The Road Warrior (1982) movie review - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- This is the original review of The Road Warrior by Siskel & Ebert on "Sneak Previews" in 1982. All of the segments pertaining to the movie have been included.
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5/5 stars. No romance in this film. Roger: "Yeah, it's tough at 120 miles an hour." He said all I need to hear.
It was setup for the blonde and him to hook up and we're left thinking they will end up together but never do. They easily could have built the chemistry during the chase just have Max save her life and yank her into his truck but they never do. I think Max is A-sexual because he never chases the beautiful Furiosa in Fury Road either.
@@Wallyworld30 I got the sense Max never got over his dead wife and child.
I think both Siskel and Ebert really "got it" with this movie, praising George Miller's visionary world-building and recommending the movie strongly. Interestingly, I think Gene's "comic book violence" comment, while accurate in a sense, can be misleading. There's a real sense of danger in Road Warrior's action sequences. Characters can and will be killed or maimed by the crashing and shooting, leading to real consequences for the story. Contrast that to so many lazy car chases in so many movies where the bad guys are shooting guns out the window at the good guys, but you never see the bullets hit anything or anyone, so there's no real dramatic tension. Watching Road Warrior, you believe serious things can happen in the action scenes, and that draws you in.
I would take Siskel's "comic book violence" critique more into the realm of Looney Tunes in regards to The Road Warrior. The setups and payoffs of each action bit have a certain comedic wink (an almost Leone sarcasm) to punctuate them. From the opening prologue chase between Max and Wez which geographically has three vehicles approach Max from behind, they close in, only to have Max slam on the brakes to which the villains essentially destroy themselves; very similar to Wile E. Coyote constant rocket strapping variations. The climatic peak to conclude the third act especially is straight out of Wile E's looney playbook, but, with blood, brutality, and as Leonard Maltin puts it, "a fearless stunt team." Add in Brian May's fantastic score, the horns and strings the energizing guzzoline, that accentuates the action and layers in a desperate humanity the characters struggle to cling onto. A truly spectacular film. The only movie that comes close is: Fury Road, but purely cinematic as that film is; still has those CGI elements. I really miss their criticism today. Sometimes it would seem they were off the mark, but they always went into a movie objectively (except the Friday the 13th movies, which who could blame them).
This movie is a good commentary on the future to come with its battle of resources and really intense action to boot... Plus you can't complain with stunts that could have killed people (I have one in mind and I'm glad he made it out of it alive).
Brian May's music was very effective, if a little quirky to audiences used to American and English orchestra scores. Once you get used to the differences in composing style, the music just enhances every aspect of the film.
They didn't even mention Mel Gibson's name. He was still an unknown...literally.
Great point! Even after the Road Warrior he wasn't considered bankable until Mad Max 3 BT. After Beyond Thunderdome Hollywood made the Lethal Weapon franchise for him.
Very well made film with truly fantastic action scenes by the great George Miller. Inventive and really entertaining.
The Road Warrior is one of those rare sequels that actually surpasses the original in every way. The original Mad Max was great but it took a long time to get going but The Road Warrior is non stop balls to the wall action from beginning to end. It's relentless and what an amazing lead villain Lord Humongous is menacing and way more terrifying and threatening than The Toe Cutter from the original and he was pretty damn scary in his own right.
I noticed they don't even mention that it's a sequel. The original was really a different type of film, fundamentally a 1970s revenge movie in the vein of "Death Wish" with a mildly futuristic background. The Road Warrior is more like a wild hyperkinetic Western.
This was released before Mad Max1 in America. Just titled The Road Warrior as a stand alone movie. Most people didn't even know it was a sequel for a long time.
yeah, I find it hard to believe neither acknowledged it was a sequel
@@AlexG-xl1cc Road Warrior was a family favorite of our growing up. After seeing it we rented "Mad Max" on Betamax and was so disappointed. I recall as a 10 year old being bored out of my mind.
The original was important in that it shaped Max, and gave enough time to develop the villian appropriately..and the payoff is fantastic.
Trivia: ' MM2:TRW ', was shot in continuity; meaning that what you see on the screen is the order in which the scenes were filmed. I know of no other major motion picture to do so.
