Mad Max: Movies of Apocalyptic Mayhem

by Edwin Page

From the author of Quintessential Tarantino, Gothic Fantasy: The Films of Tim Burton and Ordinary Heroes: The Films of Danny Boyle comes Mad Max: Movies of Apocalyptic Mayhem. In this book, Edwin Page examines each of the films in the original trilogy and casts his eye forward to the new trilogy, which will begin with Mad Max: Fury Road. He also discusses visionary writer/director George Miller, creator of the iconic Max and the increasingly crazy world he inhabits. Providing interesting insights and detailed analysis, Mr Page presents a rounded view of the original trilogy that gives them a greater consistency than ever before.

Rather than being a standard film book, Mad Max: Movies of Apocalyptic Mayhem contains a twist in the form of two pieces of short fiction. Many people have noticed a disparity between the social landscapes of the movies and these stories have been created so as to knit them together in a logical way which is implied by the content of the films. Spanning the gaps between the 1st and 2nd movies and then between the 2nd and 3rd, they help to explain the evolution from the tentative social order evident in Mad Max right through to the post-nuclear holocaust existence seen in Beyond Thunderdome, thus adding to Miller’s dystopian vision.

This book has been written because Mr Page feels he has something to contribute to the subject of Mad Max, not least with the inclusion of the two pieces of fiction. He also puts forward an interesting argument that Mad Max 2 and Beyond Thunderdome were as much remakes of Max’s world as they were sequels, something that has implications in regards the forthcoming movies in the series.

This book will be available as a paperback and Kindle edition.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2015

About the author

With over eighty books published since 2005, British born writer Edwin Page is one of the most prolific authors of the early 21st Century.

Known largely for his historical fiction, he is the author of the widely acclaimed Where Seagulls Fly. He has also written a number of popular stories relating to slavery in the U.S. These include The Hanging Tree, Runaway and Oona.

Edwin Page has a 1st Class degree in Film & Literary Studies and has had numerous short stories, articles and poems published in a variety of publications. Born and bred near Cambridge, he went to university in Plymouth and Carlisle, and now lives in western Cornwall.

Reviews

[Brad Shellady · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Max, All the time

This is a wonderful companion to George Miller's great MAX book. This fills in all the gaps and offers a unique perspective from an obvious Miller admirer and fan. Between both all your questions will be answered regarding everything to do with "the man they call Max".

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I, like the author of this book, saw the trailer for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD and was completely enamored of it. That was the impetus I needed to go back and watch the original trilogy (in my case, for the first time). It would be an understatement to say that I was hungry for whatever Mad Max literature I could get my hands on and I hoped that this book would satisfy that need. Sadly, this was not the case. Do not buy this book. I could just leave it that, but I'll go into some detail as to why. First, 90% of the information contained herein can be found for free online. In between chapters, I took a look at the bibliography and noticed that most of the sources were from the internet, and a large portion of those from IMDb and Wikipedia; and none of the sources pertaining to the films themselves came from a physical source. Keep in mind that I thought this would be a semi-scholarly work like a book I finished recently, THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. MABUSE. Second, the whole book smacks of a series of papers written for an entry-level film class. Yes, it was readable (despite numerous spelling errors and awkward grammar), but the whole thing came off as amateur and unprofessional. I suppose I shouldn't fault the author too much for not being able to get interviews with cast and crew members or delving deep for material that may or may not exist, but if the majority of your book can be found online for free then why sell it for money? Lastly, the only legitimate reason for even considering a purchase is the two pieces of fan-fiction he created to bridge the gap between the original series. However, since when does someone charge money for fan-fiction, and poorly written fan-fiction at that? It's not 50 SHADES OF GREY bad, but in my opinion it doesn't really achieve the goal that its author set out to achieve. Not only that but they don't even feature Max himself (!). So, if you don't have regular access to a computer and your idea of film analysis is trotting out Joseph Campbell's monomyth and Jungian psychology, then by all means place your order now. For everyone else who even cares about film scholarship, save your money. You would be better served by reading the trivia section on IMDb.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting anecdotes, a few insights into production, and bits of amateurish MM fiction -
Info on how the Mad Max films were made, and what went on behind the scenes. This book has some interesting detail, from concept to script to the many setbacks in getting the films made, but little of it is new. It feels a bit forced, like a high school student essay trying to reach the required page count. It also includes a few forgettable short fiction pieces intended to bridge the gaps between the films. No original analysis of the thematic content, but some great behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
As a huge Mad Max fan, I'm happy to have anything written about the creation of these films, but when I compare it to "Future Noir" by Paul Sammon (the brilliant, definitive 600-page book on the making of Ridley Scott's masterpiece"Blade Runner"), this thin, slapdash work falls far short of what I would wish for.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author used 200+ pages for what amounts to about 20-30 pages worth of content. He's constantly jumping around and repeating himself. And the two pieces of short fiction that are included are pretty horrible.