Mad Max Anthology 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Mad Max Anthology 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Shiny and chrome, but still kinda mediocre.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 14, 2022

To celebrate the -- I don't know, the 41st anniversary of The Road Warrior, maybe? -- Warner Bros. has issued the Mad Max Anthology, a 4K set containing all four films in George Miller's post-apocalyptic franchise. No Blu-rays are included, which means that most of the legacy bonus features are missing in action. It's a fine solution if you've already got the Blu-rays and want a sleek, no-nonsense 4K upgrade (or don't care about extras, of course), but this really should have been an all-inclusive collection. It also should have been right the first time: originally released last November, this set was recalled due to issues with several audio tracks on The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome that have since been resolved... but while The Road Warrior is also available as a separate fixed release (with a Blu-ray copy to boot), the corrected Beyond Thunderdome is only available in this collection for now. Got all that? Good.

For an overview of each film included in this set, please see the vintage Blu-ray reviews linked below.

Mad Max

The Road Warrior

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max Anthology 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Bros.' 4K disc for the original Mad Max represents one of this set's only real surprises: it's clearly sourced from the same master as Kino's 4K edition, but many scenes show deeper blacks (at the expense of some black crush, which can be annoying), brighter whites (again, with occasional amounts of blooming), less overall noise, and more deeply saturated colors. Additionally, the aspect ratio is slightly different and this suggests that Kino's transfer was stretched vertically by a few pixels. Screenshots #6-8 are exact frame matches of three images featured in Dr. Svet Atanasov's review of Kino's 4K release (linked above) and offer more tangible proof of these changes. Some fans may prefer the slightly more raw appearance of Kino's 4K disc... but neither presentation is flat-out definitive or a complete disaster. Please note that both sets of images were captured from their respective 4K discs and downsampled to 1920x1080 SDR; therefore, they don't accurately convey what you'll see on a 4K display with HDR enhancement.

In comparison, both The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome showcase more cut-and-dried improvements over their last home video counterparts; in this case, separate Blu-rays released by Warner Bros. in 2013. (Both were also included as part of the 2016 High Octane Collection.) Although those older discs were respectable for their time, the substantial boost in clarity, fine detail, density, black levels, and saturation on these new masters makes them feel like entirely new films, yet thankfully they have not been significantly altered in the area of color timing.

The Road Warrior is dominated by pale blue skies and warm desert hues, both of which are finely saturated but not boosted to artificial levels; only occasional highlights -- such as bursts of flame, explosions, and certain costume and background elements -- cut through the mostly earth-toned palette. It's not a vivid film by design (which applies to all entries in this franchise, save for the hyper-saturated Fury Road) and certainly not pretty, but the production design's appropriately lived-in appearance can now be appreciated in better detail, thanks to increased depth and clarity that extends all the way into backgrounds full of twisted metal, gnarled vehicle husks, and rocky terrain. Close-ups and wide shots are almost staggering in their overall level of clarity, while those stray bursts of color and much deeper shadow gradients are given new life by the tasteful use of HDR enhancement. If you haven't seen The Road Warrior in a decade or more, you'll be very surprised with how clean (relatively speaking), crisp, and pleasing it looks in 4K.

Beyond Thunderdome is a much different-looking film than The Road Warrior, and in some respects it's the most dated of the bunch. (That's not a knock against Warner Bros.' stunning new master, just a reflection of its more campy visual design and all those silly haircuts.) Color-wise it shares more than a few similarities with the first and especially second films, still sticking to a dominant pale-blue and orange complimentary color scheme naturally provided by its dry desert locations. However, a few rest periods arrive along the way, such as the deep blue interiors of Bartertown and oasis-like "Planet Erf" where Max is brought by Savannah Nix. These scenes enjoy a nice boost in effectiveness, thanks again to this 4K disc's tasteful HDR enhancement, as well as tighter image detail and deeper black levels. Much like The Road Warrior, film grain is very fine but ever-present, providing a pleasingly smooth texture that hasn't been smothered with egregious levels of digital noise reduction. Both films are also encoded nicely and run at a decently-high bit rate on dual-layered discs; that's more than enough real estate, considering their running time and aspect ratios.

The 4K disc for Mad Max: Fury Road is identical to WB's own 4K disc released back in 2016.

Mad Max Anthology 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mad Max features the same primary options as Kino's 4K edition: a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio remix and the original 2.0 mono theatrical mix. Please note that the "American English" track has not been ported over... but unless you have some sort of nostalgia for that comically bad dub created for U.S. theatrical release, you're not missing much.

