A Timeline of The Mad Max Movies

Discover our timeline of George Miller’s Mad Max saga, covering each of his movies from the last 30 years, and experience an action-packed dystopian world

With this chronological timeline, we bring you the complete saga of Mad Max movies, taking place in the apocalyptic landscapes of a barren wasteland where resources are sparse. From the first three additions released over 30 years ago, to this year’s much-anticipated prequel, we take a look at each of George Miller’s dystopian action films in order of release date.

Mad Max (1979)

Mad Max, released in 1979, marks the birth of the franchise created by George Miller. Set in the Australian outback and filmed outside of Melbourne, the title character was Mel Gibson's breakout role. The gritty action movie is packed with dangerous stunts and battle scenes as the characters traverse a desolate, dystopian wasteland. The story explores societal breakdown after an apocalypse and follows Mad Max (Gibson) as he seeks revenge on a savage motorcycle gang. As we discuss in our article here, the first addition to the franchise relies almost entirely on practical effects and stunts to create an authentic, chaotic world where everyone is left to fend for themselves after Earth’s resources have depleted.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Continuing the action-packed storyline, Miller released Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior in 1981. After the brutal murder of his family, Max navigates the barren desert of a collapsed civilisation in search of food and petrol along with his trusty canine. Stumbling upon a group of survivors living in an oil refinery, he agrees to help defend them against the biker king, Lord Humungus, for the promise of petrol. With a larger budget, Miller’s approach to the second Mad Max film was more ambitious, allowing him to include a huge stunt involving a 12-wheel truck rolling over. It smashed the box-office, doubling the gross of the first movie, and received a wealth of positive reviews from critics.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdrome (1985)

Also known as Mad Max 3, the third addition to the evolving franchise returns to the post-apocalyptic world. Alongside Mel Gibson, the film stars the ‘The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, Tina Turner as Aunty Entity. After defeating Lord Humungus and his gang of violent bikers, Max is left exiled with no resources, forcing him to travel to a remote market-town ruled by the tyrannical Aunty Entity. There, he is faced with a barbaric challenge that takes place in the ‘Thunderdome’, before being cast out once again and finding himself in the haven of a group of marooned survivors.

The third and final movie starring Mel Gibson explores civilisation attempting to rebuild itself after the nuclear war that resulted in Earth’s ecocide, but which ultimately brings even more violent conflict and division.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

30 years on, Miller revisits the franchise with Mad Max: Fury Road for the fourth instalment of the saga. Replacing Mel Gibson as the protagonist, Tom Hardy takes on the role of ferocious Max Rockstansky, still a loner trying to survive. He becomes swept up with a band of survivors fleeing across the Wasteland in a war rig driven by an elite Imperator, Furiosa (Charlize Theron). They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and ruthlessly pursues the rebels in the high-octane Road War that follows.

The majority of the desert scenes were shot in Dorob National Park in Namibia as well as Sydney. As the franchise arrived into the 21^stcentury, it utilised some new special and visual effects, including CGI, that help to further develop the fast-paced car chases and vast crowds around the canyon.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Now, over 40 years since the saga begin, George Miller returns with a new film and a new main character. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from Mad Max: Fury Road.

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Anya Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke. See it in cinemas from May 24 and book your tickets now.