All 11 George Miller Movies, Ranked by Rewatchability

George Miller’s one of those filmmakers who seems impervious to age, as he’s continued to direct well into his 70s, and has indeed made some of his greatest movies during the last decade or so. His earliest directorial credit is all the way back in the 1970s, and he’s remained a consistent presence within the world of cinema since then, sometimes as a producer, but most often as a writer/director.

Not everything he’s made is a stone-cold classic, but there’s very little Miller’s directed that could be considered anything close to uninteresting, so any breakdown of his filmography does have to emphasize that just about everything within is compelling and noteworthy, not always in the same ways, though. And, indeed, some of his films are easier to revisit and rewatch than others, with the following ranking not so much being based on overall quality (though that does play a part), but more on how easy each film is to revisit. There are also some omissions, with documentaries not counted (sorry, 40,000 Years of Dreaming) and Twilight Zone: The Movie being left out, as Miller was one of four directors on that anthology film.

11 ‘Happy Feet Two’ (2011)

Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink

Even though judging a film by its rewatchability is slightly different from judging it based on everything else, at the end of the day, Happy Feet Two ranks pretty low based on either metric. It’s a follow-up to the original Happy Feet, released in 2006, which was popular at the time but is sort of a film that has been forgotten a little as the years have marched on… and Happy Feet Two has proven slightly more forgettable still.

Also, it’s worth noting that it’s very much a kid’s movie, and there’s nothing wrong with that ordinarily… but if rewatches are to be taken into account, anyone who’s not a kid is going to very much soak up all the film has to offer narratively and thematically in one viewing or less. That’s kind of just how it is, and Happy Feet Two isn’t really fun or novel enough to be worth more than a single viewing.

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10 ‘Lorenzo’s Oil’ (1992)

Starring: Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Peter Ustinov

Looking over George Miller’s entire body of work, it becomes apparent that just about everything he’s made is either an action movie, a work of science fiction/fantasy, or a family film containing talking animals… though there’s one title that stands out from the pack, in this regard. That film is Lorenzo’s Oil, which is a straightforward family drama based on a true story, and perhaps Miller’s most grounded movie to date.

Lorenzo’s Oil is a heavy movie emotionally, centering on a married couple doing whatever they can to save their child from a rare disease, and feels grounded and pretty direct, all things considered. Those two factors do play a part in making it a movie that doesn’t feel “rewatchable” necessarily, but it’s still a high-quality film that is worth watching once, at the very least.

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9 ‘Happy Feet’ (2006)

Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy

So, like its sequel, Happy Feet might not be the most compelling George Miller movie to revisit, but it is still a novel family movie about singing/dancing penguins, and something that solidifies Miller’s capacity to make films that aren’t grim, violent, and gritty. It’s also funny how Happy Feet came out just one year after March of the Penguins (the mid-2000s were a good time for the flightless bird species).

There is a ton of imagination on offer in Happy Feet, making it easier to revisit than its sequel, and it’s also odd enough that you might not be able to process it all in just one viewing. It’s not a perfect animated kid’s movie, but it’s got its own charms and is somewhat hard to forget, which are all qualities that enhance its rewatchability, if only by a little.

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8 ‘Babe: Pig in the City’ (1998)

Starring: Elizabeth Daily, Magda Szubanski, James Cromwell

The Babe duology is easy to associate with George Miller, given he was involved in writing and producing both films, but he only directed Babe: Pig in the City, the sequel to 1995’s Babe (directed by Chris Noonan). It’s about the title character – a talking pig – traveling to a large city to save the farm he lives at after the head of the farm is injured.

Babe: Pig in the Citycommits to its rather bizarre premise and showcases a strange world for its title character to explore, being rather unsettling by the standards of family movies. It is arguably kid-friendly, but there’s certainly something of a sinister edge to things that can make Babe: Pig in the City intriguing and, indeed, perhaps worthy of being revisited.

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7 ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ (1987)

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon

One last oddity in the filmography of George Miller (before moving on to his signature series) that needs to be addressed is The Witches of Eastwick. It’s a darkly comedic fantasy movie that might well boast the most star-studded cast of any film directed by George Miller, given that said cast includes Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright, and Richard Jenkins.

Narratively, it’s about three women who are targeted by a mysterious man, and then, after being wronged by him, seek vengeance via supernatural methods. The Witches of Eastwick is certainly a messy film, and might be one of Miller’s weaker efforts when judged as objectively as possible, but it’s also wild and unique, and those qualities give the film a somewhat overwhelming feel. It might well even be defined as maximalist at times, and that’s a word that can be used to describe various George Miller movies that are even more rewatchable.

