Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 5, 2020

George Miller's "Mad Max" (1979) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new interview with the director; vintage promotional materials; archival audio commentary; and archival featurettes. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In the United States, Mad Max was previously released on Blu-ray by MGM Home Entertainment and Shout Factory. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Casey Broadwater's review of the first release here.

Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1 and encoded with HEVC / H.265, Max Max arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Please note that the screencaptures that are included with our review appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-14: taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downconverted to 1080p.
2. Screencaptures #20-34: taken from the Blu-ray in native 1080p.

During the last couple of days, I spent quite a bit of time comparing the different presentations of the film in native 4K and 1080p from the two discs that are included on this release. I also did quite a few comparisons with the old MGM release from 2010, which is the only other release of the film that I have in my library. (I do not own Shout Factory's more recent Collector's Edition). Below, I will address the 4K and 1080p presentations separately as well as the similarities and differences between the new and old 1080p presentations.

4K BLU-RAY DISC

First, this is the all-around healthiest presentation of the film that I have seen to date. While you will still notice a couple of minor stains and spots, the bigger specks and scratches that are visible on the old Blu-ray release are gone. So, at some point cleanup work must have been performed. The density levels of the visuals are also the best that I have seen, but given that this is one of the major upgrades you get when you view content in 4K, I did not find it surprising. On the contrary, I expected this to be the case. Naturally, grain is far better exposed and resolved, and this is something that makes a substantial difference when you view films on a larger screen. Depth is good, but I feel that in many areas, and not only darker ones, it is not optimal. (I will explain why below). Delineation is very strong and I assume that virtually everyone will be pleased with it, but there is still room for some minor improvements. Because there are no traces of problematic digital work, the entire film has a very pleasing organic appearance as well. The most problematic area of the presentation is the color grading. The primaries and pretty much all of the supporting nuances are stable and looking natural. However, I think that there are some very specific timing errors that have shifted color values across the board. I don't know precisely what was done and I do not want to speculate, but the film looks unnaturally cool, at times even cold, and it is very easy to tell that its current appearance isn't its natural appearance. Now, when I viewed it in 4K I had Dolby Vision enabled, which produces some rather decent adjustments in specific areas, but the shift toward colder values is still easy to recognize. For example, if you take a look at screencaptures #1, 2 and 12 you should immediately be able to tell that something isn't timed correctly to capture the effects (and temperature) of the warm sun correctly. You should also be able to tell that the native dynamic range of the visuals is off. So, how big of an issue is this? With Dolby Vision or HDR enabled, it is less of an issue than when it is observed in 1080p. (For reference, a pretty similar problematic temperature discrepancy is present on the 4K restoration of Police Story. Natural light is flattened, or clipped, and the film's dynamic range is compromised. Other issues are present there as well). Still, the film simply does not have the proper lushness and vibrancy that was given to it by the original cinematography. In darker areas, there is also loss of native detail, though once again in native 4K this is a limitation is minimized and less of an issue than it is in 1080p. Image stability is excellent. All in all, the best technical presentation of the film is undoubtedly in native 4K, but I think that MGM's master isn't as convincing as it should have been. My score is 3.75/5.00.

BLU-RAY DISC

If at the moment you can play only Blu-ray discs and are wondering whether you should upgrade to get the Blu-ray disc that is included with this release, my advice is not to rush. I did quite a few direct comparisons between the MGM Blu-ray disc and the new Blu-ray disc and at least on my system I could not see a meaningful difference to recommend an immediate upgrade. The basics of the two presentations are actually pretty much identical, plus the encodes are extremely similar as well. As I mentioned above, there are meaningful improvements once you move to 4K because some darker areas begin to look more convincing. I think that most viewers will appreciate the color adjustments that Dolby Vision and HDR offer as well, but in 1080p both presentations reveal the same type of key limitations. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: Australian English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Australian English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono), and U.S. English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the Australian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. The audio is often a bit thin and during mass exchanges -- with the gang members in particular -- and radio transmissions it is often easy to lose some lines. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit, but I also had to use the English subtitles because it wasn't always easy to catch all lines, and especially the ones from the police radio. Dynamic intensity can be uneven, but I assume that this is a limitation of the original soundtrack. Can the Australian Mono track sound better? It is hard to tell. Perhaps after extensive remastering work it can, but I don't know how much better. As it is, I think that it recreates the original qualities of the soundtrack very well.

Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by art director Jon Dowding, cinematographer David Eggby, special effects artist Chris Murray, and filmmaker Tim Ridge. It has appeared on a number of different home video releases of Mad Max.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Road Rage - in this new video interview, director George Miller discusses the cultural environment in the rural town where he grew up, how he acquired his passion for cinema, his first encounter with producer Byron Kennedy, the conception of Mad Max and its visual style, the significance of graphic violence in the film, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

• Interviews with Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, and Cinematographer David Eggby - in this archival program, Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, and cinematographer David Eggby recall their initial impressions of the screenplay for Mad Max, contributions to the film, what it was like during the shooting process, the film's reception, etc. Also, there are some very interesting comments about the characterizations as well as the unique environment in which they are left to survive. The program previously appeared on Shout Factory's Collector's Edition of Mad Max. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080p).

• Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar - this archival program takes a closer look at the cinematic career of Mel Gibson. Included in it are clips from interviews with Betty Williams (Mel's acting teacher), producer/actor Phil Avalon, actor John Jarratt, and talent agent Faith Martin, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 480/60i).

• Max Max: The Film Phenomenon - this archival program examines the incredible success and lasting appeal of Max Max as well as the tremendous transformational impact it had on the Australia film industry. Included in it are clips from interviews with cinematographer David Eggby, art director Jon Dowding, special effects specialist Chris Murray, and Australian film critic David Stratton, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 480/60i).

• Trailers From Hell - an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with writer/director Josh Olson (A History of Violence). In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - a couple of vintage radio spots for Mad Max. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• TV Spots - a couple of vintage TV spots for Mad Max. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).

• Trailers - two vintage trailers for Mad Max. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer One. (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Trailer Two. (3 min, 1080p).

Mad Max 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 4K presentation of Mad Max is the best presentation of the film that I have seen to date. However, I remain unconvinced that the 4K master MGM produced is the definitive one because I believe it could have been graded better. For this particular reason, I would have preferred to see a 4K Blu-ray release of Don Siegel's Charley Varrick, which is another big cult film from Kino Lorber's catalog that was beautifully restored in 4K by Universal Pictures. The 4K Blu-ray release of Mad Max features a long and quite interesting exclusive new interview with director George Miller. RECOMMENDED.