Character Contest 35: Road Warrior
Yep, you guessed it. The challenge was to design a Mad Max-style character. The official U.S. release was “The Road Warrior.” Not at the Q-Twin Drive-In. It was “Mad Max 2!” Something about being 8-years old, sitting in the family’s Gremlin, watching a giant projection screen with R-Rated high speed death and destruction racing down desolate wind-swept roads. It was awesome!
I still watch the “Mad Max” movies when they pop on basic cable. “Beyond Thunderdome” was a real fuc… let-down, but it does have its place. The original “Mad Max” was innovative, original, and introduced me to “modern” low-budget foreign films. Not those heady, drawn-out movies like “Cinema Paradiso.” A fleshed-out, gritty, all-too-possible near future with a simple yet smart story.
“Mad Max 2” is a great movie to “grow-up” on. Kind of like “Rocky.” When you see it first as a little kid, you think of nothing but the awesome cars, explosions, punching, and tough guy heroes. You begin to see the movies very differently as you get older. You find new meaning and symbolism. Your mind starts to process what is really happening. With “Mad Max” and “Mad Max 2,” you watch it one day and say to yourself “Wow, this is messed up!” If it doesn’t dawn on you, seriously, have someone explain it to you or do some soul-searching.
My first entry for CC 35 was “Sgt. Xing Guard.” The “EARTH” reference, which is a nod to “Mad Max 2.” The second reference is to “That 70s Show.” Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) is training to be a police officer. Stephen Hyde (Danny Masterson) slams Michael as being “Sergeant Crossing Guard.”
