All Of The Mad Max Movies And Spinoffs Ranked From Worst To Best

Somehow, the man who gave the world a talking pig and tap-dancing penguins is also responsible for one of the most culturally impactful franchises in cinema history. Director George Miller brought the world "Mad Max," and some of the greatest creative forces had no choice but to witness. Quentin Tarantino raved about Miller's camera work, Steven Soderbergh confessed he'd rather put a gun in his mouth than try and replicate it, and video game titan Hideo Kojima once confessed, "He is my God, and the SAGA that he tells is my Bible." But which chapter is the best of the bunch?

Between the groundbreaking installments fuelled by car chases, intense violence, and an aesthetic that would reverberate across pop culture, everyone has their favorite Mad Max movie, one of which even barely has him in it. After much deliberation and picking pits of burnt rubber and leather off our screens, we've finally settled on the perfect ranking of the films from the worst to the best. Five installments have entered, and one has left as worthy of entering Valhalla, so start up the V8 and see which one made it to the finish line first.

One of George Miller's epic post-apocalyptic entries had to be at the bottom of the pile, and you'll have to go to "Tomorrow-morrow Land" to find it. "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" might feel like it has a more polished Hollywood sheen compared to its predecessors, but there's something about the 1985 threequel that feels softer than the first two installments. This is Mel Gibson's end-of-the-world "Adventures in Babysitting," with the film spending too much time in Planet Erf, proving that the highlight is in fact in the Thunderdome rather than beyond it. As barren as it is, the Wasteland is really where Max works best, dodging vehicles that are crashing and bashing into one another with ferocity, so throwing him among a group of lost boys and girls feels like a choice that just doesn't pay off.

Nevertheless, the film has its moments, most specifically in the titular battle zone that has Mel Gibson springing about while Tina Turner's Aunt Entity does an excellent job as Bartertown's big-haired boss. Also, while it might struggle to compete with others on this list, none of them pack the absolute banger that is "We Don't Need Another Hero," or may perhaps be even as quotable as "Two men enter, one man leaves," earning enough of a spot in popular culture to be spoofed on "Rick and Morty" years later. For that, Captain Walker is worth saluting.

It might struggle to stand against what followed, but there's something about our introduction to Max Rockatansky that still holds up, if only for demonstrating the gall of George Miller that would make him a staple of the action movie genre. With a shoestring budget and the seemingly collective death wish of a film crew, "Mad Max" is rough around the edges in the best way possible and the very definition of "guerilla filmmaking." A revenge story in a world this one had never seen before, it propelled Mel Gibson to stardom, and the stupidly cool V8 Interceptor was the ride to get him there. The film features some absolutely wince-inducing sequences, ensuring that every crash-bang and wheel-screeching wallop can be felt and have you questioning how anyone walked away from what ends up on-screen.

Then there's what feels like a dress rehearsal in the now iconic character designs that would eventually go full force in Max's next chapter. Steering between the undeniably cool (Max's leather jacket) and what looks like whatever was found in the crew's trunk last minute (Fifi Macaffee in nothing but a scarf deserves honorable mention), it's this simple aesthetic that would become a benchmark not just in Miller's franchise, but the genre he'd unknowingly contribute to in the years to come.

The problem with delivering a masterpiece (more on that later) is that the world is always left wanting more, which George Miller tried with all his might to replicate with "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." Another revenge story that expanded on one of the Wasteland's heroes, Anya Taylor-Joy takes the role of Furiosa for a spin, delving into how Immortan Joe came across his best driver who would eventually betray him on the Fury Road.

Unlike the chapter that came before (or after, depending on how you look at it), Miller maneuvers through more emotional terrain than ever while dropping in some eye-watering visuals. Furiosa's mother driving her daughter away while aflame will be one of the director's greatest moments, playing its part in explaining how Furiosa got separated from the Green Place and became a monster behind the War Rig. So why is it not higher up the list?

Well, the signature organized chaos that has parachutes trailing after trucks and Furiosa gunning for an unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth as Dementus is great, but it's the pit stops in between that drop "Furiosa" down lower than what fans were hoping for. Also, as much as we try to ignore it, the distinct lack of the original Road Warrior, even with the annoyingly brief cameo of Mad Max, can't be denied and has us wanting to head back on the Fury Road more than anything.

Given that the original "Mad Max" never initially made it to U.S. audiences, "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" was for many the first introduction to Mel Gibson's last remaining MFP lawman. Feeling akin to Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead 2," Miller's 1980 sequel drives like a soft reboot of sorts, with Max Rockatansky swinging by a town in need, struggling to hold its own against a maniacal gang, changing cinema forever. Backed by a heftier budget than before, "The Road Warrior" really feels like the chapter of Mad Max its director wanted out the gate on the first try, while still feeling like an evolutionary step to the incredibly engineered thrill-ride he'd deliver in the years to come.

Amping up the bonkers creativity in the characters that reside in this barren landscape, names like Humungus and Feral Kid are only amplified by their out there wardrobe that feel like a dress rehearsal. The world might be low on guzzoline, but it appears to be safe in stocks of leather and metal studs, while also making hockey masks just as iconic as Jason Voorhees did. This jaw-dropping imagery of a different kind of end of the world wouldn't be anything without Miller's impeccable skill of orchestrating a car chase from hell and mastering the geography of it all. This really is one of the best post-apocalyptic movies ever made, and it still wasn't even his best work.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" shouldn't have worked. On paper, it felt like an immense studio gamble, with George Miller returning (after a 30 year hiatus) to a franchise that had every reason to struggle in the same arena of comic book movies, Fast and Furious films, and Tom Cruise being a stuntman for the ages. And yet, somehow Warner Bros. signed off to get Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and a guitarist to play with literal fire in the middle of one of the best car chases in ever conceived.

On-set tensions aside, whatever reasons Hardy and Theron fought about on-set, the after effect sizzles under the Namibian sun as these two worked together in Miller's undeniable masterpiece. It's almost as if the director took apart the engine he built way back in 1979 and put it back together with better parts, all shiny and chrome. Nux (Nicholas Hoult) is a more deluded sidekick in place of Bruce Spence's Gyro Captain / Jedediah. Even when it comes to the film's big bad, Miller simply reapplies Hugh Keays-Byrne, who was once Toecutter, turning him into the monstrous Immortan Joe.

The surprise jolt however, is Theron, taking the wheel as one of the greatest movie heroes ever created and giving it her all. Sure, Hardy does his bit, but it's Furiosa is really the element that fuels the film into having the heart that's running on something more than guzzoline. Witness her and Miller's motorized majesty and accept that any other action film from here will simply be left in the dust.