The Road Warrior (1981)
AKA Mad Max 2
Starring Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston, Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, Kjell Nilsson, Emil Minty, Virginia Hey, William Zappa, Arkie Whiteley, Steve J. Spears
Directed by George Miller
Expectations: Vroom! Vroom!
The Road Warrior is not a direct sequel to Mad Max, instead it jumps forward a number of years to present a much more advanced version of the wasteland. This is never expressly stated, but it’s really the only way to explain why the two films are so aesthetically different. Anyway, The Road Warrior is an incredible film, and much different than its predecessor. Director George Miller proved on Mad Max that he had a punk spirit that was willing to tell his story without adhering to traditional filmmaking rules, and here on The Road Warrior the same spirit is in evidence (both in visual design and storytelling).
At this stage, society as we know it is completely gone. Gasoline is far more precious than it was in Mad Max and the bandits have also become much more insane, embracing their law of chaos. The bandits dress like scavenger punks, wearing leather chaps, football pads and whatever the hell else they found that looked suitably badass. Their leader is a huge guy in a hockey mask named Humungus, a name both fitting for his stature and for the bandits’ outlook on life. They don’t have time to waste on bullshit; this guy’s humongous so his name will be Humungus!