Topic: Dredd

[Najemikon]

This isn't a review. Just food for thought. It's hard for me to be detached enough to review this fairly...

As some of you may know, I'm a big fan of Judge Dredd, a regular character in the UK anthology comic 2000ad for almost 35 years. I've been reading the comics since the early 90s and Judge Dredd is superb. I've said it before and I'll say it again... for consistency and quality, the 2000ad main stories (as well as Dredd, there is the ABC Warriors, Strontium Dog, Dante and loads more from the history) are so much more satisfying than Marvel and DC. Alan "Watchmen" Moore cut his teeth in 2000ad, writing one of my favourite stories of all time, The Ballad of Halo Jones.

So being a film nut, 1995 was a big year. Judge Dredd was coming to the big screen! Yeah!!

Wow. Talk about a big let down. It was awful. Just a complete misfire and so far from the tone of the books. Insulting, I would go so far as saying. If you liked it... well, ok... but aside from the

This year the second attempt to make a film based on Judge Dredd has just been released. It is not a remake, people! So sick of reading that.... It's gritty, action packed and simple, partly down to a limited budget, but a budget it uses very well. All the focus has been put on creating a script (endorsed by the creator, John Wagner) that honours the character and stubbornly refuses to try and give him an arc.

See, Dredd doesn't change. He is an immovable force, representing the law in a fascist future city. That's a tough call in a narrative, when you can't give your lead character a 'journey'. So they introduce a version of Judge Anderson as a rookie with psychic abilities and we see Dredd's fucked up world through her eyes. Works really well.

The film is rough and brutal. Imperfect, and as an action film, occasionally flat and predictable, but focus on that brilliantly realised character, played with perfect restrain by Karl Urban, and it is in many ways the best comic-to-film yet.

I know I'm biased, but it is precisely because I'm such a big fan of the character that my enthusiasm should be a vote of confidence. That's him, right there on the screen! I don't have to excuse anything or accept any compromise... this is Dredd as I know him. You know how seriously I take movies, but if this had made one error -like taking the helmet off- I'd be giving it a kicking.

I'm writing this though, because despite doing well here in the home country, America seems to be ignoring it. Please, give it a chance! It isn't a remake of that fucking horrendous Stallone debacle. It's fresh and a bit nasty! A sequel could be so awesome... they could introduce The Dark Judges. I was skeptical that such supernatural foes could work, but in fact, because Dredd is so solid a character, the dynamic would be quite original. I mean this is the guy that was determined to arrest Batman for being a vigilante!

[samuelrichardscott]

I've always found the Stallone movie to be campy fun, but yes, very far away from who Dredd is. I saw this at Comic Con and totally agree with you on all points otherwise!

[Najemikon]

Yeah, granted it is camp. And kudos for including an ABC Warrior that looked pretty good. I just couldn't take it seriously when I know how strong the source material is.

[Dragonfire]

I was thinking about seeing this one..I just haven't gotten to the theater.

I have seen the Stallone Dredd movie...I didn't completely hate it..I have seen worse..but it was a bit of a mess. 

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How the hell can that Rico guy - or whatever his name was - be Dredd's clone, but they don't look alike??

[Najemikon]

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"whatever his name was"... poor, Rico!

Dredd and his brother Rico were always cloned from Fargo, except in the proper story, Fargo has been dead for decades, if not more. And the two brothers were twins in appearance. Well, so far as the helmets allowed! Like I say, Dredd's face has never been seen. In the comic, when a Judge is sent to Titan, they are forced to receive invasive surgery on their faces and wear horrific devices so they can breathe without wearing heavy apparatus, so when Rico returned briefly, although he wasn't wearing a helmet, his appearance was grotesque.

There have been several cloning stories since and they usually go with a twin effect, except for age and mutations if it went wrong.

Don't know why I'm bothering with a spoiler!

[Dragonfire]

Not sure why I did either... :lol

It has been a long time since I saw the movie...I wasn't sure I was remember the name right.

I either forgot that Dredd was a clone too or didn't pick up on that.  Either way, it would make more sense for him and Rico to look alike if they are going to have them without helmets.  I did enough research about the comic a few years ago when I reviewed the movie to know that didn't happen in the comics - the helmet being off.

[Astrakan]

I was also thinking about seeing this but never did get around to going. It's still playing in theatres around here, so it's not too late, but I'm thinking I'll wait for it to hit Blu-ray or Netflix. I know the missus would hate it, so even though we each pick every other movie we go see, I'd feel a bit bad picking this one knowing how bored she'd be.