After a couple decades of gestation, George Miller has returned to the world of Mad Max, seeking to reignite the franchise — and by all accounts a new trilogy. Miller is a maverick among action movie directors today: he prefers stunts to CGI and character development over contrivances. Miller's new movie Mad Max: Fury Road opens today.
Along this journey has also come some incredible music. If you are new to the Mad Max universe, Wired has published a decent introduction, and the fastest drummer in the world has already done his own take on the main theme for Fury Road.
The first two films, Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) featured music by Brian May. Well-known as one of the best composers in Australia (and not to be confused with the Queen guitarist), his work is very much a product of the late 70s and early 80s.
In the first film there's a lot of percussion, especially timpani, and strings: it's a big score with a lot of bravado. May uses the horns to great effect and works to really carve out a space for this series. The influence of May's work on today's blockbuster movie music has really been underrated.
From Mad Max to Mad Max 2 came a decided evolution. It's impressive to hear the two scores side by side: it's the same world and the same composer, but the second score adds tension and suspense. May sticks to his early touchstones with timpani and rich strings, but there are added layers of depth and more elaborate orchestration that speaks to a broadening of the narrative and expanded character development.
In 1985 we got Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. The highest-profile musical contribution to that film came from Tina Turner, who both acted in the film and sang two new songs, including the #2 Billboard hit "We Don't Need Another Hero." However, the legendary composer Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) was also brought in to pick up where Brian May left off.
Jarre's addition added an astonishing new level to the music of this universe. All the pieces of what Brian May initiated are here, but channeled through Jarre they have a new soul and provide a new dimension to this story. Everything has more weight and complexity. There is a more experimental quality to the arrangements, a jazziness that includes a memorable moment with an abbreviated sax solo. Jarre also brought in interesting pop sensibilities that melded well with Turner's presence. It was a great end to the original trilogy.
(In the U.S., the single-disc soundtrack featured only a handful of edited score selections along with Turner's songs, but you can find Jarre's complete score as a two-disc import.)
Now, we have Mad Max: Fury Road and with it, longtime Hans Zimmer collaborator Tom Holkenborg — a.k.a. Junkie XL. (May and Jarre are both now deceased.) Holkenborg has slowly been developing his own presence beyond the shadow of Zimmer for some time, and this score will go a long way to extend that reach.
The world is again that which began with Brian May and continued with Jarre, but with Holkenborg at the helm there's an exponential growth in where this world and its music can reach. Holkenborg's skills as a DJ and remixer are on full display and embolden the sound palate. This is a dangerous world without much hope, and the way Holkenborg brings in all the pieces is nothing short of stunning — he even manages some timpani to hark all the way back to Max's debut feature.
There are also some significant moments of divergence that have a real classical sensibility. These feel a little unknown to this universe, but are a welcome evolution — especially when one considers all the extensive abrasion and sound construction wrapped around it. As an act of good faith, the famed poster and vinyl producer Mondo is also releasing special editions of the score on vinyl to coincide with the film. Jump on before they're sold out, and then check out the new installment of George Miller's epic series.
Garrett Tiedemann is a writer, filmmaker and composer who owns the multimedia lab CyNar Pictures and its record label American Residue Records.
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