With a career dating back to the 1970s,George Milleris a veteran of the film industry who has long been a champion of Australian cinema while creating movies that are adored the world over. His career began in the early 70s through short film and documentary before he made his feature film debut with 1979’sMad Max, a gritty action flick that made a seismic impact on an international level.
Ever since then, Miller has been a director, screenwriter, and producer of wide renown.His achievements in feature film are as eclectic as they are noteworthy, with his filmography ranging from barnstorming action epics to family animation, supernatural comedy, and even biographical drama. From movie series of his own creation to some intriguing stand-alone projects,George Miller’s 11 feature films thus far mark a career as consistently interesting as it is wildly sporadic. The following ranks Miller’s narrative features, so the documentary40,000 Years of DreamingandTwilight Zone: The Movie(an anthology film) aren’t included.
11’Happy Feet 2' (2011)
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink
While Miller set the world of animation ablaze with his first tale of tap-dancing penguins, the ill-fated sequel failed to recapture the vibrant magic and originality of its predecessor.Happy Feet 2sees Mumble (Elijah Wood) struggling to serve as a role model to his son who doesn’t want to dance. In an act of rebellion, the young Erik (Ava Acres) goes to Adélie-Land, where he idolizes a con-artist penguin who can fly. All the while, a new threat jeopardizes the livelihood of Mumble and his family.
The animation remains effervescent and alluring, and the sequences of music and dancing are as fun and appealing as they were in the first film, butHappy Feet 2suffers from an over-stuffed story and lengthy dialogue that is burdened by an ill-fitting philosophical might. It failed to break even at the box office, marking an obvious low point in George Miller’s career andone of the weaker animated films of the 2010s.
Happy Feet Two
Rent on Apple
Starring: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence
While George Miller earns all the praise he gets for his versatility as a filmmaker, it is inarguably that his work on the extensiveMad Maxsaga is what he is best known for.Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomemay have shown signs of the original franchise fatiguing, but it still boasts all the exhilarating action, extreme characters and settings, and the pulsating narrative that has made the series one of the biggest titles in action cinema.
The third film,Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,sees Max (Mel Gibson) seeking shelter in the uncivilized desert city of Bartertown. When he is exiled, he finds himself having to protect a group of abandoned children while standing against Bartertown’s queen, Aunty Entity (Tina Turner). While it suffers from some narrative missteps, the film still thrives as an action spectacle even ifit is more hypnotically ridiculous and excessive than it is outright brilliant.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
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9’Happy Feet' (2006)
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy
While the aforementioned sequel failed to resonate with fans, 2006’sHappy Feetproved to be quite the commercial triumph,grossing$384.3 millionto be the highest grossing film of George Miller’s career. It follows Mumble, an unusual emperor penguin who, incapable of singing, is exiled from his group. In the wilderness, he befriends five Adélie penguins known as the amigos, who help him embrace his identity and his natural talent for dancing.
Delivering an empowering tale of self-discovery and friendship that presents an engaging spectacle of music and dance,Happy Feetis an energetic hit that appeals directly to children while providing enough entertainment value for the parents as well. Complemented by a star-studded voice cast who relish their effervescent characters,Happy Feetis the most notable and celebrated highlight of George Miller’s work in family cinema, presenting an innocent and accessible tale thatstill boasts a message of environmentalism.
Happy Feet
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8’The Witches of Eastwick' (1987)
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cher
Beyond his small contribution onTwilight Zone: The Movie, 1987’sThe Witches of Eastwickmarked Miller’s first film that wasn’t a part of theMad Maxsaga. The supernatural comedy follows three women who have each lost the men in their lives as they are charmed by themysterious new arrival, Daryl van Horne (Jack Nicholson). When the flamboyant playboy informs them that they are witches, the women begin to experiment with their abilities while growing suspicious of van Horne’s grand aspirations.
WithSusan Sarandon,Michelle Pfeiffer, andCheroccupying the leading roles,The Witches of Eastwickexcels at presenting an intoxicating spectacle of wicked fun and glorious excess. It is a cult classic of 1980s cinema and, as the first showcasing of Miller’s ability to adapt to different genres, is an underrated entry in his eclectic filmography.
The Witches of Eastwick
7’Babe: Pig in the City' (1998)
Starring: Elizabeth Daily, James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski
1995’sBabeis an endearing gem of family entertainment, one that emphasized George Miller’s talents as a screenwriter and producer, although it was directed byChris Noonan. However, Miller did helm the 1998 sequel,Babe: Pig in the City, which follows the titular animal as, following his victory in a sheep-herding contest, he is sent away to help raise money and save Arthur Hoggett’s (James Cromwell) farm. On his journey, Babe proves his worth while making plenty of new animal friends.
