Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

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Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

PG-13,

1985,

1h 46m,

Sci-Fi/

Action

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Watchlist

Watchlist

79%

57 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

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.

Critics Consensus

Beyond Thunderdome deepens the Mad Max character without sacrificing the amazing vehicle choreography and stunts that made the originals memorable.

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Michael Healy

Denver Post

Aug 19, 2025

"Beyond Thunderdome" is quite a bit smarter and more complex than its predecessor.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

Jan 4, 2018

It's comic books in a Cuisinart, all costumes and cute monikers and no story, a sort of case history of just what's wrong with sequelitis.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

May 13, 2015

3.5/4

This middle portion of the picture becomes dangerously preachy, but just before we and Max are bored, director Miller returns Max to his roots, a screaming chase sequence through a desertlike Australian landscape.

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Robert Denerstein

Denver Rocky Mountain News

Aug 21, 2025

This teeming post-apocalyptic circus lacks the precision that made The Road Warrior a work of genius.

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Jul 6, 2025

3/4

Miller was involved in two productions at the time this film was made, which may explain why the relinquishing of his full control to his co-director led to a film that was more verbose than either of his prior outings.

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Akhil Arora

AkhilArora.com

May 31, 2024

The second sequel—the third chapter overall—is a very different Mad Max movie than the first two. It’s kooky and a bit extra.

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Leia P

Apr 23, 2019

A good movie, but not more. It's of course the worst Mad Max movie!

Abraham R

Apr 18, 2019

Mad Max is such a strange franchise. And Beyond Thunderdome feels so different from the rest of the movies. It's campy, it's corny and it really gets bogged down in the middle, but it still manages to be an entertaining ride. It's a bizarre film that shouldn't have worked, yet it managed to build a cult following.

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Leia S

Mar 4, 2019

Wasn't the best, but also wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen. The story was rather confusing from time to time.

Hagrid R

Mar 2, 2019

Might seem a bit tame due to the children's presence, but the finale is a great set piece and a proper Mad Max battle

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George R

Mar 1, 2019

Anything with the kids is insufferable. The rest of the movie is good.

Feb 17, 2019

Hmmm... that was a wild ride. I laughed my butt off! It had a Peter Pan lost boys feel to it at times and a Star Wars at other times. It completely derailed from the previous two movies. The costumes were a hodge-podge of football gear and leather S&M straps. Max was the only one with pants in this movie, go figure. Do not know if it was the worst serious movie or the funniest comedy. Also, the apocolypto villain was hilariously persistant, especially at the end! Whoa!

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George Miller

Director

George Ogilvie

Director

Mel Gibson

Mad Max

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Synopsis

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.

Director: George Miller, George Ogilvie
Producer: George Miller
Screenwriter: Terry Hayes, George Miller
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Kennedy Miller Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 1, 1985, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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