Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome / YMMV

Awesome Music: Beyond Thunderdome was scored by three-time Oscar winner Maurice Jarre. Tina Turner contributed two songs. "One of the Living", which plays over the opening credits, won Turner a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performace, Female. "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)", which plays over the closing credits, became a #1 hit in many countries, was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Grammy and has become a concert favorite of hers.
Base-Breaking Character: The Feral Children are either the best characters in the movie or drag the movie down.
Broken Base:
- The Lighter and Softer tone of the film. Fans are split for decades if it works for the benefit or detriment of the whole thing and how it affected what was for years the final movie in the series.
- Ask online about opinions on the Lost Tribe and the extended expositions they deliver. Then step back and observe the violent quarrel. There are people who completely skip the middle part of the movie and just jump directly to the final act... and just as many people who skip first and final act, watching just the middle in the oasis.
Contested Sequel: On one hand, the scenes in Bartertown are very well regarded, especially the titular Thunderdome fight, but the film gets a good amount of flak for the tribe of lost children and the extreme shift into Lighter and Softer territory from the first two films (and even its own first half). While the movie is certified Fresh at 80% on RT, the audience reviews haven't been as kind, hovering at 49%. Notably, Roger Ebert considered it the best of the films.
Designated Villain: Aside from having some stringent laws, Aunty Entity and the residents of Bartertown aren't all that evil. Master and Blaster, despite nearly killing Max several times, are only doing what they feel is necessary for them to survive.
The Rageaholic: But with the film now fading into the foreground, allow me to offer the following query: WHO THE BUTTFUCKING BAD GUY?! Blaster turned out to be a special Olympian, Master made a face turn, and Aunty just chased Max across the Seren-goddamn-geti in the bobsled from Cool Runnings so she could send him off with a smirk and a "later, homey". WHY DID ANY OF THIS HAPPEN?!
Ensemble Dark Horse:
- Dr. Dealgood the announcer is a pretty commanding and iconic presence.
- Scrooloose is probably the best-liked of the Feral Children. This only grew after the release of Fury Road, due to the fan theory that Scrooloose was an escaped member of Immortan Joe's army who stumbled across the oasis.^note.
- Blackfinger, the Punch-Clock Villain mechanic at the underworld (and a participant in the final chase) is a pretty minor character, but is an interesting presence.
- Max's cute and helpful monkey has his fans.
- Max's surprisingly helpful Nice Guy fellow methane plant Pig Killer is well-remembered by fans of the movie.
- Dr. Dealgood's two Lovely Assistants, who act like game show presenters and look a bit solemn about the fate the wheel condemns Max to. They might not be as popular as the others on the list, but since they aren't even credited, the amount of acknowledgment they get can still be notable.
Fanon: Fans have retroactively assumed Scrooloose is an escaped War Pup or accidentally inspired Joe's cult In-Universe.
Franchise Original Sin: The Feral Children are easily the most controversial part of this film, with many people complaining that they bog the movie down and make things too saccharine. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior also had a Feral Kid in it, with people being far more accepting of him by comparison. However, the Feral Children in this film tend receive more flack for having a story arc that clashes greatly with the film's first half, and derails Max's goals to some extent. By contrast, the Feral Kid in Road Warrior was mostly a supporting character whose presence didn't influence the overall progression of the story.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
- There is scene where Max tells Pig-Killer that he'll count to three before pulling a harpoon out of his leg. Counting to three becomes a Running Gag in that other franchise that Mel Gibson is famous for.
- George Miller would go to bring us more pig-cinema with Babe. His next Mad Max film would revolve around another "family squabble".
- Seeing Scrooloose, one of the Feral Children, wearing white makeup all over his body with black makup around his eyes, while being completely bald is a lot funnier after Mad Max: Fury Road took his design and made it the default appearance of the War Boys.
- The movie was somewhat infamous for making Max a straight white hat and entire plot hinging on Holding Out for a Hero. The promo, and the eventual Breakaway Pop Hit, song's title? We don't need another hero.
Iron Woobie: Blaster. Underneath the intimidating helmet is a gentle-looking, innocent face with Fish Eyes. Master pleas for his life and Max, realizing this was in no way a fair fight, spares him, infuriating Aunty - who promptly has Blaster killed with crossbows and puts Max to "The Wheel" for breaking his word.
Magnificent Bitch: Auntie Entity is the ruler of Bartertown. A harsh ruler trying to forge order from chaos who is locked in a struggle with the refinery owner Master, Entity keeps control via the Thunderdome with its gladiator combat and manipulates Max into challenging Master's champion Blaster before killing Blaster herself, usurping Master and exiling Max. Upon Max managing to save her enemies, Auntie Entity decides she respects him too much to kill him and releases him while she back heads to rebuild Bartertown.
Memetic Mutation:
- Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves!
- Who run Bartertown?
- Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dyin' time's here!
- Ain't we a pair, Raggedy Man?
- What happened to two?
- "Can't we get beyond Thunderdome?", courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
- Master-Blaster! Listen to the laaaaaaaaw!
She Really Can Act: Tina Turner is given co-starring duties in a meaty role, and she basically nails it. It's even more impressive because she's asked to give some subtle emotional shifts in a Large Ham role.
Signature Line: Max's send-off at the end of the film.
Auntie Entity: Well… ain't we a pair, Raggedy Man?

YMMV / Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

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