The Mad Max movie series is one of the most well-known post-apocalyptic movie franchises, with the series focusing on a traveling loner amid his dark and bleak future. Now, the series has continued with its latest entry, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Focusing on the earlier days of Charlize Theron’s character from Mad Max: Fury Road, the movie’s exact place in the chronology of the series is fairly questionable.

The Mad Max films have always had a somewhat amorphous continuity, though it’s far more set in stone than some viewers think. The same is the case with Furiosa, namely due to its status as a prequel. So if fans want to watch/rewatch the series in chronological order, they won’t be watching the newest movie last.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on September 3, 2024: With Furiosa leading straight into Fury Road, the Mad Max franchise appears to have a fresh start—and a bright future. New fans of the Mad Max movies can easily catch up on the franchise by watching each entry in chronological order.

The Mad Max Franchise

Film
Year
Director
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes

Mad Max
1979
George Miller
6.8
90%
Max

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
1981
7.6
94%

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
1985
George Miller & George Ogilvie
6.2
79%

Mad Max: Fury Road
2015
George Miller
8.1
97%

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
2024
7.6
90%

The First Mad Max Started It All

Streaming on Max

IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

6.8/10
90%
70%

Released in 1979 by Australian director George Miller, the original Mad Max set the tone for the franchise thereafter. It featured a former police officer named “Mad” Max Rockatansky, played by Mel Gibson, who lived in a continuously devolving future that was besieged by a decreasing fuel supply. With law and order becoming things of the past, Max wages a one-man war against the rising tide of crime and biker gangs.

While the movie came out at the end of the 1970s, Mad Max was stated to take place “a few years from now.” This logically places it in the early or middle 1980s, with this quick transition into turmoil representing how bleak the series could be. At the same time, it showcases some level of society still being present, with Max’s status as a former cop meaning something to the crooks he antagonizes. The Mad Max franchise was still figuring out precisely what it wanted to be at this early stage, but the 1979 film is still one of the most entertaining entries therein and one of the strongest dystopian films of its era.

Mad Max is a 1979 sci-fi action film from director and writer George Miller. Mel Gibson stars as Max a police officer in the future who goes after a gang of vicious motorcycle thugs. The film led to a long-running franchise including The Road Warrior, Beyond Thunderdome, Fury Road, and Furiosa.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Is The Best Of The Original Franchise

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IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

7.6/10
94%
86%

Released in 1981, two years after the original, Mad Max 2 (also known as The Road Warrior) took place about three years after the first film. It showcased a version of Max that was still freshly haunted by the deaths of his wife and child. Max finds himself acquainted with a group of settlers who have tried to find some peace for themselves in the dark future. Unfortunately, this peace is disturbed by a roving band of bandits seeking to unleash hell on Earth on everyone in their path.

Mad Max 2 cemented the particularly kooky tone of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series that would continue in the next several films. More than the first movie, it featured a bizarre and punk-inspired aesthetic that became synonymous with the franchise. It also made this type of science fiction all the more popular in the burgeoning 1980s. Finally finding what Mad Max should be, The Road Warrior is largely considered to be the most beloved and influential entry in the franchise. The sequel also went on to inspire many other similar stories, including anime such as Fist of the North Star. Likewise, the film’s acclaim has further established it as one of the best action movies ever made.

Beyond Thunderdome Was Mel Gibson’s Final Mad Max Movie

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IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

6.2/10
79%
49%

Released in 1985, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was the series’ third entry and the final film to feature Mel Gibson in the role of the title character. The movie features Max finding his way into a dangerous town ruled by Tina Turner’s “Aunty Entity,” before switching gears to have him meet a group of feral children. Together, they return to “Bartertown” and take on Entity’s forces head-on. Beyond Thunderdome saw a major skip in the timeline, with the film taking place 15 years after the events of The Road Warrior. This is likely why its level of “weird” is even higher, with the towns and clothing being quite strange.

Though well-received, Beyond Thunderdome was somewhat controversial, as well. Fans have debated whether it’s the best or the worst of the series, especially back when it came out. The biggest point of contention was the focus on the children in the movie’s second half. Some saw this as making the movie too “lighthearted” compared to previous entries, but this was made up for by the epic action. With many strengths and weaknesses, Beyond Thunderdome is many fans’ favorite entry in the franchise, while others view it as the absolute worst.

In the post-apocalyptic wasteland, Max becomes entangled in the power struggles of Bartertown, ruled by the formidable Aunty Entity. After defying the town’s brutal laws, Max is exiled to the desert where he encounters a tribe of children survivors. Together, they plot a daring return to confront Bartertown’s corrupt leaders and fight for their freedom.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Is A Prequel To Fury Road

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IMDb Rating

7.6/10
90%
89%

Though it is the most recently released entry in the franchise, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the second-to-last movie in the chronology. The beginning of the film takes place around 15 to 20 or so years before Mad Max: Fury Road, which was the debut of the Furiosa character. The film doesn’t feature Mad Max himself, but it does feature the villainous Immortan Joe from Fury Road. It gives a closer look at the level of societal collapse seen in that movie, with Furiosa living as a slave due to the machinations of Chris Hemsworth’s Dementus. The film perfectly segues into Fury Road, connecting the two installments seamlessly.

Originally played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road, the character of Furiosa is now played by Anya Taylor-Joy, showcasing her transformation into the hardened character seen in the next film. For the most part, the movie has been highly praised, namely due to how it handles the sort of vehicular combat used in the last movie. However, most fans agree that it isn’t quite on the same level as the highly acclaimed Fury Road. Returning director George Miller has plans to possibly return for other prequels, though Furiosa‘s disappointing box office may put these plans on hold.

Fury Road Made the Mad Max Storyline Confusing

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IMDb Rating
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

8.1/10
97%
86%

Mad Max: Fury Road came out 30 years after Beyond Thunderdome following several failed attempts by series creator George Miller to bring the series back. In this new installment, Max was played by Tom Hardy instead of the much older Mel Gibson. The storyline sees Mad Max teaming up with Furiosa and her group of women against Immortan Joe, a false prophet and cult leader from Furiosa’s past. While the movie is known for its epic battles, it also made the series’ chronology confusing. Mad Max: Fury Road is seen by some as taking place 30 or so years after the previous film, yet Max doesn’t look much older.

Conversely, a tattoo of Max’s seen at the beginning of the movie states that it’s been about 33 years since the fall of society. This goes against the events of the first Mad Max movie, as Mad would have been far too young for the movie’s events to make sense. One explanation is it’s a new continuity, while others believe that the first movie is more of a legend than Max’s true history. Likewise, some even think that Mad Max is now a sort of title, with Hardy’s version not the same person as Gibson’s. Given its relation to Furiosa and seemingly referencing the events of the other films (at least in its tie-in comics), it’s best to watch Fury Road last.