If Byron Kennedy was alive. ....

[dinkydee]

I know its impossible as he's dead. But considering he worked on 1 & 2 and then died during 3- is this the reason thunderdome turned out to be the crystal skull of the series?
If Byron Kennedy was alive would he have contributed to the gritty/realism/nihilism to fury road. That's of course on the understanding George miller was more for big stunts. Hence
1 = dark and visceral

2 = dark and visceral

3= light and fluffy (like a mousse) .

You can't help but wonder.

[TheGoose]

Didn't he die while scouting locations for MM3? So the script had probably been written by then. I always thought the "problem" was that they had the story of the lost tribe of kids first, then shoehorned Max into it.

I think as a stand-alone film, MM3 is quite good. Miller has a rather vivid imagination and an almost obsessive eye for detail, and this film was packed with crazy ideas. Also, there was a co-director, so that changed the tone quite a bit. If it had not been a Mad Max film, I think it would get so much more love from Mad Max fans.

Of course, as a follow-up to MM1 and MM2, it fell way short.

A few weeks ago someone posted in another thread that they thought of MM2 as a type of "freak" production, and I think that's key. A lot of lucky elements seem to have fallen into place during production, and somehow it builds perfectly from the set-up of MM1, but I don't think there was anywhere else to go after that.

In many respects, that's why I was happy when Fury Road became a reboot with Hardy. FR is now it's own beast, and doesn't have to somehow top or shoehorn it's way into the previous films. It can be its own crazy thing.

Regarding the MM3 and Crystal Skull comparisons, I always have to disagree. MM3 fell short of being a good Mad Max film, but on it's own, I think it's well-made and original. In terms of classic cinema, it's impressive. But Crystal Skull...oh my god. It doesn't only offend fans of the previous films. It doesn't only offend cinephiles. It offends every single person on the planet. Everyone involved in that abomination should never be allowed to work in cinema again.

[Taipan]

If Byron Kennedy was alive at the time they filmed MMBT it'd still be MMBT. Maybe a bit more gritty. But the script was already there and it wasn't changed after Byron died, not that I know of.
MMBT was always a tale about the lost kids that evolved into a Mad Max movie. The only thing I could blame George Ogilvie for is adding an extra layer of goofiness in his directing. A lot of characters are over the top. That's just not the stuff Miller directed (he focused on chase scenes which turned out nice).

I guess Kennedy's contribution would be a toned down direction. Seems like Ogilvie took the 'over the top' suggestion literally.

[MWFV8]

MMBT was a typical big studio affair. I doubt Kennedy would have had any more influence than Miller at the time.

[Get the bullet]

Mel was also not interested in another Mad Max movie after 2 unless it went in a new direction.
I'm glad they didn't copy MM2 and that both movies stand on their own.
I too believe MMBT would of turned out to be the same movie with Byron.

[Stamper]

Nope, BT is not studio. It's made freely by Miller and team. No studio interference. It's just that after Byron death, Miller was of course less enthralled to film more savagery and darkness, and that Terry Hayes had taken control in place of Kennedy.

1&2 are two chapters of the same story. 3 is another story.

FR will be more like 1&2 and in fact I think it's the 3 we always wanted but never got.

[kickherintheguts]

I'm kinda disappointed, a lot of folks here don't know how Byron Kennedy fits into the whole story of Mad Max. And yes, MM3's failings were directly related to Byron's unfortunate demise.

[Taipan]

I'm kinda disappointed, a lot of folks here don't know how Byron Kennedy fits into the whole story of Mad Max. And yes, MM3's failings were directly related to Byron's unfortunate demise.

Could you please elaborate?

[leadcounsel]

1&2 are two chapters of the same story. 3 is another story.

FR will be more like 1&2 and in fact I think it's the 3 we always wanted but never got.

I would love it if that were the case....

MM3 was indeed a dud. I wouldn't say it was the Crystal Skull. But it was a dud. Mainly due to the cartoonish Ironbar, the children, unnecessary distraction/confusion with the pilot, and Auntie's irreconcilable behavior at the end in not killing Max (I can't envision that being plausible - nor would TC, Wez, or Humungus have spared him). The MM3 world felt less scary, less violent, and not that bad really. They wrote themselves into a bookend conclusion, which was a mistake. MM3 did have some awesome action, the iconic Thunderdome, and some cool plot points. But it left me, and probably all of us, dis-satisfied for 30 years. Sorta like an alcoholic having a really bad last drink before he goes clean!

I can't say for sure, but I have read that Kennedy was credited with the rawness and grit of MM1 and MM2. I suspect he was the "X" factor that MM3 was missing...

[Taipan]

The reason Auntie didn't kill Max was because she wasn't really a villain. Ironbar was.
The whole premise of MMBT was that society had moved on (it's been 15 years since the events of MM2). Things have changed, people learned their lesson. And as Dr Dealgood explained "Fighting leads to killing, killing leads to waring. And that was damn near the death of us all". Even the whole chase scene was motivated by keeping Bartertown alive. Besides, why would Max want Master? To make methane? With what? None of them even had a vehicle.

It's only a logical evolution of the Mad Max universe. Whilst still a violent reality, it's nowhere near close to the insanity of MM2. I'm fine with that. It was supposed to bring closure to Max and in a way it did, while still leaving an opportunity for a sequel by turning Max into a mythical hero whose known only from stories. Again.