Mad Max (1979)
Mar 3, 2003Near Future Road Rage
The first of the Mad Max films and a considerable jolt if one comes to it after any of the sequels. This is an altogether different film – a grim and violent road movie more in the vein of Death Wish
Mel Gibson
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Jun 10, 2002Post-Holocaust Action
A sequel that makes an extraordinary leap over its predecessor. It created an entire genre of films - even its own design and clothing aesthetic - and is one of the most kinetic, exciting action films ever made
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Mar 26, 2007Post-Holocaust Action
The third of the Mad Max films sees the series becoming increasingly more mainstream in focus, along with the conscious resignation that it is impossible to top the previous film
Forever Young (1992)
Aug 29, 1999Cryogenic Sleeper Awakes
Popular film with Mel Gibson as a man who is cryogenically frozen in the 1940s and thawed out in the present. The romantic focus of the film is undone by some absurd plotting. An early script from J.J. Abrams
Pocahontas (1995)
Nov 8, 2001Disney Animation/Historical Meeting Between English & Native Americans
Disney bases an animated film on the historical character but warps the story considerably. It feels that this is a Disney animated film made more to adhere to Political Correctness than it is a good one
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Sep 9, 2007Flaky Conspiracy Theorist Comedy/Thriller
This should have been a witty film - Mel Gibson as a conspiracy nut who discovers one of his theories is true and is hunted by government agents - but the result is a confused mess that turns into an overblown action vehicle
The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
Feb 4, 2001Near Future Fleapit Hotel Murder Mystery
Wim Wenders film from a story idea by U2's Bono set around the down-and-outs at a fleapit hotel slightly into the future. The film circles around a cast of eccentrics without ever really coming together
Chicken Run (2000)
Jun 25, 2000Aardman Animation/Talking Chicken Escape Movie
The first full-length Claymation film from the UK's Aardman Animations. With typical Aardman eccentricity, this is a parody of a WWII escape film conducted with talking chickens
What Women Want (2000)
Dec 17, 2000Man Can Read Womens' Minds/Romantic Comedy
Amiable romantic comedy in which Mel Gibson comes round after an accident in the shower to find he now has the ability to read women's thoughts.
Signs (2002)
Aug 17, 2002Crop Circles/Alien Invasion
M. Night Shyamalan delves into the crop circle phenomenon and makes an alien invasion film. At this point his films were predicated on big conceptual surprises and this comes out as a damp squib when we find out what is going on
The Singing Detective (2003)
Nov 8, 2005Detective Story Daydreams
Disastrous Hollywood version of Dennis Potter's classic tv mini-series where a hospitalised Robert Downey jr fantasises a dream world of 1940s film noir
Edge of Darkness (2010)
Jan 31, 2010Nuclear Conspiracy Thriller/TV Series Remake
A film remake of one of the great tv series of the 1980s. A complete betrayal by the original’s director Martin Campbell that strips all the politics and simply makes it into a Mel Gibson revenge film
Machete Kills (2013)
Oct 12, 2013Gonzo Action Film
Robert Rodriguez turns his earlier action film into an insanely creative comic-book overflowing with SF devices (and homages). The casting alone is side-splitting and Rodriguez's visual absurdism wins the day
Fatman (2020)
Dec 20, 2020Kid Hires a Hitman to Kill Santa
Amusingly dark Christmas film where a kid hires a hitman to kill Santa after receiving a lump of coal in his Christmas stocking. Featuring Mel Gibson as a grumpy Santa struggling with modern economic realities
Boss Level (2020)
Mar 20, 2021Timeloop/Action Film
You don’t think the mix of cartoonishly over-the-top action and a Groundhog Day timeloop scenario would work but this proves your assumptions wrong in highly entertaining ways