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Mad Max Anthology (UHD Blu-ray) review

Mad Max Anthology (UHD Blu-ray) review
« on: November 18, 2021, 02:03:39 PM »


Studio: Warner Brothers     
Release Date: November 16, 2021
Rating: R


Plot
Mad Max (4.5/5)
In a not-too-distant dystopian future, when man's most precious resource -- oil -- has been depleted and the world plunged into war, famine and financial chaos, the last vestiges of the law in Australia attempt to restrain a vicious biker gang. Max (Mel Gibson), an officer with the Main Force Patrol, launches a personal vendetta against the gang when his wife (Joanne Samuel) and son are hunted down and murdered, leaving him with nothing but the instincts for survival and retribution.

The Road Warrior (4.5/5)
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.

Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome (3.5/5)
In the third of the "Mad Max" movies, Max (Mel Gibson) drifts into an evil town ruled by Turner. There he becomes a gladiator and gets dumped in the desert where he is rescued by a band of feral orphans who have been looking for help for years. When several of them take his appearance as a sign and go off into the desert, he follows them back to the town.

Mad Max: Fury Road (3/5)
Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.


My Thoughts
In my youth, I absolutely loved The Road Warrior and saw it multiple times in the theater—having to sneak in since I wasn’t old enough to see as restricted movie. Like many kids my age, we didn’t see the first film until much later in life on home video and while it’s great in its own right, the second will always have the best memories attached to it.

When the third film came out I remember going to the theater with a group of friends with high anticipation. While it wasn’t a bad film, it didn’t meet our very high expectations. Frankly, the highlight of the show was Tina Turner’s outfits and when Mad Max was entering the secure complex. To this day it makes me laugh as he unloads all of his weapons in Bartertown.

Thankfully I had some time off from work burning up some vacation days and I was able to binge the first three movies (I watched the fourth when it was released on UHD a few years ago—it’s the same release in this set). The first film has the most dramatic elements in the set, but I didn’t enjoy revisiting all three of them. For the most part, they are what I remember but some of the wonder that I experienced as a teenager has worn off and I’ll probably never look at them in the same light again.

The video encodes on the film are pretty clean and is arguably the best they have ever looked. Some may say there’s a bit too much DNR applied, but after recently viewing the newest T2: Judgement Day release, there’s really nothing to complain about here. The audio tracks are full of action and mayhem, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, the mix on The Road Warrior exhibits some severe flaws in a number of scenes. Most notably a four-minute stretch from about 53:30 through 58:00 where the dialog sounds scratchy and barely intelligible. This crops up again a few minutes later, but thankfully the rest of the film sounds much better.

Mad Max
Video 9/10
Audio 8/10 (DTS HD-MA 5.1)

The Road Warrior
Video 9/10
Audio 6/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome
Video 9/10
Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Mad Max: Fury Road
Video 10/10
Audio 10/10 (Dolby Atmos)



Special Features:
  • Mad Max The Road Warrior

    • Introduction by Leonard Maltin
    • Commentary by Director George Miller and Cinematographer Dean Semler
  • Road War: The Making of Road Warrior
  • Digital Codes for all four films


Conclusion
As I’ve grown older, my tastes have changed quite a bit in movies. While I love an action movie as much as the next guy, I do like a bit more meat on the bone when it comes to the story. In the case of these four films, the story gets weaker and weaker in each subsequent film, but in exchange, the stunts and action scenes fill in the gap. Unfortunately, the audio issue in The Road Warrior is a bit of a let down and hopefully the studio implements an exchange when the fix the glaring error. Recommended for fans. 

Reference Review System:
 

 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels

ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-980

M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 JL Audio Fathom F110 Subwoofers x 2 

Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

Blu-ray Reviewer / Technical Writer
Sound & Vision Magazine

bmoney

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Re: Mad Max Anthology (UHD Blu-ray) review
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2021, 03:12:43 PM »
I’ve only seen the new one. Not sure if I am
Interested in the whole
She bang. Kinda weird 
SadieMax 2,0 Build thread

Nad t758v3 
7.4.4 diysoundgroup 1099's (3) 
Volt 6 (8 ) 
18" SI subs (4) 
diy 130" 2.40 spandex screen
minidsp 2x4HD
JVC rs600
Lumagen radiance pro 4242
Nvidia shield pro
Emby NAS media player

claw

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Re: Mad Max Anthology (UHD Blu-ray) review
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2021, 08:13:34 PM »
I already have the original Mad Max and Mad Max Fury Road in 4K so I won't be purchasing the set.    These two are by far my favorites in the series.
JVC RS500/LG OLED/Denon X6400H 7.2.4/Panasonic UB820/Oppo 203/AppleTV 4K/FireStick 4K/HDfury Diva/MadVR RTX2080Ti

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