Search - The Road Warrior on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 03/26/1997 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 35 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action See Also: Road Warrior [Blu-ray], The Road Warrior [HD DVD], The Road Warrior [Special Edition], The Road Warrior [Special Edition]

Director George Miller's follow-up to his own 1979 hit Mad Max is proof that not all sequels are inferior to their originals. If anything, this brutal sci-fi action film is even more intense and exciting than its predecessor, although the state of its post-apocalyptic world has only become worse. Several years after the deaths of his wife and child, Max (Mel Gibson) has become an alienated nomad, wandering an Australian outback that has fallen into tribal warfare conducted from scattered armed camps. After a road battle with psychotic villain Wez (Vernon Wells), Max meets up with the odd Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), who takes him to the camp of a sympathetic group led by Pappagallo (Mike Preston). As Pappagallo's people are camped at a refinery, Max plans to take their oil -- more precious than gold in this world -- but eventually joins them to fight a band of marauders led by the evil Humungus (Kjell Nilsson). The stunning climax features a heart-pounding chase scene involving an oil tanker-truck and a frenzied rush for the coast, with Humungus and his forces in hot pursuit. Nilsson is a scary villain, with huge muscles and a sinister pre-Jason hockey mask, but the stunt work is the key here, and it is more flamboyantly dynamic than ever, edited at breakneck pace and staged with manic fury by Miller and stunt coordinator Max Aspin. Savage and kinetic, Mad Max 2 is a must-see for action buffs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Mel Gibson - Mad Max
Virginia Hey - Warrior Woman
Syd Heylen - Curmudgeon

Warner Home Video's version of Road Warrior isn't as barren as the Australian outback, but it's not as feature-packed as this influential action flick deserves. Menus that prominently sport the WB logo add to the disc's low-budget feel. But Warner put the movie into DVD format early, in 1997, so this is the price they (and viewers) pay for being early adopters.
This version does include text-heavy but interesting production notes, a trailer that calls the movie Mad Max 2 (the Australian title), and a remastered 5.1 soundtrack that makes those car crashes sound pretty darn good. Both the sound and picture quality, however, don't hold up consistently throughout the film (it was made in the early '80s, after all). The widescreen anamorphic aspect ratio is 2.35:1, but movie buffs nostalgic for cable TV can also switch to the full-screen version. There's also a French audio track (Dolby 2.0), Spanish subtitles, and English subtitles -- perhaps useful for Americans who'd rather read along than try to decipher the Aussie accents. ~ Jen Muehlbauer, All Movie Guide