The only other movie i can think of that was shot that way was ET
Great review of one of my all time favorite movies and Gene, who i normally find myself disagreeing with about movies, made a comment that I have been telling people for years. That being that the director made a whole exciting world that is unique with characters that are interesting. Action movies are usually one of my least favorite types of movies, because they are so shallow and predictable and I normally hate car chases in movies , but the chases in the Mad Max movies always keep me engaged and get my heart racing. A lot has to do with actually caring what happens to the unique characters and how inventive the action scenes are made.
Agreed. It will probably always rank as the best action movie of all time in my mind. What George Miller was able to accomplish on a shoestring budget was simply amazing! Like you mentioned, the film goes beyond all the usual action movie cliches and makes you care for the all characters on screen. Fury Road definitely had a stunning visual flair, and I can understand why viewers would appreciate the film for that aspect, but I felt it was devoid of any real emotional gravitas and thus had no real suspense. Too pretty, too polished and not enough of an genuine edge for me to be pulled in like The Road Warrior did. I also feel the soundtrack is one of the all time greats as well.
The reason I looked for this review was to hear Siskel say "The Road Warrior, Don't miss it!" Or something to that effect. But it turns out I remembered it wrong. He must've said it at the end during the Recap. I guess I'll never get to hear him say that again. 😥
At least he liked it. I liked this a LOT more than the Tom Hardy one! That one was overrated.
The story is kind of thin on this movie but the world building and action is phenomenal. Fury Road story made this movie's story look like Casablanca. Both are masterpieces in their own right though.
"The violence is presented in an almost comic book manner; you can't take it seriously."
Gene, you ain't seen nothing yet.
You know that stunt of the guy flipping through the air? That wasn't supposed to go that way. It was accidental. The stunt man broke his leg.
It was a pity that he never got to see Fury Road.
He’s not wrong. It’s obvious that Mad Max was inspired by comic books.
Roger was so drained he couldn’t push the elevator button Fury road he would just have been a pile of dust in the seat
Still the best action film ever made, due in no small part to the necessity of having to do these stunts without CGI. The 80s remains the golden era of action movies: The Road Warrior, The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Die Hard, and many others.
Filmed/produced/directed in Australia, but obviously tailored for the US market, hence the word "gasoline".
And called "The Road Warrior" rather than Mad Max II.
Never thought about that. But gasoline does fit the world better than the more formal-sounding "petroleum."
You mean "guzzoline."
@@robertplissken4825 Petrol. No-one says petroleum unless they follow up with "products".
In a world where gasoline is such a precious commodity, they sure do waste a lot of it.
its a modern day western
I heard somewhere that it was actually kind of a take on the "Man With No Name" series, which Max is even referred to in Beyond Thunderdome: a character who is plunged into a strange environment, gets entangled with their struggles, and makes the call on how to get involved.
Which Fury Road continues beautifully.
Yep, it’s basically a post-apocalyptic Stagecoach
It's been said that every action movie is a western. Think about it, its true
It's interesting to hear them talk about how original this movie was considering it cast the mould for an entire sub-genre of post-apocalyptic films.
and video games
Great that these are uploaded and can be referred to
I remember this review and I was pleasantly shocked when they both gave it thumbs up.
I knew it was a Mad Max sequel at the time, and what to expect. I just figured they would complain about anything really.
The road warrior is one of my favorite movies on my list.
The bigger question, how is it they never mentioned Mad Max and this being the continuation of the series. Weird! Mad Max was an entire Australian production, however odd that it's not even mentioned since they do mention the director George Miller.
@@bitcoinjedi2276 Mad Max wasn't a big success in the US (I don't even think it had a wide release due to the non-existent budget), hence the title in the US wasn't Mad Max 2 like it was in Australia. I was surprised that Siskel and Ebert, as critics, didn't mention it though. I thought they would have at least been aware of the original's existence.
"And the Road Warrior? That was the last we ever saw of him. He lives now, only in my memories."
I wish it had stayed that way too. Love this movie and both following sequels were big disappointments.
James Cameron used that line in Titanic.
It makes me feel good that 2 intellectuals like theses guys could have enjoyed a gonzo movie like this one!
The best of the Mad Max series.
I enjoy MAD MAX TRILOGY, second was almost better than original, more exciting. Comic book action fantasy entertainment thriller with great car chase & stunts.👍👍👍
When I think of the best movie car chases I always forget about the Mad Max films. They are utterly in a class by themselves.
True, but also the French Connection...that was brilliant as well.
Everyone forgets the best performance in the movie, the dog!!