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6 ‘Mad Max’ (1979)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne

Though it began a series that’s closely associated with the action genre, 1979’s Mad Max is a relatively restrained affair, all things considered, and doesn’t feature much by way of action until close to the film’s end. It also has less of a full-blown post-apocalypse feel to it compared to later entries in the series, proving to be the (relative) calm before the storm, in these ways.

It’s a revenge movie about a police officer in the future enacting vengeance on a dangerous motorcycle gang in a futuristic Australia that’s on the brink of becoming an all-out dystopia. In hindsight, Mad Max is valuable for providing insight into the world right before it collapsed into a full-on dystopia as seen in later films in the series, but the original is blunt and straightforward in a way that can limit its rewatchability. It’s an important film and is good for what it is, but its sequels/spin-offs do prove easier to revisit.

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5 ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’ (1985)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Helen Buday

Yes, even though Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome might be the weakest entry in the series, it does still offer “more” – for better or worse – than the rather straightforward original movie from 1979. That one was a low-budget revenge movie with a little by way of explosive action in the final act, but Beyond Thunderdome is all-out and somewhat ridiculous, in a way that generally works, but can also prove exasperating.

The third of the Mad Max movies loses some points for being uneven and kind of toned down violence-wise, compared to other Mad Max films, but there are sequences in Beyond Thunderdome that are as exceedingly entertaining as they are stupefying. It represents the series at its most gonzo, in some ways, while also being the most approachable (and least gory) overall. The end product is baffling yet weirdly compelling, and a second viewing might well help to ensure you can fully process it all.

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4 ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ (2022)

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Erdil Yaşaroğlu

Given the existence of The Witches of Eastwick, the fantasy genre isn’t one that George Miller had avoided by any means before Three Thousand Years of Longing, but this (somewhat under-appreciated) 2022 film might well be his most fantastical to date. It’s about a woman who comes across a genie, and is reluctant to ask for anything wish-wise before it tells her a series of strange and engrossing stories.

Three Thousand Years of Longing becomes one of those wonderful stories about the power of storytelling, and George Miller really went all-out creatively in bringing the fantastical stories contained within to life. It’s an overwhelming film, but in a good way, and warrants – once more – the use of the word “maximalist.” Honestly, Three Thousand Years of Longing packs so much into a runtime of under two hours that it’s probably wise to give the film more than one viewing.

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3 ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ (2024)

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke

So, at the time of writing, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still very much a new release, but it does already feel like it’s one of the most exciting blockbusters of the decade so far. It’s a prequel to the fourth Mad Max film (more on that one in a bit), expanding the world of that film and feeling more like an epic, living up to the word “saga” in its title and earning the right to be 2.5 hours long.

It’s possibly possible to soak up much of what Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has to offer in one sitting, but doing so is difficult, and it’s the kind of movie where it’s easy to imagine rewatches adding to the experience immensely. For that, it already feels safe to label this movie as an easy-to-revisit one, but, admittedly, there’s a tiny bit of caution involved with doing so soon after its release.

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2 ‘Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior’ (1981)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Michael Preston

Undoubtedly one of the best sequels of all time, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior takes the first film and dials things up to 11, showcasing the full-blown dystopian wasteland with which the series is now well associated. To reiterate, Mad Max serves a function for the series in being a set-up for the craziness to follow, both action and setting-wise, but Mad Max 2 is the first film in the series to really commit to that vision.

It’s a blast from start to finish, with the scope being bigger than the first movie and there being an overall larger emphasis placed on large action-heavy set pieces. It’s a wild ride, and packed with glorious stunts, and it’s understandable why some people still consider it the high point of the entire series.

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1 ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

For decades, the general consensus was that the Mad Max series peaked with 1981’s The Road Warrior, but then 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road came along and emerged as some serious competition. It’s not just considered the peak of the series by many, but it’s even a contender when it comes to crowning the greatest action movies of all time, largely thanks to the fact that much of the film feels like one extended (and spectacular) action sequence.

The plot… who cares about the plot? Most of the plot and backstory stuff is well-explored in 2024’s Furiosa, with Fury Road largely able to function without much by way of exposition or dialogue. It’s a thrilling ride, and one where, narratively, everything is able to be digested in one sitting, but owing to the sheer excitement provided by the action and stunt work, rewatches prove very easy to commit to.

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