Mad Max is perhaps one of the most imitated series in cinema history, but only a few post-apocalyptic copycats are actually worth watching. Beginning with George Miller’s 1979 low-budget gem, the series wouldn’t really hit its stride until the release of The Road Warrior a few years later in 1981. Introducing viewers to a world ravaged by a nuclear war, the Mad Max franchise ostensibly wrote the book about what the post-apocalypse would look like. Australia’s outback became the blueprint for the genre, and Miller’s approach to vehicular action is still the highlight of low-budget cinema to this day.
Naturally, the success of Mad Max and its sequels spawned a legion of rip-offs, and the post-apocalyptic genre is particularly fertile ground for copycats. Because the world of Mad Max is seemingly so simple, it became easy for other filmmakers to copy Miller’s aesthetic, though none could ever rival his unique vision and biting wit. However, more than a few Mad Max copycats managed to be entertaining movies, especially when they built upon the ideas of the classic franchise with their own clever additions. Mad Max knock-offs aren’t the peak of cinema, but some are fun to watch.
10
Equalizer 2000 (1987)
Roger Corman’s Mad Max Rip-Off
Low-budget master Roger Corman was one of many producers looking to cash in on the success of Mad Max in the ’80s, and Equalizer 2000 is his best effort. Loosely connected to another Mad Max-style movie, Wheels of Fire, Equalizer 2000 delivers the familiar desert terrain and plenty of over-the-top action sequences.
The rip-off succeeds because it knows exactly what to steal from Mad Max, though it doesn’t try particularly hard to introduce many new concepts. The basic plot concerning the тιтular superweapon is a nice addition though, and gives the story motivation, which isn’t something always found in low-budget ripoffs. Interestingly, the movie also features a young Robert Patrick before his breakout role in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
9
2019, After The Fall Of New York (1983)
An Italian Rip-Off That Also Copies Escape From New York
Mad Max rip-offs were so popular in the ’80s that there were actually sub-genres, and the Italian film market was particularly interested in urban post-apocalypse stories. 2019, After the Fall of New York is one such example, and it pulls in concepts from other popular movies like Escape From New York. However, it also involves more science fiction ideas, which add a unique flair.
though the world-building is rather basic, it feels like a fleshed-out idea
The basic plot of the movie involves saving the last fertile woman, and though the world-building is rather basic, it feels like a fleshed-out idea. The on-location scenes have an appropriately post-apocalyptic feel, and the miniature work of the destroyed New York City is impressive considering its low budget.
8
2020 Texas Gladiators (1983)
Trading In The Australian Outback For The Texas Desert
The best Mad Max knock-offs try to do something different besides copying the original films beat for beat, and 2020 Texas Gladiators scores points for trying. The Italian film is obviously inspired by George Miller’s creation, and Escape From New York to a lesser extent, but it also pulls from the spaghetti Western genre as well.
All the hallmarks are there, with warring factions and a fascist regime aiming to control the last remaining humans, but it also nicks ideas from the Western playbook. This adds some intrigue to the story as the heroes take on the villains in an attempt to tame the wasteland. This emphasis on law and order is wholly unique in the Mad Max rip-off genre, and actually hearkens back to the original film that started it all.
7
Hell Comes To Frogtown (1988)
Wrestling Superstar Roddy Piper Leads The Strange Rip-Off
Hell Comes to Frogtown is such a strange and unique addition to the pantheon of Mad Max rip-offs that it almost doesn’t qualify. Tapping wrestling legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper to star, the film borrows many ideas from Mad Max while simultaneously introducing elements that are so odd it borders on comedy.
Piper’s musclebound hero is a rare male who is still fertile, and that makes him a H๏τ commodity. Meanwhile, he travels to the тιтular city in order to rescue women who have been taken hostage. Though that sounds like a dozen other Mad Max-inspired movies, the inclusion of literal frog people makes the movie stand on its own. Hell Comes to Frogtown might not be a perfect movie, but it certainly is original.
6
Warriors Of The Wasteland (1983)
The Italian Rip-Off Is Also Called The New Barbarians
It’s impossible to overstate the influence that The Road Warrior had on low-budget cinema throughout the ’80s, and 1983’s Warriors of the Wasteland (a.k.a. The New Barbarians) is one of the most glaring examples. While others borrowed some elements from Mad Max, Warriors of the Wasteland is a carbon copy of The Road Warrior.
