The best George Miller movies are mostly known as the Mad Max films. However, the Australian filmmaker has also had success with family films, a biographical drama, and several dark fantasies. In recent years, Miller has become more prolific, helming Three Thousand Years of Longing while directing more movies in his Mad Max franchise, including Fury Road and the 2024 release Furiosa. Miller’s first work as a director was the short film Violence in Cinema: Part 1, which was met with mixed responses from critics and audiences when released in 1971.

The film examined elements of cinematic violence, which Miller then used in his feature directorial debut, Mad Max. Although he has since proved capable of making successful films in various genres, the dystopian action movie released at the end of the 1970s established Miller as a filmmaker confidently able to orchestrate narratives of awe-inspiring spectacle. George Miller almost gave up directing Mad Max after an accident during production, but he continued, and his movies have consistently been well-received by critics and audiences alike.

12 Happy Feet Two (2011)

The Animated Sequel About A Dancing Penguin

The Happy Feet sequel ended up being a huge misstep for George Miller. Happy Feet Two’s failure almost stopped Fury Road from being made. The first movie was about a penguin who wanted to dance and the inability of his parents and friends to understand his dreams. The second film switched things up, with the young penguin from the first having grown up and everyone dancing, but Mumble's son can't dance and has to set out to find his own way in the world.

Even as the final animated film to feature Robin Williams's voice work, Happy Feet Two is forgettable.

Although the colorful computer-animated sequel features lively music that covers popular pop and rock songs as a jukebox musical, the story fails to match the simple charms of the original. Even as the final animated film to feature Robin Williams's voice work, Happy Feet Two is forgettable. It made a significant amount less at the box office while seeing its critical reviews drop to rotten levels on Rotten Tomatoes.

11 Babe: Pig In The City (1998)

The Cult Sequel Seeing Babe Head Into The City

George Miller co-wrote the phenomenally successful Babe with Chris Noonan but had less success when he stepped in as director for the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City. While some critics praised the follow-up, it failed to impress audiences and was nowhere near as commercially successful as Babe. Most of the cast returned for the sequel, except for Christine Cavanaugh, who had originally voiced the title pig character but was replaced by fellow Rugrats voice actor E.G. Daily in the sequel.

Even with familiar faces and voices, Babe: Pig in the City unnecessarily over-complicates the premise of a sheep-herding pig. The most successful aspect of the movie is its original song, "That'll Do," performed by Peter Gabriel. The tune, written and composed by Randy Newman, was nominated for an Academy Award. Since its release, Babe: Pig in the City has developed a cult following and has received better reviews in the years following its lackluster release.

10 Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

George Miller Directed The Remake Of Nightmare At 20,000 Feet

Long before Jordan Peele revived The Twilight Zone in 2019 for Paramount+, four filmmakers came together to direct segments for an anthology film based on Rod Serling's original 1959 science fiction horror series. John Landis directed an original story, while Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller each remade popular episodes of the show for the feature film.

Miller was responsible for directing a version of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," which was also loosely remade for the 2019 series. Despite controversy resulting from an on-set accident during the filming of Landis’s segment, Twilight Zone: The Movie is an enjoyable homage to the beloved TV series and was moderately successful at the box office. Roger Ebert credited Joe Dante and George Miller with creating segments that were superior to those by Spielberg and Landis.

9 The Witches Of Eastwick (1987)

George Miller's Adaptation Of John Updike's 1984 Novel

Based on John Updike's 1984 novel, The Witches of Eastwick is a comedic fantasy about a trio of suburban women who inadvertently form a coven without realizing they hold power as witches. Their discussion of the perfect man brings for an incarnation of the devil, memorably played by Jack Nicholson. Although the feminist themes of Updike’s novel are watered down in George Miller’s adaptation, the star power and chemistry of Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer as the main trio make this a lighthearted romp into the occult.

Warner Bros. is currently developing a remake of The Witches of Eastwick, though it is difficult to imagine Miller’s version being sured. This original version earned two Oscar nominations (Best Original Score and Best Sound). Jack Nicholson brought home the Saturn Award for Best Actor, with Susan Sarandon and Veronica Cartwright also earning nominations.

8 Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022)

A Fantasy About A Djinn's Relationship With A Human Woman

George Miller is one of the few filmmakers bold enough to make an R-rated fantasy film like Three Thousand Years of Longing, which is clearly directed at adult audiences despite containing magical creatures and wishes to be granted. The plot involves a lonely British literature scholar (played by Tilda Swinton) who writes a book about her relationship with a djinn (Idris Elba), who offers her three wishes. When she rejects the offer, he tells her three stories from his past lives.

