The Road Warrior

Director: George Miller
Year Released: 1981
Rating: 2.5

Loved this picture as a kid, and it is no wonder: it's an overacted, comic-book type fantasy ... though I now realize it also has a lot to do with sadomasochism. Call me a whiner, but I've had little tolerance for pictures that are all explosion, action, style, and so little meat, or substance; hell, Mel Gibson says about twenty words in the whole picture, and when anyone else mutters dialogue, cover your ears. Leonard Maltin mentions in the beginning how Miller and his screenwriters used "mythology" in creating the story; that's laughable, but I must admit I was pretty astounded by the final car race with the oil tanker, which was meticulously pieced together. It's a goofy popcorn movie - if that's your style, this is for you.