10 Movies Like Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): If you like “Mad Max” you are looking for road movies, futuristic and grindhouse movies about/with the apocalypse, chase, dystopia, vengeance, post-apocalypse, revenge, and biker themes of Action, Adventure, and Sci-Fi genre shot in Australia. Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps: 1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
1. 12 Monkeys (1995)
“This movie is a paradox, blurring the lines between post-apocalyptic and neo-noir genres. Directed by Terry Gilliam, known for his work with Monty Python, it transports us to 2035, a world ravaged by a deadly virus. James Cole, portrayed by Bruce Willis, is a prisoner sent back to 1996 to prevent the virus’s release and find a cure. The majority of the film is set in 1996 as Cole pursues the enigmatic group known as the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, believed to be responsible for the pandemic.”
2. Death Race (2008)
This throwback was made in 1975, and stars David Carradine as ‘Frankenstein,’ a racer in a dystopian America in the year 2000.
The film is based on the short story “The Racer” by Ib Melchior, and centers on the violent Transcontinental Road Race, which is not unlike the road battle Furiosa and Max find themselves on.
There are definitely moments in Death Race that seem outdated today, but isn’t fun to see what people from decades past thought the world would look like today? Or, in this case, 2000?
3. Dredd (2012)
In a remarkable achievement, this remake received significantly better reviews compared to the original 1995 Judge Dredd (featuring Stallone). Karl Urban plays the role of Judge Dredd, one of the enforcers of order in the massive city of Mega-City One, set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic USA. Teaming up with newly recruited Judge Cassandra Anderson, they pursue the dangerous drug lord Ma-Ma, portrayed excellently by Lena Headey, as they ascend a 200-story skyscraper through intense action. Phelim O’Neill of The Guardian hailed ‘Dredd’ as a triumph in a world of compromised adaptations.
4. I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend, primarily for its captivating portrayal of the post-apocalyptic setting, appeals to fans of Mad Max. While it maintains a slower pace compared to Mad Max: Fury Road, it shares a penchant for minimal dialogue. What sets it apart is the breathtaking cinematography, which vividly conveys the world’s devastation.
5. Snowpiercer (2013)
The not-too-distant future. Seventeen years ago, a man-made disaster struck the planet. Where forests and gardens used to grow, now there is snow and ice, and life is preserved only in the giant train, rushing nonstop along the trans-Eurasian highway. In the first carriages of the train live the ruling elite, in the last – ordinary people. Life at the back of the train resembles a concentration camp – disease, poverty, and the lawlessness of the overseers. It is here, from among the humiliated and insulted a man who wants to restore justice.
6. Spectral (2016)
7. Mortal Engines (2018)
Many thousands of years in the future, Earth’s cities roam the globe on huge wheels, devouring each other in a struggle for ever-diminishing resources. On one of these massive traction cities, the old London, Tom Natsworthy has an unexpected encounter with a mysterious young woman from the wastelands who will change the course of his life forever.
8. Tank Girl (1995)
If you’re looking for something more light-hearted than the bulk of this dramatic fare, seek out Tank Girl, starring Lori Petty and directed by Rachel Talalay. It’s based on the comic series from Jamie Hewlett, and written by Alan Martin.
The film bombed when it debuted in 1995 but has since become a cult classic, partially thanks to the awesome soundtrack assembled by Courtney Love. If you die for Coma-Doof Warrior (aka the blind guitarist) in Fury Road, you’ll probably die for Tank Girl, too.
9. Kill Bill (2003)
One movie that doesn’t lack a brilliant script is Kill Bill, which many consider one of the best action films of all time. Much like Mad Max: Fury Road, this film is all about female empowerment as we follow the Bride’s revenge story. There’s plenty of mystery in this one as well, as the backstory slowly gets pieced together as the movie goes along. While there might not be any car chases, it is a visual masterpiece and there’s no shortage of action taking place.
10. The Book of Eli (2010)
This may not have been a huge critical success, but it features some brilliant settings, good action, and worthy performances by Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. This neo-western action movie by the Hughes brothers (known for Broken City and From Hell) follows Eli, a nomad who roams a wasteland USA exhibiting exceptional fighting and survival skills whose mission it is to deliver to the West Coast a book that could contain the salvation of humanity: the last remaining Bible. It received mostly mixed reviews, but Roger Ebert gave it ¾ stars, calling it “very watchable” and praising it for its imagery.
11. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again… and again – as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.