‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Fans Need to Watch This Movie Before It Leaves Netflix in July

Max Max: Fury Road is already considered one of the best action movies ever made, but George Miller‘s post-apocalyptic franchise had to start somewhere. Fans only have a few more weeks left to watch the original Mad Max on Netflix before it leaves the streaming platform on July 31. Once you finish watching the original on Netflix, you can switch over to HBO Max to watch the incredible follow-up Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) and the third film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

The original Mad Max became an instant international success in 1979 since it was unlike any action movie many had seen before. Miller and his collaborators — producer Byron Kennedy and co-writer James McCausland — crafted a tight thriller on an incredibly low budget. Mel Gibson became a star thanks to his performance as Max Rockatansky, whose life is upended by an evil motorbike gang. Mad Max introduced many of the elements that would carry through the rest of the franchise, from insane cars, desolate Australian landscapes, and a focus on action over dialogue to push forward the story.

Gibson starred as Max in the first three movies, but when Miller finally got the money to make Fury Road, he cast Tom Hardy in the role. Fury Road was a surprising success with critics and fans. The movie won six of the 10 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design. Miller was also nominated for Best Director.

Fury Road introduced audiences to Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. The next film in the Mad Max franchise will be a prequel focusing on Furiosa and is simply titled Furiosa. The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy was cast as the younger version of the character. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen) will also star in unknown roles. Miller is directing and will co-write with Nick Lathouris.

Production on Furiousa is set to start next year in New South Wales. It is poised to be the biggest movie production in Australian history, with a budget of $350 million AUD (about $264.4 million USD) and will create 850 new jobs, New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, reports Indiewire. “[Working on Furiosa] is the biggest pinch-myself moment, because I’ve grown up watching it [Mad Max] and it’s so iconic,” Hemsworth said during a press conference in April. “It is a huge honor. A lot of pressure, but exciting pressure that is certainly motivating.”