Monday, September 15, 1997

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

093037 / 16 / AU 1985 / Miller, George / science fiction

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome / Mad Max 3 - ukkosmyrsky. PC: Kennedy Miller Productions. D: George Miller, George Ogilvie. CAST: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner. 106’ An MTV3 television transmission, PAL speed, cropped to full frame from Panavision, with ample commercial breaks, Finnish subtitles by Markku Kenttä, viewed in Helsinki on Monday, 15 September 1997. **** Often seen as a weaker sequel to The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome in fact rises to a different level. Miller not only had access to the holy grounds of the Aborigines, but the whole film is shot through with the spirit of Dreaming, the ancient religion of the continent. While The Road Warrior was about action, Beyond Thunderdome is about meditation. The Road Warrior had a run-of-the-mill script but was original in execution. Beyond Thunderdome both has an unique script and develops the audacious production design of the Mad Max saga further. The arts, the crafts, and the costumes still look stunning. Maurice Jarre composed one of his more experimental scores for this one. Tina Turner is a worthy adversary to Mel Gibson. She belongs to the few rock stars who really stand on their own in a narrative film. Her reaction to the demolition of her city and the fact that the opposite tribe has escaped? Homeric laughter.

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