The Stunt in Road Warriors when the bandit hits the truck and goes flipping through the air ass over tea kettle as seen in this clip shown was an accident he was supposed to cleaning fly over the truck but he hit the truck sending him flipping. The stunt man broke his femer on the accident but was lucky to survive and even still walk.
The Road Warrior is not only a movie, is an experience beyond imagination. Miller created a world where a mythological past cross with a sadistic comic style future. Powerful dreamy atmosphere, strong action, frenzy pacing, outstanding music of Brian May, great performances and the most epic intro of all time.
I discovered the trilogy with 15 years old and the 2nd is the movie I have watched more times in my life.
I wonder what they would have said about Fury Road.
The truth it was a pos!
Great review of the road warrior
Roge and Gene didn't dislike violence or action in movies. They disliked the way filmmakers sometimes used them to make up for moronic plots or unsubstantial characters. " when we disagree one of us is wrong. When we agree the both of us are right" Roger Ebert
The Road Warrior like it’s predecessor for me takes a bit to get going but once it does it’s nonstop excitement and fun. The last 20 minutes of the movie alone make it one of the greatest action films ever. Once the action starts the excitement never stops.
Another nugget When this film was released in theaters, it somehow managed to slip by with a PG rating. It also came out the same time as Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That film got a bar rating. Both films were considered very violent back then.
“R” rating (Conan)
Such a good movie
Why do they seem unaware that there was a Mad Max movie before this one?
It wasn't well known at the time, and frankly it wasn't very good.
In 1982, most Americans didn't know this was a sequel, as it was released as The Road Warrior instead of Mad Max 2, which was the title in Australia. The distribution company didn't think audiences would care if it was a sequel to a movie no one had heard of.
@@flmbyz I saw Mad Max in the theater in my hometown in Minnesota that had a population of 20,000, and one theater with two screens. We almost never got movies in my hometown that were not very widely released. I figured if I saw it, then Siskel and Ebert should at least have been aware of it
KKC Well, someone should have told Warner Bros. because that was their logic for renaming it when it was released over here.
@@KKC70 You would have seen the version that had all the actors dubbed with American voices.
"U can run, but you can't hide!"
Then burns his buttocks due to assless chaps.
Mad Max 2 Road warrior I wonder if he ever saw the first film because they never mention it.
In the US it was just called The Road Warrior, in it's initial release. A lot of people here didn't even know it was a sequel.
@@eightfootmanchild Yes. The original film bombed in the U.S., although it was popular on TV.
The first film only got a minor release in the states. However they reissued it in the fall of '82 after 2's success.
Siskel probably would have “ creamed” over “Fury Road”
Would have loved to know what they would have thought of Fury Road
I’m sure they would have liked it more than Beyond Thunderdome, but it would fall short of The Road Warrior.
I'm surprised they both actually liked Road Warrior. This is the film that launched Mel Gibson and set the standard for a post apocalyptic world, copied countless times ever since. I think this film blows Fury Road out of the water, Fury Road is pretty and wild looking but the characters and story are incredibly blah.
The stunt man flip was not supposed to happen like that. The man badly broke both legs. The botched shot ended up making the final cut.
I have questions, Is this movie release In 1981 or 1982 I'm so confused?
Great movie. I have not seen it in a while.
God, just imagine if they'd lived to see Fury Road.
They don't even mention that it's a sequel to Mad Max.
who wins in a fight? mad max or snake pliston?
Neither, they team up to fight the raiders and rob them blind ;)
This and FURY ROAD go hand in hand
I love they there are no live scenes. This movie is better without it.
Their heads would have exploded if they'd seen Fury Road
@Swiatek702 Oh, so edgy.
Well, they'd already seen The Road Warrior so, no need to watch Fury Road and see it again.
Ebert was alive for Fury Road
Samuel Stephens Ebert died in 2013; Fury Road was released 2 years later.
It's so jarring to see these guys talk about Mel Gibson purely as his character because he was still a nobody for us yanks.
Great trilogy. Though 2 is thee best. I didnt care for Fury Road. Granted George Miller was @ the helm again. It just didnt feel like Mad Max. Mainly I guess I am bias. If it aint Gibson. Then he aint Max. I did like Furiosa played by Theron. She was fierce!
While I was also disappointed that Max seemed to be a minor character in Fury Road, it was still an immensely entertaining movie.
Max is the least interesting thing about these movies.
@@buckaroobanzai7063 And THAT'S what makes them so entertaining.
