History YMMV / MadMax2TheRoadWarrior

* EvenBetterSequel: The first was impressive for a low-budget action film to come out of Australia, though by today's standards is rather slow-paced and tedious (despite some excellent auto-stunts). The second film practically popularized the ScavengerWorld and TheApunkalypse in film, filled with balls to the wall action and is the best remembered film in the series, that is until ''[[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Fury Road]]'' came into competition with it.

* MemeticMutation: Humungus saying "Just walk away" is rather popular on message boards as advice for avoiding {{flame war}}s.

** Weirdly enough, [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad the movie's own sequel]] contributes to this effect--Fury Road uses similar cinematography, but pushes all the shots UpToEleven with bright coloring and massive sets, has even less dialogue (George Miller apparently even edited a version with ''no dialogue at all''), and while some elements of the "bondage gear" villain costumes are still present, they're pretty downplayed compared to the Humungus and limited to just one group of non-main villains (the People Eater and his Gas Town war party). It's pretty jarring to watch the two movies side-by-side and see just how much of Fury Road is essentially The Road Warrior updated to account for modern Hollywood standards of cinematography, writing, and costume design.

* {{Fanon}}: There's a growing movement that believes that Max from ''Fury Road'' is the Feral Kid from ''Road Warrior.''

* MagnumOpus: Was regarded as this for both the franchise and Creator/GeorgeMiller for over three decades. Then ''[[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Fury Road]]'' came out. Now it's a tight competition between the two.

* EvenBetterSequel: The first was impressive for a low-budget action film to come out of Australia, though by today's standards is rather slow-paced and tedious (despite some excellent auto-stunts). The second film practically popularized the ScavengerWorld and TheApunkalypse in film, filled with balls to the wall action and is the best remembered film in the series until ''[[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Fury Road]] came into competition with it.

* EvenBetterSequel: The first was impressive for a low-budget action film to come out of Australia, though by today's standards is rather slow-paced and tedious (despite some excellent auto-stunts). The second film practically popularized the ScavengerWorld and TheApunkalypse in film, filled with balls to the wall action and is the best remembered film in the series. Then there's ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', critically acclaimed for its action, [[ShowDontTell visual storytelling]], acting, surprising amounts of CharacterDevelopment and depth despite a very simple story, and relentlessly feminist message.

* {{Fanon}}: There's a growing movement that believes that Max from ''FuryRoad'' is the Feral Kid from ''Road Warrior.''

* EvenBetterSequel: The first film was a hit in Australia, but this was released in America as ''The Road Warrior'' because not many Americans had even heard of the original film yet.

* EnsembleDarkHorse: Lord Humungus.

* MagnumOpus: Was regarded as this for both the franchise and Creator/GeorgeMiller for over three decades. Then ''[[MadMaxFuryRoad Fury Road]]'' came out. Now it's a tight competition between the two.

* ValuesDissonance: One of the most prominent villains is a DepravedHomosexual in leather bondage gear, whose [[ViewerGenderConfusion effeminate-looking]] boyfriend is brutally killed by one of the protagonists for no reason. It's pretty cringeworthy nowadays, to say the least.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The film's cinematography (particularly the wide-angle shots of the desert), sparse dialogue, and (at the time) unique, creative costuming were all highly praised when it first came out. Flash forward 30-something years and the camerawork and photography are nothing special, low-dialogue films, while not standard, aren't particularly uncommon and actually usually have much less dialogue than The Road Warrior, and bad guys in leather and punk clothing have been done to death so badly that some of the outfits look like parody to a modern viewer.

* AwesomeMusic: The music for the opening narration is both bleak and stirring at the same time.

* UnfortunateImplications: The homoerotic implications of Lord Humungus and his "Smegma Crazies" and "Gayboy Berzerkers" are a lot less entertaining [[HarsherInHindsight now that people are more sensitive to issues of gay representation in media.]]

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The film's cinematography (particularly the wide-angle shots of the desert), sparse dialogue, and (at the time) unique, creative costuming were all highly praised when it first came out. Flash forward 30-something years and the camerawork is nothing special, low-dialogue films, while not standard, aren't particularly uncommon and actually usually have much less dialogue than The Road Warrior, and bad guys in leather and punk clothing have been done to death so badly that some of the outfits look like parody to a modern viewer.

** Weirdly enough, [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad the movie's own sequel]] contributes to this effect--Fury Road uses similar cinematography, but pushes all the shots UpToEleven with bright coloring and massive sets, has even less dialogue (George Miller apparently even edited a version with ''no dialogue at all''), and while some elements of the "bondage gear" villain costumes are still present, they're pretty downplayed compared to the Humungus and limited to just one group of non-main villains (the People Eater and his Gas Town war party).

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The film's cinematography (particularly the wide-angle shots of the desert), sparse dialogue, and costuming were all highly praised when it first came out. Flash forward 30-something years and the camerawork is nothing special, low-dialogue films, while not standard, aren't particularly uncommon and actually usually have much less dialogue than The Road Warrior, and bad guys in leather and punk clothing have been done to death so badly that some of the outfits look like parody to a modern viewer. Weirdly enough, [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad the movie's own sequel]] contributes to this effect--Fury Road uses similar wide-angle shots, but pushes them UpToEleven with bright coloring and massive sets, has even less dialogue (George Miller apparently even edited a version with ''no dialogue at all''), and while a few background {{Mooks}} do wear leather, spikes, and face masks, the bondage-gear effect is downplayed by mixing the costumes with more practical clothing.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Is Lord Humungus genuine in his attempt to get the refinery settlers to walk away or [[ILied was he lying]]? This is actually discussed {{in-universe}} as there is a division amongst the settlers as to what to do until Max offers to bring them a truck.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Is Lord Humungus genuine in his attempt to get the refinery settlers to walk away or [[ILied was he lying]]? This is actually discussed in universe as there is a division amongst the settlers as to what to do until Max offers to bring them a truck.
* AntiClimaxBoss: The Lord Humungus, he and Max are never directly face to face at any point in the second film until Max smashes into his vehicle with the tanker truck.

* EvenBetterSequel: ''Mad Max 2''. The first film was a hit in Australia, but the sequel was released in America as ''The Road Warrior'' because not many Americans had even heard of the original film yet.

* UnfortunateImplications: The homoerotic implications of Lord Humongus and his "Smegma Crazies" and "Gayboy Berzerkers" are a lot less entertaining [[HarsherInHindsight now that people are more sensitive to issues of gay representation in media.]]