George Miller’s post-apocalyptic adventure Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the big winners at the last Academy Awards ceremony, so it should come as no surprise that the film is getting super-charged for an upcoming collection of the entire Mad Max franchise — one that will include the stunning black-and-white version of Fury Road.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing together all four films in the franchise for its Mad Max High Octane Collection, which will include both a 4K-Ultra HD version of Fury Road and the “Black & Chrome” edition of the film, which presents Max’s cross-country odyssey in a fantastically detailed black-and-white palette. With the collection hitting shelves in early December, it’s positioned to be a pretty great gift for anyone who wants to ride eternal, shiny and chrome, to Valhalla.
Both the DVD and Blu-ray editions of the box set will include 1979’s franchise-spawning Mad Max, the 1981 sequel Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (the one with “Lord Humungus,” the giant marauder in leather bondage gear), 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (the one with Tina Turner and “Master Blaster”), and last year’s Fury Road, which had actor Tom Hardy replace Mel Gibson as franchise hero Max Rockatansky.
While seeing Fury Road in 4K-Ultra HD has a lot of appeal — although you’ll need a 4K television to appreciate it — it’s the black-and-white version of the film that will likely be a big draw for many movie fans. It’s reportedly a pretty amazing experience to see the film’s wild car chase across the desert wasteland in black and white, and Miller has always had a fantastic handle on crafting epic visuals in any light.
The Blu-ray edition of the set will carry a $80 price tag, while the DVD version is expected to retail for around $55. Both collections include more than five hours of special features (including a feature-length documentary on the making of the 1979 movie), which should actually be pretty fascinating, given how much went into making Fury Road the award-winning action masterpiece that it is.
There will also be a stand-alone “Black & Chrome” (aka black-and-white) release of Mad Max: Fury Road available on Blu-ray for around $30, with the set containing the original theatrical version of the film and the black-and-white edition.
You’ll be able to witness all of the aforementioned sets with your favorite War Boys when they hit shelves December 6.
