Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

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Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

R

1981

1h 35m

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

After avenging the death of his wife and young son at the hands of a vicious gang leader, Max (Mel Gibson) drives the post-apocalyptic highways of the Australian outback, fending off attacks from nomadic tribes that prey on outsiders. Falling into an encampment led by the relatively peaceful Pappagallo (Mike Preston), Max at first schemes to steal their oil, but soon becomes the group's reluctant defender against the hulking Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his ruthless marauders.

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Critics Consensus

The Road Warrior is everything a bigger-budgeted Mad Max sequel with should be: bigger, faster, louder, but definitely not dumber.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

We may not feel crummy after the movie, but we feel hollow... The Road Warrior is for boys who want to go around slugging each other on the shoulder and for men who wish that John Wayne were alive and fifty again.

Sep 19, 2023

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Dwight Brown

Sepia

This one is destined to be a box-office smash.

Aug 10, 2022

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Exhilarating entertainment -- and a textbook for sophisticated, popular moviemaking.

Aug 25, 2008

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Akhil Arora

AkhilArora.com

The worldbuilding is possibly its biggest accomplishment, as you can start to see the elements of the wasteland take shape.

May 31, 2024

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Cory Woodroof

For the Win (USA Today)

The ferocious second installment brought Miller’s uncanny ability to mount action sequences to center stage with an immensely satisfying sequel.

May 29, 2024

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Alan French

Sunshine State Cineplex

Crafting “The Wasteland” and the aesthetic of the franchise, Miller took a huge step forward with the franchise. His action direction remains spectacular, and the editing techniques forever changed action cinema.

Rated: 9/10

May 23, 2024

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Les N

Probably the best movie I've ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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Benyamin M

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior is a great sequels to a great action film. And this one has cemented as one of the best sequels of all time. With a great revenge story and cinematography and action.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/15/25

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Drevin H

Good Movie, you should watch this and not the first one in my opinion. Pretty straight to the point and some great action.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/14/25

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Ray M

Hi octane kick ass entertainment! A near faultless spectacle and the greater of all the Max movies!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

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Alexander S

Fueled by the resounding success of its predecessor, The Road Warrior rekindled the fiery adrenaline of the original Mad Max film as it stands out as the franchise most thrilling cinematic experience, characterized by its relentless action sequences and desert-set battles. It is a golden era for enthusiasts of classic action cinema, particularly those who cherish the authentic spirit of 1980s filmmaking. Grading: A-

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

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Josh D

This is what I wanted the first Mad Max to be. First of all, the first few minutes of the movie fix my biggest problem with the original by giving some context through an opening narration. That context did a great job setting the stage and getting me invested in this world. This movie also did a much better job with the premise. In the first movie, I didn’t really care about the Leather Cops or the biker gang, but this movie did a great job getting me invested in the settler’s attempt to escape. It did a great job getting me to care for the characters, even ones that I didn’t think I would care about, like the Gyro Captain and Feral Kid. The one big mark against this movie for me is the antagonists. I didn’t care about Wez at all, he really just felt like Toecutter 2. Lord Humungus was interesting at first, but they didn’t really do anything with him from there. I think eliminating Wez and focusing on Humungus would’ve really helped flesh him out. The chase sequence at the end of the movie was pretty good, but what was especially good was the reveal at the end of it, which I’ll avoid discussing further for spoilers sake.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/25

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George Miller

Director

Mel Gibson

Max

Bruce Spence

The Gyro Captain

Emil Minty

The Feral Kid

Vernon Wells

Wez

Michael Preston

Pappagallo

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Synopsis

After avenging the death of his wife and young son at the hands of a vicious gang leader, Max (Mel Gibson) drives the post-apocalyptic highways of the Australian outback, fending off attacks from nomadic tribes that prey on outsiders. Falling into an encampment led by the relatively peaceful Pappagallo (Mike Preston), Max at first schemes to steal their oil, but soon becomes the group's reluctant defender against the hulking Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his ruthless marauders.

Director: George Miller
Producer: Byron Kennedy
Screenwriter: Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant
Production Co: Kennedy Miller Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

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