MovieChat Forums > Mad Max (1980) Discussion > Hated this film, incredibly boring.

Hated this film, incredibly boring.

posted 9 years ago by frankzappayay
34 replies | jump to latest

Just watched it for the first time, really surprised it was so bad. I don't think I've ever seen such a famous film before or a cult classic that I didn't understand how it became so successful, even if I didn't like it. I also watched Death Wish for the first time last week which is even older than this film, but was FAR better.

The quality was obviously bad, worse than a B movie, worse than a TV movie, more like a high school drama class performing a little show. Some horrible acting, some terrible dialogue, etc. But I can look past all that because it was a low budget film, so was Death Wish. What I can't look past is such a crappy story. It gave no explanation of what the setting is and why, who are all the good people and why are they driving along those same dangerous roads all the time, who are all the bad guys and why are they like that, and how have they survived so long, and why are there no real cops? It doesn't explain anything, and it doesn't even do a good job of showing it either. It doesn't even look like a broken down society, it just looks out in the sticks. But even all that I can look past too.

But the story... It's just so weak. Guy is substitute cop, bad guys everywhere, guy wants to quit, partner and wife get killed, guy goes back for one last bit of revenge. It is like day 1 at writing a story, but it doesn't even do a good job of filling in the gaps. That's what I hated the most about this film, there was nothing of value in between. There is a bit of hoodlum shenanigans at the start and a bit in the middle, the only memorable moment for me was the bit at the house near the beach but it took an hour and 10 minutes to reach that point. Then the finale was pathetic and completely unsatisfying. Hate everything about it, weak.

The only thing I can say for it is that it was probably less cliqued when it was made. It was before Maverick & Goose and million other movies about revenge or overcoming the loss of a close friend/partner/spouse. But still, it was 6 years AFTER Death Wish and even that movie wasn't the first of its kind. I can understand a small number of people enjoying it after seeing it around 79, but I am amazed it became a series and such a famous hit.

[–] Kruleworld 9 years ago

I can't force you to like it, but i hope it helped to come here and let us know 😱

one issue i do have;

It gave no explanation of what the setting is and why,

do you really need to be spoon fed all relevant information? (no wonder Avatar is such a long movie!) Can't you work out what is happening by, say, watching the movie? it's pretty obvious to everyone else that it's a future setting and the characters are 'cops and robbers'.

"He's dusted, busted and disgusted, but he's ok"

[–] rindercella 9 years ago

do you really need to be spoon fed all relevant information? (no wonder Avatar is such a long movie!) Can't you work out what is happening by, say, watching the movie? it's pretty obvious to everyone else that it's a future setting and the characters are 'cops and robbers'.

Wasn't boring at ALL to me. Some people say Apocolypto was boring, LOL Well, I just don't see it. I'm glad it was made, or we wouldn't have The Road Warrior.

Miller is the best!

"Men like you don't die on toilets." Mel Gibson-Riggs, Lethal Weapon

[–] frankzappayay 9 years ago

You can work it out but it doesn't tell you anything about it. It doesn't need to be spoonfed either, but this film tells you NOTHING at all about any of it. It just jumps straight in to it with no explanation. It also doesn't even look that different to real life, it certainly doesn't look like the future (maybe this is an issue with watching it in 2015), and it doesn't explain who the patrolers are, and whether they are legit or some gang etc. There is zero backstory. Weak.

[–] SwanKong 9 years ago

do you really need to be spoon fed all relevant information?

DING DING DING!!! We have a winner. Some people (like the OP) need to seek more simple movie fare.
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Truth is no defense to the overarching goal of submission.

[–] frankzappayay 9 years ago

DING DING DING!!! We have a winner. Some people (like the OP) need to seek more simple movie fare.

LOL I know dickheads on imdb often try to act superior but a Mad Max fan, really?! Yeah it is such a high brow movie...

[–] Strangerhand 8 years ago

No one's acting "superior" here. You're a *beep*in' stupid troll, and I don't think the inferiority you go out of your way to display to everyone is just an act for you.

And you DO need everything spoon-fed to you, but that's not the movie's fault. AND you're not capable of an original thought, so your incessant remakes suck really, really badly. Well that's your fault too, stupid n00bie.