Despite being one of the more egregious rip-offs, the film is nevertheless a fun action epic with original production design. Mad Max‘s aesthetic has a DIY feel, as if the survivors have pieced everything together, but Warriors of the Wasteland opted for a more futuristic approach to its design. Add on top of that, a strong performance from Blaxploitation legend Fred Williamson, and the rip-off stands on its own.
5
The Blood Of Heroes (1989)
One Of The Last Mad Max Copycats
it’s clear that the movie was marketed as a Mad Max rip-off while actually being something else
The Blood of Heroes was released as The Salute of the Jugger outside the United States, and it’s clear that the movie was marketed as a Mad Max rip-off while actually being something else. Though it’s set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the film is actually a sci-fi sports drama about a team of athletes who travel from place to place and make their living competing against local teams.
Such a unique premise is anchored by strong world-building and an even stronger performance from B-movie legend Rutger Hauer. The pieced-together production design is ripped straight from Mad Max, but the movie’s commentary about class is something not found in George Miller’s epic.
4
Battletruck (1982)
A Movie As Straight-Forward As Its тιтle
Produced in nearby New Zealand, Battletruck is a textbook example of a straight-forward copycat of Australia’s Mad Max movies. The post-apocalyptic action film centers on a world in which oil and gasoline are the most precious commodities on the planet, and factions are willing to go to war over them at a moment’s notice.
Battletruck doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from The Road Warrior and even specifically chronicles a band of heroes fighting against an evil warlord. Despite a lack of originality, the тιтular vehicle is a brilliant piece of on-screen car design, and the action scenes are pretty strong.
3
1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)
A Rip-Off Of The Warriors With A Mad Max Flare
The 1982 Italian film 1990: The Bronx Warriors helped to spur the burgeoning Mad Max rip-off trend, and it changed things by shifting its setting to an urban environment. This helped make it more of a melding of Mad Max and The Warriors, because it also features a fair amount of post-apocalyptic gang warfare as well.
1990: The Bronx Warriors was featured on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 under the тιтle Escape 2000.
1990: The Bronx Warriors was sH๏τ around the same time as its eventual sequel, Escape from the Bronx, and is loosely connected to The New Barbarians, which was sH๏τ at the same time. The mixture of inspirations makes for an interesting viewing experience, and 1990: The Bronx Warriors clearly did something right when it inspired its own line of rip-offs.
2
Exterminators Of The Year 3000 (1983)
The Ultimate Road Warrior Clone
Italy produced more than its fair share of Mad Max copies in the 1980s, and Exterminators of the Year 3000 is perhaps the most obvious example. Taking more than a few pages from the playbook of The Road Warrior, the cheesy Italian knock-off hits nearly every beat that most of its fellow knock-offs hit as well. However, it’s in the execution that things shine.
When looking past the terrible dubbing, bad script, and obviously stolen story ideas, the film’s stunts more than make up for its shortcomings. Recognizing part of what made the Mad Max movies so appealing, Exterminators of the Year 3000 put all of its emphasis on its vehicular action, and that alone is worth the watch.
1
Steel Dawn (1987)
Patrick Swayze Stars In This Forgotten Gem
In terms of scale, 1987’s Steel Dawn might be the biggest Mad Max rip-off to come out of the ’80s. Starring Patrick Swayze at the height of his stardom, the movie takes the basic premise of a post-apocalyptic wasteland but adds some swordplay elements for added intrigue. Except for the fantasy elements, Steel Dawn is as much a Mad Max copy as it is a sword and sandals epic.
The stunt work is strong, and the supporting cast includes B-movie notables like Brion James and Anthony Zerbe. Steel Dawn is often compared to the Mad Max franchise, but it is one of the few rip-offs to actually go far enough in establishing its own tone, themes, and overall visual style.
Mad Max
- Movie(s)
-
Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mad Max: The Wasteland
- First Film
-
Mad Max
- Cast
-
Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
- Video Game(s)
-
Mad Max (1990), Mad Max (2015)
