I recently watched Mad Max I, II, and III for the first time; since I know they are hit movies that influence a lot of popular culture. I've already seen Fury Road a couple of times, and I reckon that's an excellent movie - so I figure I'd give the others a shot. Here are some of my thoughts:
I found that MM1 is surprisingly basic. The world is not yet 'post apocalyptic'. The story is clean and simple, and there is very little world-building. It actually reminds me of Duel. A decent movie, but no really big ideas.
MM2 is what people really mean when they talk about Mad Max. This sets the post apocalyptic scene that so many things are now inspired by. The plot is more involved than the first; but it is tight and believable. I could nit-pick at this, but It's a very good movie; and it is a cultural touchstone for wasteland post-apoc type settings.
MM3 is trash. Don't bother watching this unless you're a super-fan who just needs more content. It feels like the writers were told to make another MM movie, and so they had a good brainstorming session to get some good ideas for what could happen; but then that's all. The movie is a grab-bag of inconsistent junk, just lurching from one setting to another in ways that don't really make sense. They've got about 3 movies worth of story arc, but only half-a-movie worth of details. It does have some alright visuals and action scenes, and a couple of novel ideas, but overall it is a bad movie.
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Fury Road feels a lot like a refreshed and modernised version of Mad Max 2. (There are a lot of things that I like about Fury Road; but I'll save those comments for another time.)
In MM1 there's a breakdown in the rule of law, areas of the country aren't safe to travel in, police pursuits have little regard for public safety, a computer is used to make command decisions, and most people are only out for themselves ... I can understand why an American in 2025 might feel that that isn't apocalyptic in feel, because to them it's just normal life.