She was wokism and nothing more!
there is ebert again who has to say “special effects” no matter the movie. he would say it if he watched ghandi! there were no special effects in road warrior. what is he talking about? glad he liked it though. i sure did from day one. its the best of the series
Miss them both. their reviews were moronic at times.
Gene, I wish you could of seen Mad Max Fury Road
Why? It was horrible!
@@tentcater4710 You Stick To Your Lame Ass Fast And Furious Movies I'll Stick With Mine. Seriously, Can you recommend some good Chases
@@stevezisk3415 I have never seen that film and never will! Bullitt has the singular best car chase scene of any film ever made, I doubt you’d like that film though, it has character development and a storyline that requires an attention span.
@@tentcater4710 Nice Attention Span Crack. You Should look Up The Car Chase From The Seven Ups. Same Stunt Driver from Bullit And The French Connection.
Wow, personally I thought Fury Road was too intense. It probably would have put these two in comas.
What the hell does that have to do with this video?
@@TobeyStarburst the both of them said The Road Warrior was too intense of a viewing experience. However, that was in 1982, which to modern viewers may now find tame.
@@Dohsoda Gotcha
I think, had they lived that long to see Fury Road, they would have had the natural progression of assault on senses (remember, Gene actually gave a positive review to Armageddon, calling the assault on the senses almost comical to him) and therefore been able to appreciate this movie throwing them back to this exact feeling watching The Road Warrior.
Fury Road had a lot of great things about it.. The visuals were top notch, the violence and chase scenes spectacular, as usual.. I just always believed this film was the best of the series.. The story, the atmosphere, and especially the the way Max got exactly what he deserved in the end..
It’s a masterpiece..
Violence the likes youve never seen before
TILL NOW 2024 😂
Until FURY ROAD.
The one time I disagree with both of them lol I did not like this film
Boo hiss!!!!
It is a shame Siskel was not alive to review Fury Road. It starred the actor who played the villian in the original Mad Max film as Joe Immotan ( villian of Fury Road)
Let’s not forget the fantastic score everyone!
Totally. "The Road Warrior" and "Conan the Barbarian" (same year, btw) had two of the most underrated scores in film history.
I am shocked they both liked this movie. Usually they pooped on the movies l liked in the 80's.
'The Road Warrior' won the New York Film Critic's award that year. Admittedly for 'Best Foreign Language Film'. I'm assuming they had to fit 'Best Foreign Film' under that award title. So the film did receive a lot of critical praise.
Roger Ebert actually said that Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was the greatest film of the 1980s. I am sad that he didn't live to see Fury Road.
Summer 1982...
Saw Rocky III, poltergeist
Blade runner and road warrior! I went back to see road warrior. Best sick day
Ever !!!!
Wow ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
And Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
2:47 that’s a real person, folks. Unreal stunt work.
I love that there was a time when The Road Warrior seemed like a "...very strange movie", and that I remember that time.
Road Warriors kicked of an entire Genre of movies. It is hilarious they thought of the original of being "Very strange". Wish Roger Ebert lived long enough to see Fury Road.
@@Wallyworld30Fury Road was utter shit in my opinion. Max was completely an afterthought among other glaring issues with that film.
@@EdwardDavian1 To be clear Road Warriors was my family's favorite movie of the 1980's and is in my top 5 all time favorite movies. We watched that film on Betamax countless times.
Then the 4 of us kids and my parents were all very disappointed in Beyond Thunderdome. Mad Max was featured plenty in Beyond Thunderdome but it still underwhelmed compared to Road Warriors because what we loved most about Road Warriors wasn't Mad Max at all.
What we loved was the incredible chase sequences with bizarre but fantastical vehicles and just living in the apocalyptic world with incredible stunt after incredible stunt. Fury Road took Road Warriors action and cranked it up to 11! I loved Fury Road so much it was the first movie that I saw in Theater more than once since Star Ship Troopers in 1997. Mad Max is a great character but he's no leader not even in Road Warriors he shirks any leadership role when they asked him to be. I can't wait to see the next instalment of Mad Max as I'm sure it will be another master piece.
It was always be Mad Max 2 to me.
The Road Warrior is supposed to be in *post apocalyptic* Australia?
Where else should it be? Cleveland?
Where have you been Robert? Lmao
@@markbrinton6790 To be honest I can't remember why I made that silly comment. I must have been drinking too much that night.
@@RobertWF42 ha lmao, I'm guilty of that from time to time. Cheers!
