Great blu-ray transfer
The Road Warrior is one of those rare beasts. A sequel that surpasses the original. There are many things that make this movie great. It's a post apocalyptic western. The hero barely speaks throughout the film. The excellent chase scene in the last half hour. The brilliant stunts. The dialogue. The tension of not knowing what will happen next. And a great set of bad guys. The list goes on and on. And thankfully it transfers on to blu-ray exceptionally well. I spotted all kinds of things I'd never noticed before and I've seen this film plenty.
Really worth buying on blu-ray.

A movie worth revisiting! HD transfer very good
The movie itself really doesn't need much said about it, but I forgot high this title set the bar. I actually own the HD-DVD version, but this Blu-Ray version is basically identical. Considering the age of the movie, the transfer looks great. Far better production quality versus the DVD releases. There were details in the video that I had completely overlooked. Don't expect the big Lucasarts style soundtrack, but the audio quality is good enough to get the job done. A great movie with a powerful and relevant political message to share with today's generation - if for no better reason to admire what was achieved in this movie without CGI effects.

The Road Warrior: a New Hero Mystique is Born
Road gangs rule the wastelands in the post-apocalyptic aftermath of civilization's finale. The most valued commodities: oil, gasoline, cars and guns. Mel Gibson stars as the now iconic Mad Max--the quiet wandering scavenger, humankind's mysterious last hero. The plot is simple: The Road Warrior must decide between escape or to stay and defend the peaceful gasoline making tribe from the tyranny of a wasteland gang.

As each action scene is skillfully 'wiped' to the next the tension builds and the dramatic quality of the theme is rooted. The question is: Can these people escape the wasteland and journey toward the rumored last haven of civilized humankind? Or will they be hunted down, raped and murdered like animals by the whim of gang rule.

Despite the gruesome action and sometimes campy dialogue, the theme of the film is complex: the right to one's own life. This is portrayed in the conflict between the producer tribe and the thieving gang; the creators vs. the destroyers; and Max walks the the middle line as an individual standing against tyranny, the defender of that right to life (his own), and of that dream of a better place. Max can't escape his past as a policeman, as a arbiter of justice, but can he escape the gang's brutality and live to scavenge another day?

Through Max we identify with the fight against tyranny in defense of a future for humanity, and as we do, a new hero mystique is born: that of the brooding and cunning last remnant of humankind's ideals. Also, a warning rises to the surface of this film; a warning about gang rule and human corruption and where that may lead us.

MAD TO THE MAX
This is THE template for the post-apocalyptic action film. Came out the same year as Blade Runner and both movies hold up to scrutiny and still amaze some 25 years later. You would not believe the flood of imitators that followed its release in the early eighties and it still continues to inform the look of the dirty, raw sci-fi genre (Doomsday, anyone?) I liked the original okay, but ROAD WARRIOR (which you don't need to see MAD MAX first to follow, you newbies) distilled the essence and multiplied it times 10. George Miller, the genius behind this flick, struck gold with this combination, then preceded to bungle it with MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, which was probably the second most-anticipated yet then most disappointing film upon its release in my pre-teen universe... The first being RETURN OF THE JEDI.

Mad Max 2, in HD-DVD ROCKS!!
This is the BEST version of the movie I have seen ( I bought it on VHS and DVD) and by-far this version beats them ALL hands down!! Too bad HD-DVD is no more, I guess I will buy it on Blu-Ray next!!