Mel Gibson’s favourite ‘Mad Max’ movie: “It was just pure”
Mel Gibson. Where do you even start? The inaugural winner of People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ award could seemingly do no wrong in the 1980s and 1990s. He fronted a number of massively successful franchises and was, seemingly, untouchable. Until he wasn’t. Gibson’s well-documented fall from grace – and subsequent return to the top – is still a hot button topic in film-loving circles to this day. Some are glad he’s back, others want nothing to do with him. That split isn’t going to change any time soon.
One of the high-points of Gibson’s pre-scandal career was starring in the first three ‘Mad Max’ movies. As the titular cop living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, he was the face of George Miller’s wild vision. He fought baddies on the open road, survived battles with mutated humans of all shapes and sizes, and even got to share the screen with Tina Turner. Not bad for a trilogy’s work.
Playing Mr. Rockastansky (that’s Max’s last name, in case you didn’t know) opened a lot of doors for the star, who was born in America but mainly grew up in the film’s home country of Australia. The first film was only his second appearance in a feature-length movie, but it catapulted him to international stardom. The film became the most profitable ever made, raking in $100 million (US) from a budget of just $300-400,000 (Australian). Gibson was now a household name, even if his Australian accent had been dubbed for the American release.
Speaking as part of a panel at MegaCon in Orlando, Gibson reflected on this period of his career and named what he thought was the strongest entry in the franchise. “I think the second installment was the best,” he said (via ScreenRant). “It was just pure. It was just a chase. From an audience point of view, I thought it was the cleanest. It had some excellent thrills. No special effects, they were just throwing stuff out of a truck.”
Known as ‘The Road Warrior’ in the United States, Mad Max 2 dropped two years after its high-octane original. With the world even further down the pan than before, Max becomes the saviour of a group of survivors in their fight against the villainous Lord Humungus. The sequel properly leans into its insanity, forming many of the tropes closely associated with the franchise today. It also led to an increased interest in dystopian fiction, which quickly became a go-to for Hollywood. It has many celebrity fans and there’s even a museum dedicated to it in Silverton, New South Wales, Australia.
It’s not clear if Gibson was asked for his favourite ‘Mad Max’ movie overall or just the one he was in. If the former is true, then he may have been throwing subtle shade at 2015’s Fury Road. He was replaced in the titular role by Tom Hardy for this fourth instalment, which turned out to be a gigantic success. It reintroduced the character to a new audience, crucially without Gibson’s involvement.
This is pure speculation. Nobody knows for sure if Gibson harbours any resentment towards his replacement, but if he does, then there’s a perfectly good Thunderdome ready for them to settle their differences.
