The sequel, Mad Max: The Road Warrior, is probably the best of the original trilogy, establishing the Wasteland and broadening Max’s motivations, from a quest of vengeance to one of social justice. While the Wasteland setting has become a defining element of the Mad Max franchise, the original takes place in a kind of pre-apocalypse, with Max, a police officer, going rogue after his family is murdered by a biker gang. Released in 1979, the original Mad Max is now an Australian classic - shot on a shoe-string budget, with practical car stunts and a grindhouse aesthetic. Despite its seemingly obvious appeal, the movie went through a long period in development hell it was initially envisioned as a more direct sequel to the previous films before a number of story changes (and the passing of time) led to Mel Gibson - Max in the original trilogy - being re-cast, with Tom Hardy taking the role in his stead. The choice to recast Gibson for Fury Road, however, has some implications for the movie's continuity within the franchise as a whole. Released 30 years after the previous Mad Max film, Fury Road hit like a freight-train, proving Miller’s ongoing genius and re-introducing the title character for a modern audience. Is Mad Max: Fury Road a reboot or a sequel? Director George Miller offers an elegant solution to the franchise’s continuity debate.

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