The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome feature the same audio options: a new Dolby Atmos remix, as well as DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and DTS-HD 2.0 tracks both based on the original stereo theatrical mixes. (This was also why the original set was recalled back in November: The Road Warrior's DTS-HD options were incorrectly downmixed from its new Atmos track, while both non-Atmos tracks on Beyond Thunderdome were compressed to Dolby Digital format.) Luckily everything is fine now, and a studio not normally known for preserving original audio has actually stepped up to create the best of both worlds for die-hard fans. Hey, gotta give credit where credit's due.

From that perspective, any complaints about the new Atmos mixes on The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome are almost pointless. Don't like the new audio? Go back to the older tracks. Luckily, I enjoy them both for mostly the same reasons: for the most part, these full-bodied tracks seem to mirror the franchise's trademark desolate atmosphere and gonzo action scenes, often going all-in with a full presence and discrete channel effects... some of which appear to be newly added, for better or for worse. In both films -- but especially The Road Warrior -- this "extra information" often arrives in the form of wind that intensifies the harsh desert landscapes but can slightly overpower other elements, such as Max's discovery of the settlement where vehicles and voices can be heard far in the distance. (This was one of the easiest ways to tell that the recalled set's "theatrical audio" was wrong.) But in other areas, it more carefully intensifies action and atmosphere without compromising the original sound design, especially during the chaotic final chase scene. These comments certainly extend to Beyond Thunderdome as well: while its similar stereo source material has been sweetened to fit Atmos' broader landscape, the positives far outweigh any perceivable negatives. Active height channels are put to good use during gyrocopter fly-bys and vehicle chases, dialogue is nicely prioritized, and as a whole these tracks mostly feel like how the audio might sound if these films were released in the era of Fury Road.

For purists, the corrected DTS-HD 2.0 theatrical audio on The Road Warrior (and now lossless 2.0 theatrical audio on Beyond Thunderdome) will be the go-to option, and these seem to be the genuine article. Both feature strong channel separation, dialogue that's well-balanced with background effects and music cues, and a gimmick-free atmosphere that gets the job done and nothing more. Somewhere between these two extremes are separate DTS-HD 5.1 options which, to my ears, are sourced from the theatrical audio rather than the Atmos mixes (which makes sense, because all non-Atmos receivers would automatically fold down such a track anyway). These provide a comfortable middle ground for those more tied to "the original experience" but who want a bit of added weight. Either way, the available of all three options is very much appreciated; what was once this anthology's weak point is now its greatest strength.

The 4K disc for Mad Max: Fury Road is identical to WB's own 4K disc released back in 2016.

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

This four-disc set ships in a hinged keepcase with text-dominant artwork, a matching slipbox, and two Digital Copy redemption slips for all four films in 4K. Sadly, most of the legacy bonus features are nowhere to be found.

Mad Max is completely featureless, strangely lacking even the familiar audio commentary, retrospective featurette, and trailers found on earlier releases such the 2010 Blu-ray and DVD sets. Obviously, that also means the various extras created for Kino's 4K edition and Shout Factory's Blu-ray were not licensed either.

The Road Warrior is the only disc in this collection with any bonus content whatsoever, adding an enjoyable mid-length featurette originally created for WB's 2016 High Octane Collection to a pair of extras from WB's 2013 Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the theatrical trailer included on that release has not been included this time.

• Road War: The Making of "The Road Warrior" (48:53) - This 2016 featurette includes a great amount of vintage photos, candid set footage, and several first-hand participants that eagerly talk about their contributions to the film. Comparing and contrasting it to the low-budget original, director George Miller speaks frankly about the many production difficulties he encountered on Mad Max... which extended into post-production when he ran out of money and, along with late producer Byron Kennedy, resorting to editing and other tasks in his free time at home. The tale of Mad Max's international success segues nicely into bigger and better things with The Road Warrior, from its initial development (and a story ripped from the headlines) to its reception and legacy... along with everything he and his team learned along the way. Additional participants (some who appear via archival interviews) include star Mel Gibson, screenwriter Terry Hayes, director of photography Dean Semler, location manager Steve Knapman, art director Grace Walker, stuntman Guy Norris, and several others.

• Introduction by Leonard Maltin (3:37)

• Audio Commentary with director George Miller and cinematographer Dean Semler

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is again featureless, lacking even the trailer from WB's own 2013 Blu-ray.

Mad Max: Fury Road omits all the extras featured on WB's 2016 4K/Blu-ray combo pack rather than just including the Blu-ray as a cheap bonus disc. Again, no reason this couldn't have been an all-inclusive package.

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

Like their Middle Earth Collection, Warner Bros.' new Mad Max Anthology is a somewhat baffling release. While at least half of the films look better than ever and the (corrected) audio on The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome sounds great, this four-disc 4K set omits nearly all of the legacy bonus features from previous discs. Shockingly overpriced at its current MSRP of $90, the Mad Max Anthology is an expensive companion piece to the existing Blu-rays.