Delayed Reaction: Mad Max

What I Guessed It Was About: Max is a dude. Things make him mad. People are wearing a lot of leather and dominatrix clothing. It's hot outside. People are wearing leather. Max is mad. I wonder if wearing all that leather in the sun is what makes Max mad.

How I Came Into It: I've missed my opportunity to see this series for a while. I knew Mad Max would be worth watching although I had warnings that it was pretty slow. I was coming off such a Fury Road high though that it could've been nothing more than a still frame picture of a pineapple and I'd've given it 90 minutes.

<<Full Disclosure: I watched this in a very distracted setting.>>

Why I Saw It: Knowing what follows, it's hard to appreciate what is done well in this. It isn't the action assault the other movies are and that's ok. It's a slow build to get to what finally breaks Max (It turns out, the dude has a high threshold). Once it does get going, you see what George Miller can do with the stunts and cars. Especially considering the shoestring budget, this is quite an accomplishment.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This is like eating a salad before getting to the main course. I like salads. It's filling and some parts are especially tasty. It's not the steak* though. I was about to watch the full trilogy and this was getting between me and The Road Warrior. I'd like to see this again, prepared for the pace of it, so I can appreciate the smaller beats.

*Personally, it would be chicken or maybe pork. I'm not a big fan of steak. I think it's overrated.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend