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How others will see it. An enjoyable action film with enough car stunts, beautiful underdressed women in peril, and despicable villains to please anyone who likes that sort of thing. Not to be taken too seriously.
How I felt about it. Apart from its inherent quality, Mad Max is significant in that it introduced an actor who would within a few years become a major Hollywood star: Mel Gibson. Gibson had the looks and sensitivity to appeal to women, and projected sufficient machismo for men to identify with him. Once it is time for Gibson to exact revenge, we have full confidence that he can achieve this.
They say that one reason Jaws (1975) turned out so well was that the mechanical shark didn't work. This forced the film to focus on its leads, instead of the shark. The same principle is at work on Mad Max. Despite several dramatic car crashes, many of which were packed into the opening scenes, the film has the look of a low budget 'B' movie. Without enough money to make more things blow up, the action director, George Miller, has to fill frames with shots of Gibson's hottie wife, Joanne Samuel, whether she is in domestic bliss with Gibson and the baby, or is terrorized by Toecutter and his gang.
Fortunately for Miller and us, these scenes work. At times, the feel is similar to a horror movie, particularly when Samuel runs panic-stricken within the forest. It also helps that the supporting characters are colorful, particularly larger than life tough guy poser Fifi (Roger Ward), reckless bad cop Goose (Jim Bisley), Wild One antihero gone psychopath Toecutter, euphoric lunatic Nightrider (Vince Gil), creepy weasel Johnny the Boy (Tim Burns), and Billy Idol lookalike Geoff Parry. Even the rifle-toting old lady (Sheila Florance) is entertaining, although ineffective at keeping the bad guys at bay.
Mad Max is set in the near future. But things haven't changed much from 1979, with two exceptions. Biker gangs have taken control of the streets, and the police are hopelessly understaffed. Hope rests in Mel Gibson, our hero, but he has to get mad first. Only when his family is wasted does Gibson decide to go after Toecutter. In proper cinematic fashion, revenge is delayed, and made more difficult via dramatic injuries.