When you get right down to it, no series in pop culture – be it movies, video games, TV shows, or comics – is as synonymous with the post-apocalyptic genre as Mad Max. In many ways, a serious argument can be made that George Miller's hit series helped establish a new era for the dystopian genre, setting a high water mark for every post-apocalyptic film, TV show, and game that came after it.
A notable influence on everything from Fallout and Borderlands to Waterworld and The Terminator, it's impossible to overstate Mad Max‘s importance not just on the post-apocalyptic landscape but also in the action genre. In many instances, the two most celebrated entries in the series – The Road Warrior and Fury Road – have been cited as a key inspiration for numerous filmmakers over the years, including Christopher Nolan, Guillermo del Toro, and James Wan.
Despite being limited to only a handful of films, Mad Max continues to exist as a beloved action franchise in its own right, with fans eagerly awaiting the series' next two installments (the spin-off Furiosa and Mad Max: The Wasteland).
Still, like any franchise, certain entries in the series are far more fondly remembered than others. From the first film bearing the Mad Max name to its most recent addition, every Mad Max movie is ranked from best to worst.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
It's a matter of opinion alone which is better: 1981's Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior or its later sequel/reboot, Mad Max: Fury Road. As fantastic as each of those movies are, The Road Warrior's influential take on the post-apocalypse makes it an undeniably great (and important) film in cinematic history, beating out its 2015 counterpart by a fraction of an inch.
After a global nuclear conflict has wiped out civilization, former lawman Max (Mel Gibson) scours the Australian desert for much-needed supplies. His endless wandering soon takes him to a fortress community, where he deals with the local residents to rid them of blood-thirsty raiders in exchange for fuel.
Like all the most revolutionary sequels, The Road Warrior is the film that continues to define the Mad Max franchise, with images of windswept deserts, leather-clad bikers, and customized muscle cars instantly springing to mind when you hear the title said aloud. Without this film, there'd be no Fury Road, no Fallout, no Tank Girl, no Twisted Metal – in short, no post-apocalyptic genre to speak of today.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Nearly ten years after its 2015 release, it's easy to forget how big a cultural phenomenon Mad Max: Fury Road was when it initially hit theaters. Rebooting the long-dormant Mad Max series in the best possible way, George Miller once again proved why the name Mad Max was at the forefront of modern action.
Captured and imprisoned by a dangerous cult, Max (Tom Hardy) is forced to work together with the skilled warrior Furiosa (Charlize Theron), helping her rescue several young women from a deranged warlord (Hugh Keays-Byrne).
Like The Road Warrior, Fury Road continues to rank as one of the best action movies of all time – not to mention being the definitive entry in the post-apocalyptic genre (along with The Road Warrior). For evidence of its immense esteem in the public eye, look at how many aspects of the film have been looked upon favorably by pop culture enthusiasts, from fan-favorite characters like Furiosa to its austere use of practical effects over CGI.
Mad Max
As society crumbles around him, increasingly disillusioned lawman Max (Mel Gibson) works with his fellow officers to protect and serve the community. But, as he does his best to uphold the law, Max faces his most dire threat yet in the form of a vicious biker gang targeting his family.
It's interesting to see how far the Mad Max series has grown from its initial installment, 1979's Mad Max. Looking at it, its sparse exploration of the post-apocalyptic genre – showing a civilization on the verge of collapse – makes it a far cry from the barren wasteland presented in Fury Road or The Road Warrior.
However, the lack of post-apocalyptic elements makes Mad Max more refreshing and unique. Opting for a grim view of the future akin to A Clockwork Orange – with hyper-violent gangs roaming the countryside looking for trouble – it's more dystopian than strictly post-apocalypse, making it perhaps the franchise's most bizarre entry to date.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
The third and final film in the original Mad Max trilogy, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome's low ranking on this list, should be considered a testament to the superior quality of every other film in the franchise. Far from being a bad film, it provides a more than satisfactory (temporary) ending to the Mad Max series, flawlessly completing Max's initial character arc from an isolated tortured soul to someone who's rediscovered his long-lost humanity.
Robbed of his supplies and left to fend for himself in the desert, Max (Gibson) ventures to a nearby trading town run by the ruthless Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), whom he reluctantly begins working for to regain his lost goods.
An ideal follow-up to The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome admittedly lacks the vivid stylization of Fury Road. However, George Miller's illustrative imagination is clearly present, giving us such memorable creations as Bartertown, Master Blaster, the Tribe Who Left, and the titular Thunderdome. In all, it may be the weakest of the Mad Max films – but that's not to say it's an altogether terrible movie in the slightest.
