Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (DVD, 1997)
Max Rockatansky rides a camel-drawn wagon across the Australian desert when he is attacked by Jedediah, a pilot flying a Transavia PL-12 Airtruk, who steals his belongings and vehicle. Max continues on foot and stumbles upon the only nearby human outpost in the wasteland—the seedy community of Bartertown, founded and run by the ruthless Aunty Entity.
In Bartertown, there is electricity, vehicles and all remaining accoutrements available in the post apocolyptic world. The land is run in a feudal sort of warlord manner. Power in Bartertown is produced by burning methane gas, which is produced from pig manure. The brains and brawn that run the machinery of Bartertown is furnished by MasterBlaster; a combination of a very intelligent dwarf, and a retarded giant man who is in his command. They, however, are becoming arrogant and a problem. As a means of having all of his stolen property returned, a deal is made with Auntie to kill Blaster, eliminating the muscle. All disputes are settled by a fight to the death inside a steel cage called Thunderdome. There are no rules. When Max fights Blaster, he is about to win when he discovers that Blaster is a mindless idiot and he is unable to kill him, and is accused of breaking his deal. The people kill Blaster. In Thunderdome, if you "break a deal, you face the wheel". This is a wheel that once spun, determines your punishment - anything from banishment to amputation or death. Max is sentenced to death by dehydration in the desert.
His sentence is carried out, but by luck he is found by desert hunters and saved. They are all children under twenty, and they live in a remote oasis in the desert. Max is mistaken for "Capt. Walker", a man who apparently was a Quantas Airlines pilot, who during the nuclear war that destroyed the world, crash-landed a jet airliner near the oasis where he and the rest of the survivors lived for years. These children are their surviving generation. The people either all died or left in search of rescue, with a promise to return. His resemblance to wall drawings and being found in the desert, they all think he is Capt. Walker, coming back to rescue them. Over the years, they have twisted up an entire scenario of what has happened in the world, and believe that they all can escape by "sky rafting" (flying) out in the old plane.
Max tries to set them straight, but they aren't capable of understanding him. When he won't lead them, many try to walk out and he follows, all winding up at Bartertown. Here he rescues Master and they all escape into the desert where Max encounters Jedediah, the guy with the airplane. Since they grabbed Master, Auntie and all of the other oddballs are in pursuit in any number of slapped together vehicles. All of the kids pile into the airplane, but it can't take off. There isn't enough room, so Max has a duel of vehicles with Auntie's soldiers. In the chaos, the plane takes off, and flies to what is left of Sydney. Max survives the duel, but is left in the desert, presumably to return to Bartertown.
All the rest are seen years later doing the "tell", but now about Max and the city and lost civilation of years lost.Read full review