How could you miss that, I mean the accents alone should have been a big clue.
Going to echo another commenter on here- if they were blown away by this I would have LOVED to see their reactions to FURY ROAD.
Most action movies are purely action. This one has atmosphere, drama, interesting characters and you really want Max to win.
They sure spoiled a lot during their reviews.
No CGI on those special effects.....this movie is one of the all time best action movies ever made....hell, even the ultimate squares Siskel and Ebert got it.
I don't think they mentioned Mel Gibson's name once. This was before he became a superstar (and before we found out what a douche he is)
douche=badass
@@Roosterjello no, that's not what a douche is for.
South Park portrayed him very well
He's cool, he just told the truth about the chosenbergs and boy do they hate that.
Alcohol addiction does things to you.
One of the greatest car chases ever committed to film.
Over the years, I have seen people attempt to rank the "100 Greatest Movies Of All Time" several times.
The only worthwhile effort was one that ranked this movie at #80, for being the best action movie ever.
(I think it was a Time-Life special from around 1998 or so.)
It is amazing to think that this movie was so original back in 1982. I guess it shows that Hollywood will take a successful, original film and repeat it to death until it becomes a sad, pathetic, predictable cliché. So much for artistry and creativity in Hollywood.
You just described the POS Fury Road!
@@tentcater4710 Fury Road was definitely better than many movies, especially Beyond Thunderdome.
Doesn’t sound like they knew there was a film before it. Hell, as a teenager I actually had to be told by a friend. That this wasn’t the first Mad Max movie.
I thought that the couple in tent that is wrecked were a man and a woman. Even if they're glimpsed all too briefly.
"Post WW3 apocalyptic landscape" lol
Nah, that's how the Australian outback looks, with or without a nuclear war.
I'm Irish and I only heard about Siskel and Ebert when I lived in Canada for three years. I'm so grateful that you have added all these videos, which allow us to enjoy both men's great gift for communicating their love of film, their humour and their great dynamic as a TV partnership.
What Siskel and Ebert missed was the fantastic dialogue in "The Road Warrior." I rank the Dialogue in The Road Warrior with Pulp Fiction and The Godfather.
Really?
@@matthewschwartz6607 "Just walk away. Leave your pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the whole compound, and I spare your lives. Just walk away, and I give you safe passage through the wasteland. Just walk away and there will be an end to the horror."
@@matthewschwartz6607 A fella, a quick fella, might have a weapon under there. I'd have to pin his head to the panel.
“The deal was, I’d show you the gas and you’d let me go.”
“The arrangement was that I wouldn’t kill you.”
“Now hold on. I…”
“I reckon you’d got a bargain.”
@@thefractalcurve5462 We're Partners! PARTNERS!!!
Did they know its a sequel
Stephen Kissane...I was wondering that too, no mention of the name Mel Gibson, who at the time was unknown to American audiences and no mention of the movie Mad Max which was the original....
I think they omitted mentioning it as a sequel because the original Mad Max did very badly when first released in the U.S. Even though Mel Gibson was born in America and didnt develop an Aussie accent until he moved there when he was 12 they dubbed over all of his and everyone else's dialogue fearing Americans wouldn't understand Aussie slang. It hurt the film and it didnt get a popular following until the success of The Road Warrior in the U.S.
I saw this review when it originally aired on tv. I recall they were extremely impressed with the stunts.
A+ film....c it!
Actually a sequel to the Mad Max movie.
Americans didn’t know that at the time, because Mad Max didn’t do very well in America during its theatrical run there mostly due to a bungled rollout and Warner Bros. thought it would sell better in America if it had a title that didn’t connect to the original. The first Mad Max got more of a following in America when it was sold as the predecessor to the second movie.
@@RocStarr913 True, I had heard about it but the first one but never saw it. Forgot all about it and didn't realize until after I saw the Road Warrior.
Well, this movie won't ever happen since Joe Biden is getting rid of gas!
Ebert is right there's almost non stop action from beginning to end. It's kind of funny there's one slow part near the beginning that would cause me to turn the movie off..then a week or two later I'd start all over again. It took a month or two before I got past that solitary slow scene and have loved the movie ever since. One of the best action flicks ever!
I should point out this came out the same time Hal Needham's disaster Megaforce slowly struggled in theaters. I can only imagine what Hal was thinking if he saw this right after his movie tanked.
George Miller is underrated.