Description: "In a series of case studies, and by analysing the individual films of the Mad Max series, this book examines how the kinetic energy and aesthetic design of a number of divergent exploitation films filters into the Mad Max series and resulted in a fresh cycle of international low-budget post-apocalyptic movies that appeared on the new home video markets in the 1980s. Mad Max: Fury Road signalled the return after 30 years of the most famous and celebrated post-apocalyptic film series, one that had a profound influence on numerous dystopian films, video games, and comic books. Fury Road's Academy Award success helped to reestablish the series as a mainstream cultural icon. By contrast, the first Mad Max was an inventive concoction of influences from a range of exploitation genres, including the biker movie, the revenge film, and the car chase cinema of the 1970s. The first in-depth academic study of the extraordinary journey of Mad Max, The Mad Max Effect reveals how a humble low-budget Australian action movie came from the cultural margins of exploitation cinema to have an indelible impact on the broader media landscape"--
Brief description: James Newton is Lecturer in Media Studies and Film at the University of Kent, UK. He is the author of The Anarchist Cinema (2019), and a filmmaker. He also runs the Newton Talks podcast.
Review Quotes: "The Mad Max Effect stands as an engaging exploration of perhaps the most (in)famous post-apocalyptic action film series and its enduring legacy and influence. Detailing the wider impact of the initial film series, the book addresses examples of international 'MadMaxploitation' cinema, 21st century Road Warrior fan productions and the enduring aesthetic influence of 'Diesel Punk' in contemporary media. Newton is able to navigate the tarnished steel, burnt out tyres and ignited engine oil to examine the broader contexts of national cinema and cultural identity, transnational cinematic flows, and developments in screen media technology (all of which are central to the ongoing study of global exploitation cinema)." --Thomas Joseph Watson, Lecturer in Media Studies, Teesside University, UK