Why don't you just go troll somewhere else instead of sitting here in a fat, loaded, stinky diaper crying about backhand that you yourself came here asking for, dumb, stupid *beep*.

[–] henrimaine 9 years ago

it doesn't even look like a broken down society

Why do you think it has to be a broken down society? The idea that Mad Max is about post-apocalyptic world, was really created in sequels. At the time the first movie came out, you would have looked at the setting as a normal rural area.

[–] Sublime4914 9 years ago

Your measage board is boring...

[–] TVippy 9 years ago

Totally agree, just watched it. Watched the other ones 10 years ago or even earlier and they're pretty good.

I think the only people enjoying it are those who saw it back in 1979.
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I own you.https://goo.gl/0avZjB

[–] Strangerhand 8 years ago

Being ignorant and uninformed is fun, eh, little one. But not as fun as making up statements about what you didn't even look into, know about nothing about, hm.

By the way: You own nothing, but Arnie owns YOU--we all saw it, ya know.

[–] audiopinions 9 years ago

I just saw this for the first time ever today. I tried watching it a couple years ago, but was I really tired and couldn't get into it, writing it off as boring.

After sitting down and watching it from start to finish I wish I had jut drank some caffeine during my first attempt because this movie is awesome. It's back and forth vengeance with a really likable protagonist and spectacular action.

My main gripe with the film is technical in that I had trouble hearing some of the dialogue, but since it is such a simple story it's not like I got confused. Cop kills bad guy. Bad guys get vengeance on cop's loved ones. Cop gets vengeance on bad guys. What more details or twists do there need to be in a story that straightforward?

The movie isn't about how this place came to be this way. It's focused on a small handful of people living there and we learn about the world through their eyes. It establishes that this one band of criminals is much more than the law can handle in this place and they terrorize the roads, which is really all you need to know. I personally wasn't thirsting for any more exposition.

[–] Film_Guy76 8 years ago

well lord of the rings is boring to me
twilight,
star trek into darkness

check yourself before you wreck yourself BOI!!

[–] Strangerhand 8 years ago

My main gripe with the film is technical in that I had trouble hearing some of the dialogue

Ah, that's been fixed rather recently, within the last few years.

I'm guessing that you were watching what was the US version of the film for a long time, since '79 I guess until the last few years ago. For some awful "reason", the US distrubution of the film was overdubbed, badly, to remove the much of the Australian accenting in the dialog--something about some suit somewhere thinking that it would never sell in the US with Australian accents in it! The bad dubbing makes some of the dialog audio muddled and more difficult to hear clearly than it should've been.

Much fortunately for the Blu Ray release, that nonsensical and crappy-sounding bad dubbing has been discarded after decades, and the original Australian-English dialog audio-track has been remastered and restored to the film.

See & hear the new Blu Ray--it's awesome! And as you may already know: Once you go to Blu Ray, you'll never go back to DVD hehehehehe

[–] olvea 9 years ago

Thank you. Now I didn't have to write it.

[–] Strangerhand 8 years ago

Ah, good. Don't. In fact don't ever try to write anything about anything ever.

[–] bigguyalex 9 years ago

I agree with the OP this movie was bad. I get that the mad max movies influenced alot of action and science fiction movies ,but this was just bad, dated and boring. I wanted to like this movie I really did ,but I don't think that this movie aged well. There are alot of old movies that are effective even if you watch them today ,and unfortunately this film isn't one them.

[–] allisonjoys 9 years ago

I agree. I watched about 20 minutes of the movie and I'm now on here trying to find some back story. I usually love movies where we aren't "spoon fed" info and it just jumps right in. But the problem here is the movie isn't offering anything to make me want to find out.

[–] twentyfoursevensecurity 8 years ago

You get all the background info you need in the opening prologue to Mad Max 2.

[–] Strangerhand 8 years ago

I usually love movies where we aren't "spoon fed" info and it just jumps right in. But the problem here is the movie isn't offering anything to make me want to find out.

You're weird.  And clueless, I'd bet.

Hey, hey everybody! I wager five good American bucks that allisonjoys is clueless as *beep*--anyone wanna bet that she's not...? 