Mad Max/YMMV

• Alternate Character Interpretation
  • Lord Humungus was either genuinely trying to get the refinery settlers to walk away or he was lying and didn't care what happened to them.
• Anvilicious:
  • The fourth film is rather open about its feminist message. The villainous characters are all men and every woman is a heroic character. Even the franchise's title character spends nearly all of the fourth film as either a Supporting Protagonist or Deuteragonist to a strong, independent woman who plays a vital role in taking power from a brutal patriarchal regime. One of Joe's war-brides even asks the question "Then who killed the world?" to one of Joe's henchmen; this is treated as an Armor-Piercing Question with the implication that it's the men in power who are the reason the setting is a Crapsack World.
• Awesome Music: Beyond Thunderdome was scored by three-time Oscar winner Maurice Jarre. Tina Turner contributed two songs. "One of the Living", which plays over the opening credits, won Turner a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performace, Female. "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)", which plays over the closing credits, became a #1 hit in many countries, and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Grammy.
  • The opening title from the first film and the theme from the opening narration from the second certainly set the mood for each film.
• Even Better Sequel: Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)
• Fanon Discontinuity: As far as many people are concerned, there were only two Mad Max movies. (Though for some, there were only the latter two.)
• Hilarious in Hindsight: "Nightrider" was probably a very scary name before 1982.
• Ho Yay: A running theme.
  • Mad Max:
    • Johnny the Boy is obviously the biker gang's boy toy. At one point, Toecutter asserts his authority over him by making him suck the barrel of his shotgun. At another point, he tells him, "Keep your sweet, sweet, mouth shut!"
    • The antics of the rest of the gang often have homoerotic overtones. The first thing Cundalini and Mudguts do after getting off their bikes is start sensuously dancing in the middle of the street.
    • The police chief, whose nickname is Fifi, dresses like a Hard Gay Leather Man on the job.
  • Mad Max 2
    • Wez wears assless chaps and drives around with his twink boyfriend clinging to his back. When his boy-toy gets killed, Wez goes berserk, and Humungus has to put him in a very intimate looking sleeper hold while whispering into his ear.
  • Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome
    • Master's feelings for Blaster seem to run in this direction, especially in his insistence that Blaster has a sweet, innocent face. Their relationship might, however, be more paternal.
• It Was His Sled: Max's family die in the first movie.
• Les Yay: Implied in the fourth film to be the case between two of Joe's wives, The Dag and Cheedo. They seem closer to each other than anyone else, they are seen hugging each other the most out of the Five Wives and The Dag seems to teach Cheedo a lot of things.
• Moral Event Horizon: Two possibilities for the Toecutter:
  • Forcing Johnny to burn Max's partner alive
  • Killing Max's wife and child
  • Max himself forcing the Life or Limb Decision on Johnny.
• Magnificent Bastard: Or Bitch as the case may be, Auntie Entity. Some have this view of Lord Humungus as well.
• Spiritual Licensee
  • The Mad Max could be seen as one for the Warhammer 40k spin-off, Gorkamorka. That game is about leading your tribe of crazed, violent, speed-obsessed raiders in vehicular combat against other such tribes on a radioactive desert world. In fact, most of the Ork's entire technological aesthetic, design philosophy and even some of their attitudes in Warhammer 40,000 comes straight from this franchise.
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Mad Max 2
• Unfortunate Implications: In addition to Wez pretty clearly being gay or bi, one group of guys under the Humungus's command is known as "Smegma Crazies," and another as "Gayboy Berserkers." So either many or all of the bad guys in this movie are gay. (But considering that there are women in the gangs, and boy/girl coitus interruptus, they're likely just fashionably faux-gay.) Possibly a case of Actor On Board, considering Gibson's feelings about gay people.