Mad Max Gets A Modern Update In Prime Video's 94% RT Post-Apocalyptic Series

The Mad Max franchise was a cult phenomenon that led to Fury Road defining a generation. However, while the rebooted sequel was a cinematic masterpiece, the original Mad Max trilogy was considerably more eccentric, with a sense of humor and larger-than-life villains that defined their movies just as much as Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the iconic road warrior did. With the most recent two movies taking a different direction, this has left space for a new post-apocalyptic franchise with similarly bizarre characters to take the place of the first trilogy.

With the arrival of “the Jimmies” and Ralph Fiennes’ scene-stealing performance, the British 28 Days Later reboot once looked to be the next Mad Max, but after The Bone Temple flopped at the box office, this is seeming less likely. However, Mad Max fans should look to another continent for a modern update, with the USA-set Fallout TV series. The Fallout video game series was heavily inspired by Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and the TV show shares its tone, with the similarities likely to grow over time.

Fallout‘s canine character, Dogmeat, is heavily inspired by Max and his dog, simply called Dog.

Mad Max began as a gritty and dystopian story before The Road Warrior introduced the leather and metal outfits that would not look out of place at a rave, while the third movie, Beyond Thunderdome, expanded the world of the saga, introducing Junktown culture, which is central to Fallout. The similarities do not end there, as The Ghoul has always embodied the road warrior, and both franchises are defined by their quirky and absurdist humor. Beyond Thunderdome was not as successful with audiences, but Fallout season 3 looks to beat the first two seasons, as well as Beyond Thunderdome.

Expect Fallout To Beat Mad Max’s Own ‘Part 3’

Both seasons of Fallout have already beaten the original Mad Max trilogy on Rotten Tomatoes, with Mad Max‘s highest score at 93% positive being Fallout‘s lowest score. Even taking into account the fact that Fallout has a higher production value and came with an exisiting fanbase from the enormously successful video games, this is impressive. It was a smart creative decision to make a show that evoked the spirit of the video games rather than attempting to make a direct adaptation, and this has allowed Fallout to be consistent in tone.

This smartly avoids the issue that Beyond Thunderdome suffered. The first two Mad Max movies were brutal, with bone-crunching violence and some gory scenes. On the other hand, the third movie changed the franchise forever by sacrificing much of the grit that the stories were known for, in a drastic departure from the tone of the first two movies. No matter how iconic Tina Turner’s performance as Aunty Entity was, the third movie might have enjoyed more success as a different story and not as an entry in the Mad Max saga.

Comparing Fallout’s released TV seasons with the original Mad Max trilogy
Title	Year	Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating	Rotten Tomatoes audience rating
Mad Max	1979	89%	70%
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior	1981	93%	86%
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	1985	80%	49%
Fallout season 1	2024	93%	95%
Fallout season 2	2025	96%	96%

As a TV series, Fallout has the chance to tell a much longer story, introducing charismatic and scene stealing characters in virtually every episode without them overshadowing the larger storyline. With Fallout season 3 confirmed by Amazon Prime, the show is get even wilder, introducing mind control, new characters, and elements from the games. If the show maintains its quality and smart storytelling, Mad Max fans could have found a worthy replacement.

Fallout Might Be Mad Max’s Full-Time Replacement

Macaulay Culkin as a Roman soldier in Fallout season 2

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has a surprisingly high critics’ score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, considering the fact that the movie failed at the box office, with reviewers criticizing the heavy use of CGI compared to Fury Road. Still, this had significantly affected the chances of George Miller’s planned sequel, Mad Max: The Wasteland being made. The long-awaited Wasteland sequel had an uncertain update, with Miller admitting he is unsure if the movie could ever happen.

Miller is working on other projects, with The Wasteland being lower on his list of priorities, but this does not rule out the possibility of it eventually happening. Miller told Vulture that “if for whatever reason the planets align, you can never tell.” Mad Max has a passionate fanbase and has become the definitive post-apocalyptic franchise, and as most franchises need more than one box-office flop to end them, it is likely that the movie might become difficult to resist making eventually.

In the meantime, Fallout is so good that it could last forever, as the way the show is set up is allowing it to incorporate video game influences at any given time while having the creative freedom to expand the world in different ways. This is what Beyond Thunderdome was attempting in the Mad Max saga, except with a drastic change in tone. Having nailed the right tone and aesthetic, Fallout is the perfect show to watch now, even if you are still hoping for Max Rockatansky’s return.

Source: Vulture