Tina Turner was the best part of ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is hardly anyone’s favorite entry in the crazy max Franchise. Being the first and only installment in the series to earn a PG-13 rating, it lacks much of that crucial edge crazy max, trade it for more fantastical themes, a kid-friendly camp, and mythological iconography. Still, the 1985 Threequel deserves praise in a few categories: Beyond Thunderdome gave the post-apocalyptic a new dimension crazy max Based on the franchise’s unique set, hair, makeup and costume designs, the universe offers fans a distinctive and unforgettable villain in the form of a 1980s pop star sensation. Tina Turner.
Tina Turner can sing, act and play a wily post-apocalyptic tyrant
Tina Turner, who passed away last Wednesday, was known as the “Queen of Rock n’ Roll,” but she was much more than that Turner R&B, pop, gospel and rock and thus created generation-defining pop songs. In addition to her music, she has also performed in front of the camera, not only appearing as herself in music videos, concert recordings and documentaries, but also playing dramatic roles in three studio films: tommy, Last action heroAnd Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
In Beyond ThunderdomeTurner portrays Aunt Entity, the film’s main antagonist. Aunt rules a desert trading post called Bartertown, a post-apocalyptic community modeled after the Wild West where civilization survives by extracting methane for energy and justice is achieved through violence. At the beginning of the film, Max (Mel Gibson) arrives in town in search of his stolen vehicle and impresses Aunt with his raw strength. She then recruits him to kill the methane miners’ muscles and put down a workers’ uprising.
Tina Turner brings a new breed of villain to the Mad Max universe
in contrast to others crazy max Villains like Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) or Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), Aunty Entity doesn’t appear like a monster, clumsy, or delinquent. Especially compared to the fugitives from Bartertown and the rest crazy max Throughout the universe, she comes across as intelligent, stable, and even charming. She is well dressed, clean and she rules out of fear, masking her tyranny as benevolence. Her demeanor is so pleasant that neither Max nor the audience recognize her as a villain at first. She even initially persuades Max to do her dirty work by portraying the workers’ uprising as a legitimate threat to Bartertown rather than noble resistance to a dictatorship.
George Millerwho was co-director Beyond Thunderdome with George OgilvieIt was his intention to cast Turner for this subversive type of antagonist. According to Miller in a 1985 Interview with Jet MagazineHe chose Turner because “for Aunty Entity, we needed someone whose vitality and intelligence would make their control of Bartertown believable. She had to be a positive character as opposed to a conventional evil ‘bad guy’.” He and Terry Hayes So he wrote the character with Turner in mind. No one could embody Aunt like Turner. Her star power spread across the screen, making Aunty powerful, identifiable and even likeable before turning the story on its head.
Aunt faces Max in the best sequences of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Max eventually realizes Auntie’s autocratic intentions and refuses to commit murder on her job. Because of this defiance, he is tied to a horse and cast out into the desert, where he is rescued by a tribe of abandoned children. At this point the film becomes more fantastical and loses much of its intensity, coinciding with a second act of Turner’s Aunt. The film only picks up speed again at the climax, when Max leads the children to Bartertown, frees the workers and then embarks on a fast-paced chase through the desert with Aunt in pursuit.
At the end of the film, after Max has led the children to freedom, he is alone on an equal footing with Auntie and her remaining mercenaries. However, with a grin and a laugh, she lets go of him, remarking, “Aren’t we a couple, ragged man… goodbye, soldier?” before riding into the horizon. This conclusion to Aunt’s story solidifies her as a complex counterpart to Max. While Max is a wandering vagabond who defies community and kinship, Aunt aggressively clings to civilization in Bartertown. At the same time, both are strong leaders, but while Max engages in noble causes with stoic restraint, Aunt expresses her charismatic authority for more oppressive causes. Ultimately, she acknowledges these parallels and differences in a characteristic conclusion. By sparing Max’s life she seems merciful, but by leaving him in the desert she has done little good.
Tina Turner received the “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” award for film and music
Tina Turner contributed more than just her acting talent crazy max Beyond Thunderdome. Although composer Maurice Jarre made most of the soundtrack for the film, Beyond Thunderdome begins and ends with Turner’s music. She wrote two original songs for the film: “One of the Living”, which runs in the opening credits, and “We Don’t Need Another Hero”, which runs in the closing credits. Both songs are catchy hits, the former earning Turner a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1986, the latter becoming a commercial success and earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. These were among the few awards the film received. The only other notable honors were a nomination for Best Sound Editor at the Golden Reel Awards, a couple of Saturn Award nominations, and an Image Award from the NAACP for Turner for Outstanding Lead Actress in “A.” Movie. In all, the film boasts two trophies, and Turner is responsible for both.
The third crazy max It’s not often that you look back on a film fondly. It underperformed its two predecessors, both critically and commercially, and shelved the series for nearly three decades before 2014 Fury Road redeemed it. Still, Turner’s involvement in the film has indeed stood the test of time. Her clever casting, stellar performance, and powerful songs are among the highlights of the film. Perhaps in the wake of the singer’s recent death Beyond Thunderdome The film is worth watching again, if only to relive and appreciate Turner’s diverse talents.
