Monday, May 11, 2015

Welcome to the Post-Apocalypse (Mad Max) Week


I can't believe it, but It has been thirty years since Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) premiered in American movie theaters  I was fifteen when I first saw it with my parents and my sister at Essex Green, in New Jersey.

This week, Mad Max: Fury Road opens nationwide.

I can't wait. I'll be going with my wife on Friday morning (while Joel is in school) to see the new film. I'll post my review here next Tuesday.

But to celebrate the return of Max -- "The road warrior" -- I'll be devoting all week here on the blog to post-apocalyptic entertainment, and especially the Mad Max saga.

What happens when civilization dies, but man survives?  



Well, the Mad Max films -- and many post-apocalyptic efforts too -- give us some pretty terrifying ideas. 

The social order changes (The Omega Man [1971]), the food chain gets up-ended (The Day of the Triffids [1962]), the family unit is jeopardized (The Road [2009]) and new political orders rise (Things to Come [1936]). 

Objects and things that we once took for granted, like books (The Book of Eli [2010]) or even dry-land (Waterworld [1995]) suddenly become precious.

So buckle up, start your engines, and get ready for a guided tour through the wasteland...  

Welcome to (the post) apocalypse!

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