What is it about dystopian futures that revs our engines? It’s been 40 years since Mad Max premiered in Melbourne, Australia, and yet it still feels as applicable as ever. Don’t get me wrong; it is a terrifying and violent statement of societal destruction and environmental devastation… but maybe that’s why it’s maintained its influence on pop culture.

To be completely honest, I was probably more surprised than anyone to find out just how big this movie is. For me, it’s a fairly iconic Australian film set in a broken future that is scarily plausible. It is as fitting of our culture as it is our landscape; many locations featured in the film can be seen today, with very little difference. And while I wouldn’t say we are all Mel Gibson in our own crazy ways, I think there is something to say for our fascination with the great and open Australian roads.

So what made this little Aussie film into the huge cult classic it remains today? Was it the societal destruction it promises, still a little too plausible to make the audience comfortable? Was it the insane car stunts and crashes, all created without the safety net of CGI? Was it the balance between fresh young talent and the gut-awful depictions of pain, horror, and human behaviour? It’s probably a fair mix of ‘all of the above.’

Even in today’s age of big-budget flashy films, Mad Max still holds a raw natural emotion that is rarely found among other films in the same field. By keeping the production to the bare bones (or ‘guerrilla filmmaking’), the film cost as little as AUD$400,000 to make and returned US$100 million and a franchise of films.

I mean, if you’re going to go for an action-packed film filled with rage, pain, and vengeance, you are either going to watch Mad Max or find something heavily inspired by it. Mortal Engines author Philip Reeve said the series probably “fed into” his creation of a post-apocalyptic universe. Tank Girl was once described as “Mad Max designed by Vivienne Westwood.” The Fallout series of video games has listed Mad Max as one of its influences, including a one-sleeved leather jacket that resembles the jacket worn by Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior). Borderlands, Max Payne, and Carmageddon are also influenced by the franchise.

And then there’s the word Thunderdome, which was added to our global vocabulary. You know what it means. I know what it means. Hell, I often think of my kids’ bedroom as Thunderdome.

Forty years seems like a long time for a film to age. Many things have changed in both the industry and society, and it’s questionable for movies we consider “classics” to have held their standard over time. Fortunately, 1979 was a pretty good year for cult classics and Mad Max is definitely top of the list.

Happy Birthday, Max.