the world that spiraled out of control into a massive leather fetish films that would come later.

If you think of Mad Max most people’s memory goes towards The Road Warrior, with Mel Gibson as a fully established rebel with a heart of gold in a sci-fi apocalyptic wasteland. Roving warriors tearing across the Australian countryside, and people fighting over fuel and bullets and women. However, the world is still not completely over the brink of catastrophe. It’s on that razor thin edge between order and chaos, and Max (Mel Gibson) is right here to watch it go to blazes. The Aussie world hasn’t completely gone to hell in a hand basket just yet, but the outback is awash with roving bandits and street punks, while the cities are still fairly normal.

The film opens up with a jet fueled car chase where a thug known as Nightrider (Vince Gil) has just stolen a police cruiser, forcing Max Rockatansky (Gibson) to chase him down in a blaze of glory, only for the madness ridden punk to jackknife into a semi-truck and end it all. This is pretty much a normal day for officer Rockatansky who goes home to cuddle with his wife Jessie (Joanne Samuel), only to go back out and do it all again the next day.

And go off the film does with a bang. From here on out it’s a descent into madness and chaos as “Mad” Max and his men try to toe the line from ever encroaching bandits and their reckless desire to rape, pillage, and destroy everything in their way. Much of the violence is implied rather than outright shown, but George Miller pulls off a low budget El Mariachi in his soon to be world famous series. The editing is a bit rough, the world a bit choppy and out there, but it’s a raw and 1970s fueled car film that leaves the audience with the sickening realization that it’s only going to get worse.

Mad Max was the original “Ozploitation” film of it’s time. It’s nasty, infused with hinted horrors, and purely a hellish landscape of death and destruction as the world collapses around Max, soon forcing him into the monicker that he’ll be known for in later films. Mel Gibson is also a bit raw and bleeding here as well. He’s bright eyed and full of life, but also he’s not gotten the typical Mel Gibson mannerisms and nuances that we’d know him for in later films. It’s a strange film, but a fun eye into the past where we see George Miller go from almost lawless land to a wasteland of utter devastation in his sequels.




Rated R by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

By all accounts Warner has used the same master that Kino Lorber used last year, which results in a very nice looking 4K UHD disc. It’s easily the best the film has ever looked in my eyes, and while there are some spots and speckles on the film it really is a revelation to see. The Lionsgate and Shout Factory disc was rather problematic to begin with, and having a nice new master is great. The density and texture of the film is jaw dropping, showing off details that I had never seen before and colors that just popped with the new HDR application. The red of the escaping car is amazing, as is the black levels and indoor shots throughout the film. There’s some obvious fish eye softness around some of the shots that was also in the cinematography for The Road Warrior, but the clarity is impressive to say the least. There’s some mild softness still embedded in the film and the few speckles and print damage keeps it from looking AMAZING, but this is leaps and bounds better than the old Blu-rays that’s for certain.








Audio:

There are 3 major tracks on the disc to enjoy. The original 2.0 Mono “Australian” English track in DTS-HD MA, a U.S. English DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, and the “Australian” English 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. All 3 have their pros and cons with the Mono track being the original (and labeled as such), but the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track isn’t bad. It’s generally a very front heavy mix with most of the work being done in the 3 main speakers, but we do get some sporadic activity in the surrounds. Channel separation is very solid, and dialog is only hampered by my ear not being used to Aussie accents. The Original mono track is a bit more thin and hampered by aging source matieral, but overall a good choice for purists. It’s not a massively powerful and overwhelming track, but it is quite well done and outside of being low budget doesn’t have any major issues.







Extras:

• nada

Final Score:
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Mad Max is the film that started it all, and while it’s not as crazy and over the top as the film’s ever larger and crazier sequels, it’s still a great movie in it’s own right. Gibson was just starting out his career, and this low budget “Ozploitation” was the thing that sent him straight into the spotlight. The 4K UHD disc is a bit barebones (unlike the Kino Lorber disc), but it seems to have a very similar excellent transfer to enjoy, and a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix as well. This and Fury Road is also the only one not getting a standalone release by Warner and only included in the Boxset (most likely due to licensing issues), with Fury Road just replicating the 2016 4K UHD disc already released.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Roger Ward, Tim Burns
Directed by: George Miller
Written by: George Miller, Bryon Kennedy, James McCausland
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA Original Mono, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 (U.S. English), French, German, Italian, Spanish (Latin), Spanish (Castilian), Czech, Hungarian DD 1.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Spanish (Latin), Spanish (Castilian), German, Finnish, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Hungarian
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 minutes
Blu-Ray Release November 16th, 2021

Recommendation: Great Watch