Its ambiguity may be off-putting for some audience , but it is easy to get swept up in the storytelling and gorgeous filmmaking. While the true meaning of Three Thousand Years of Longing is debatable, the deep themes regarding love and life choices are as affecting as the production design is mesmerizing. The critical scores were mostly positive, with a 71% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it didn't receive awards recognition, it still received praise for its adult themes in the fantasy genre.

7 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The Third Mad Max Movie

Even if Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is the worst installment of its franchise so far, the movie is still far better than is typically expected from the second sequel of a popular action film, especially considering it was rated PG-13. The violence in the post-apocalyptic action sequel may be tamer compared to the previous films. However, George Miller and co-director George Ogilvie also embedded the Beyond Thunderdome with deeper themes about society and religion while still finding time for inventive fight-and-chase sequences.

There is also much more of an ensemble cast in this second sequel, with a group of children resembling the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, not to mention a memorable female villain. Beyond Thunderdome foreshadowed Furiosa’s story in Fury Road by introducing the strong but ruthless character of Aunty Entity, played by musical icon Tina Turner.

6 Lorenzo’s Oil (1992)

Parents Search For A Cure For Their Son's ALD

In a career filled with genre films, Lorenzo’s Oil stands out as the only purely dramatic narrative to be directed by George Miller. Based on the true story of a couple's search for a cure for their son, Lorenzo's life-threatening ALD condition, Lorenzo’s Oil is a sensitively directed movie with a strong visual style and dedicated performances from stars Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon.

The latter earned an Academy Award nomination, as did Miller for his screenplay. Rather than giving into the trappings of melodrama, Miller poignantly approaches the material with an understated thoughtfulness. Lorenzo’s Oil is emotionally affecting without ever feeling manipulative, which is something even the best dramatic directors sometimes struggle with. The film also earned Sarandon a Golden Globe nomination and was mostly critically praised despite its straying from real-life events.

5 Happy Feet

A Young Penguin Just Wants To Dance

The fourth non-Disney or Pixar movie to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Happy Feet is easily the most joyous entry in George Miller’s filmography. The computer-animated jukebox musical follows an emperor penguin with a special gift for tap dancing and features an ensemble cast of voice actors, including Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, and Nicole Kidman.

On top of its Oscar win, the movie also won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and earned two Grammy nominations for its music as well.

Animated films often do well at the box office because they are directed at younger audiences, with parents purchasing tickets to appease their children. However, Happy Feet also engages adults with renditions of familiar pop songs and an original award-winning number from Prince in a jukebox musical format. On top of its Oscar win, the movie also won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and earned two Grammy nominations for its music as well.

4 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

The First Mad Max Movie Without Max Rockatansky

George Miller was able to cash in on the critical and box office success of Mad Max: Fury Road with the first movie in the franchise that wasn't about Max and didn't even really feature him in the plot. Instead, this served as a prequel to Fury Road, telling the story of Charlize Theron's Furiosa, played in this film by Anya Taylor-Joy. Her origin story, Furiosa, shows how she was from a utopian society outside the desert wastelands but ended up kidnapped and enslaved by the evil Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).

The movie has all the action and explosions of the previous four movies in the franchise but takes it in a different direction with the female lead and the story of how Furiosa was able to band together her legion of warriors to reach the point of her introduction in Fury Road. The film was a box office failure thanks to its very high budget, but it still received praise from critics and fans alike for the action, George Miller's direction, and the frenetic sound and visual design of the film's world.

3 Mad Max (1979)

The Original Mad Max Movie

George Miller’s feature film debut, Mad Max, was independently financed by Kennedy Miller Productions and quickly became an international success. Along with catapulting the Australian filmmaker’s career, it was one of Mel Gibson’s first film roles and led to him becoming an international movie star. Mad Max is set in a dystopian future where lawlessness reigns due to a widespread oil shortage.

Given the extremely low budget and monumental success, Mad Max was the most profitable movie ever made until the release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999.

Gibson plays the title character forced to become a vigilante when he comes up against a violent motorbike gang responsible for killing his wife and son. This makes the original film in the franchise much more personal and character-focused, with the main journey being that of Max coming to with his new life and seeking revenge for having his family taken from him. Given the extremely low budget and monumental success, Mad Max was the most profitable movie ever made until the release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999.