The film was critically derided in some circles (Gene SiskelandRoger Ebertfamously praised it, though) and became a significant box office bomb, with many believing it to be an unnecessary sequel that lost the innocence and charm of the original film. However, it has steadily developed a cult following in the years since its release, with many heralding it asa warm and comforting masterpieceof family adventure cinema that marks the single most underappreciated film of George Miller’s career.
Babe: Pig in the City
6’Three Thousand Years of Longing' (2022)
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Erdil Yasaroglu
An ambitious marriage of fantasy and romance, with a splash of comedy thrown in for good measure,Three Thousand Years of Longingsees a resurgent George Miller embracing his quaint, offbeat narrative sensitivities with intriguing results. Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic on a work trip in Istanbul when she encounters a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes. While she is initially skeptical, she soon begins to fall in love with the Djinn and makes a wish that neither of them expect.
Wafting throughout history as the Djinn shares his history to convince Binnie of his earnestness, the film has a visual splendor that makes it compelling even if its narrative sometimes flaws flat. However,it remains a unique and endearing romantic adventure that wields an immersive ambitionthat is beautifully complemented by its two magnificent stars, making it a hidden gem of modern cinema thatdeserves far better than it received.
Three Thousand Years of Longing
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Starring: Mel Gibson, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Joanne Samuel
Few directors have debuted with such an auspicious and attention-grabbing command of action cinema like what George Miller displayed with his first feature film,Mad Max. Set in post-apocalyptic Australia where society is on the verge of collapse and the Main Force Patrol stand as the last bastion of law and order, the revenge classic follows a police officer amid the desert dystopia who hunts down the ruthless biker gang that murdered his wife and son.
While it was a polarizing film upon release,Mad Maxhas come to be revered as a defining classic of action cinema, one that set the standard for the explosive intensity the genre would embrace through the 1980s.It also launched its own franchiseof bombastic, stylized action magnificence. It can only be viewed as one of the most important action movies of all time and a brilliant example of Miller’s excellence as a visceral and gritty filmmaker.
4’Lorenzo’s Oil' (1992)
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Zach O’Malley Greenburg
Another film that could mount a convincing claim as the most underrated movie of George Miller’s career,Lorenzo’s Oilis a moving drama with a heartbreaking basis on a true story.Lorenzo Odone(Zack O’Malley Greenburg) is a young boy diagnosed with ALD; a degenerative nerve disease so rare that the doctors his family consult can’t even recommend treatment for him. Despite the hopeless situation, Lorenzo’s parents strive to do everything in their power to heal their ailing son.
A brilliant and emotionally stirring story of dogged determination and the incredible resolve of the human spirit,Lorenzo’s Oilis an underrated testament to the heroic nature of a parent’s love.Nick NolteandSusan Sarandon are astoundingas the parents combating a terrible situation, making for a life-affirming drama that is as inspirational as it is harrowing.
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
George Miller’s most recent return to the mayhem ofMad Max,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais an arresting prequel that gives its central character a vibrant backstory while enriching the grand story world of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. It follows a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she is stripped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the clutches of a savage biker gang led by Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). As the gang clashes with the Citadel, Furiosa fights to find her way back home.
While there is a breathless and frenetic tempo to the action extravaganza,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagastill differentiates itself from 2015’sMad Max: Fury Roadwith a more intrinsic focus on character. It makes fora sublime prequel that delivers on many of the same notes while enhancing its emotional allure. Despite flailing at the box office,Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais set to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor as a modern cult classic.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston
There was a long time whereMad Max 2: The Road Warriorstood as the definitiveMad Maxmovie. While the original film was a punchy indie success, the sequel was imbued with a significant influx of funding, with every cent making its way on screen. Having avenged his family’s murder, Max roams the highways alone. When he strikes a deal with an encampment for fuel is reneged on, Max plans to steal their fuel but instead finds himself aiding their defense against a savage band of marauders commanded bythe vicious Lord Humungos (Kjell Nilsson).
Defined by its relentless wave of momentum asit aggressively bombards viewers with one pulsating action sequence after another,Mad Max 2: The Road Warriorwas the film that truly set the template for the franchise’s resurgence in the 21st century. Far surpassing its predecessor, it manages to get an even better grasp on the mad world it presents and the starring antihero who navigates the chaos within it.
