The Road Warrior

Name: The Road Warrior
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Released: May 21, 1982
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 77
Cast: Mel Gibson

1982

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 189 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 189 Ratings

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The Road Warrior

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. | Release Date: May 21, 1982 | R

Starring: Mel Gibson

Summary: In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, Max (Mel Gibson), a cynical drifter, agrees to help a small, gasoline-rich community fight a roving band of marauders. Originally titled Mad Max 2.

Director: George Miller

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 94 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Ian Nathan

It is the Road Warrior (as it was subtitled for the American release) that remains the definitive Max movie, hard as nails, hell for leather, it lands like a punch to the jaw. Don't drive angry? Yeah, right. Read full review

100

Josh Larsen

Part post-apocalyptic Western, part midnight motorcycle flick and part Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is, when you add it all up, a nutty, B-movie masterpiece. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Miller's choreography of his innumerable vehicles is so extraordinary that it makes Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark look like a kid fooling with Dinky Toys. Read full review

Charles Michener

For the eternal adolescents of the '80s, "Warrior" is even more primal fun than its predecessor. Miller has perfected the popup Spielberg style and laced it with speed. [31 May 1982, p.67]

Bob McCabe

Gibson is surprisingly uncharismatic, but Miller makes up for it with whizz bang action. Read full review

Vincent Canby

In its stripped-down, cannily cinematic way, it's one of the most imaginative Australian films yet released in this country. It has no pretensions to do anything except entertain in the primitive, occasionally jolting fashion of the first nickelodeon movies, whose audiences flinched as streetcars lumbered silently toward the camera. Read full review

Pauline Kael

The film is one continuous spurt of energy...But the picture is abstract in an adolescent way. Miller's attempt to tap into the universal concept of the hero (as enunciated by Jung and explicated by Joseph Campbell in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces") makes the film joyless.

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User Reviews

JurassicParkFan

Mar 12, 2016

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is one of the greatest 80's action movies of all time. The stunts are amazing, the action scenes were spectacular! still fury road is better.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gracjanski

Feb 7, 2021

What a big leap from the 1st Mad Max movie. This one is much better: With the much higher budget they created a much better world. But also the story is very well written and the character of Max is fascinating. Also the action scenes were top.
In addition it is clear, where the FalloutWhat a big leap from the 1st Mad Max movie. This one is much better: With the much higher budget they created a much better world. But also the story is very well written and the character of Max is fascinating. Also the action scenes were top.
In addition it is clear, where the Fallout franchise get their ideas from.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CJFouras

May 16, 2015

Mad Max 2, the ultimate film in the series. An awesome action film that never ceases to blow people away with it's interesting/quirky/crazy characters and action packed chase sequences. It sets the standard for every other Mad Max film and stands as one of the greatest action films of all time.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

BarbaLongdoOest

Dec 6, 2019

98y1aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

LoletinAlexis

Aug 12, 2019

Mad Max 2 - The Road Warrior is a great improvement over the first movie.
A phenomenal action, an interesting script (but little else) and crazy buzzes create this work worthy of worship.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Broyax

Dec 25, 2017

Le premier Mad Max était un choc et posait les prémisses d'un monde déliquescent et décadent, le début d'une anarchie impitoyable ; le second pour sa part pose les bases du monde d'après, le monde post-apocalyptique dont se sont inspirés bien des oeuvres, films, jeux et séries entre autres.Le premier Mad Max était un choc et posait les prémisses d'un monde déliquescent et décadent, le début d'une anarchie impitoyable ; le second pour sa part pose les bases du monde d'après, le monde post-apocalyptique dont se sont inspirés bien des oeuvres, films, jeux et séries entre autres.

Bien des codes de cet univers cruel sont autant de détails comme les véhicules faits de bric et de broc, les espèces de "costumes" délirants à tendance sado-maso, les décors sortis d'une brocante géante et le hurlement des V8 qui marchent à la nitro : un festival de tonnerres mécaniques, caricatures de "l'ancien monde" qui a encore la tête dans le pétrole.

Des survivants tentent de survivre, assaillis par la bande de dégénérés et de cinglés, rassemblés en une tribu de maniaques aux ordres du grand manitou au masque de psychopathe... Le monde post-apo est revenu au plus bas de l'échelle humaine, rétrogradé à la sauvagerie la plus basique et Mad Max 2 en dresse un portrait brutal mais aussi très ironique et grinçant : on en ricane et on en jubile, à la fois horrifié et fasciné...

Et Max "le dingue" dans tout ça est l'anti-héros parfait, presque aussi brutal que les autres, désabusé et vagabond, paranoïaque et misanthrope mais encore "humain" malgré tout et malgré lui... C'est évidemment le rôle qui a lancé Mel Gibson, très à l'aise dans son personnage cynique, sobre et charismatique.

L'action est évidemment spectaculaire dans ses cascades et impressionne encore aujourd'hui avec ses poursuites. La réalisation est par contre souvent brouillonne, très "brut de décoffrage" avec un montage agité et même quelques accélérés (!). Et bien sûr, l'effet de surprise du premier film s'est estompé, l'impact n'étant clairement pas le même.

La musique de Brian May est tout aussi agitée et furieuse, trop vociférante par endroits, heureusement plus convaincante dans son thème principal solennel et fin de règne.

Nonobstant ses quelques bémols, cette suite du premier Mad Max demeure jubilatoire et terriblement efficace... et sauvage jusqu'au bout des pneus.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JurgenRamnball

Oct 31, 2015

Bad movie which is the most overrated of the series, it is the responsible for the post-apocalyptic, which is the most important element for the Mad Max universe, but its cause is only a poorly developed premise. Plus, there's no reason for a post-apocalyptic theme in this movie, since itBad movie which is the most overrated of the series, it is the responsible for the post-apocalyptic, which is the most important element for the Mad Max universe, but its cause is only a poorly developed premise. Plus, there's no reason for a post-apocalyptic theme in this movie, since it only shows a desert and deserts are always devastated, the presence of a single ruin showing the destruction would solve that problem, the weird is that the roads are completely intact (??). The Road Warrior looks like a small brief, that happens because the movie features interesting characters, but they don't have any development or subplot, making them forgettable. By the way, you don't forget them because you can't stop thinking about how forgettable they are. The violence and insanity, which are very important for the Mad Max series, simply don't exist here. Max is turned into a blockbuster action badass hero, contradicting his development in the first movie and making the series fall to the cliches of the 70's actions and old westerns. The first act is troubled by twenty minutes where NOTHING happens, the story is poor overall and I don't remember the soundtrack of this movie. Only good thing is that the movie isn't long, Max eating dog food and the post-apocalyptic aren't even original concepts.… Expand

1 of 8 users found this helpful17

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