TheMad Maxfranchise has proven to be one of the most consistently critically acclaimed and influential action franchises in modern Hollywood history. The brainchild primarily of George Miller, the series (mostly) follows the exploits of lone wolf Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson/Tom Hardy) in a post-apocalyptic Australia, first experiencing the breakdown of law and order and then nuclear fallout. Most often, the stories depict the straightforward plot of Max happening upon a group of people who need his help in this dangerous world, and he is compelled to, despite his supposed prioritization of personal survival.
Throughout his franchise,Miller builds upon the deceptively simple plots with stunning action sequences— namely the series' signature car chases — while masterfully conveying profound themes of survival, humanity, and power. While there arethings about the originalMad Maxtrilogy that haven’t aged well, the early movies still have decent-to-stellar ratings. Yet nothing could have prepared Hollywood for the masterpiece ofMad Max: Fury Road, definitively thebestMad Maxmovie. The narrative’s repeated success can be chalked up to consistency and simplicity, which is realized through a key element of the movies' production.
Mad Maxstands out from other major action franchises because creator George Miller personally directed all five installments. The third installment,Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, was co-directed by Miller and George Ogilvie, while all the others are solely directed by Miller. The announced by nowunlikelyMad Max: The Wasteland, the sequel toMad Max: Fury Road, also would have been directed by Miller in a continuation of his specific vision. The firstMad Maxwas famously made on a minuscule budget, with Miller and producer Byron Kennedy doing extra work outside filming to help fund the project (via Cinema Papers, 1979).
Miller could have passed the torch to another major director, as other Hollywood legends have with their beloved creations, but he adamantly returned each time.
This speaks to Miller’s dedication to the project coming to life in the way he imagined. Additionally, the firstMad Maxmovie effectively works as a standalone, as well as the rest of the movies in the series. Miller did not necessarily need to make sequels, but the flagship installment’s success allowed this, with the benefit of more funding. Still, Miller could have passed the torch to another major director, as other Hollywood legends have with their beloved creations, but he adamantly returned each time.
Harry Potter, Star Wars, Terminator, & Alien Have All Changed Directors Multiple Times
Historically,it is very uncommon for the same director to stay with a major movie franchise for every sequel.James Cameron and Ridley Scott are the iconic names associated withThe TerminatorandAlien’s inceptions, respectively, but later installments in these series were directed by other people. TheHarry Potterfranchise was passed from director to director before David Yates became the favorite and stuck with the series for the last fourHarry Pottermovies and all threeFantastic Beastsmovies. George Lucas' involvement varied throughout the original and prequelStar Warstrilogies.
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The truly exceptional example is the MCU, which is simply too big for any one director to handle, but there are different cases of whether directors returned to do the follow-up for a given superhero or subseries within the cinematic universe. The changing directors have affected these series in various ways: There is a notable shift in style and tone betweenHarry Pottermovies, which doesn’t equate to poorer quality, while different approaches suit the MCU, so each character can have a distinct movie. However, these other examples demonstrate whyMad Maxwas lucky to have Miller all the way through.
Mad Max 4was in development since the 1980swhen Miller first started storyboarding ideas, which he was always determined to direct himself. However,Miller sticking withMad Maxresulted in a soft continuity,even though each movie’s events are largely separate from each other. The second and third installments further develop the world, suggesting that things have become worse in this futuristic Australia since the first movie. Miller having control over the whole also helped makeMad Max: Fury Road’s largely divorced timeline work, as he carefully decided how to acknowledge and ignore previous movies' canon.
1979
90%
1981
93%
1985
81%
2015
97%
2024
George Miller
TerminatorandAliennoticeably dropped in quality when new directors besides Cameron and Scott took over, while theStar Warssequel trilogy’s biggest fault is that the changing directors clearly had different visions that contradicted each other and made no effort to work with the other’s storylines. Despite the confusingMad Maxtimeline, there isn’t a sense of the director fighting with himself behind the scenes, Miller deeply understands the story and the world and utilizes the technology then available to deliver the bestMad Maxmovie possible each time.
