Judge Dredd (1995)

I feel Judge Dredd doesn't really get the respect it deserves. Let me explain. While this isn't a great film by any means, it is entertaining, and it doesn't kiddie itself up for teens.

Judge Dredd is a R rated comic book. That right there may limit its audience, because most filmgoers might feel comic books are just for kids, and they are goofy. Well that is true with Dredd, it is goofy, but its far too violent and chauvinist for small children. Perhaps that is part of its charm.

It's a nice action movie, with a good hard helping of violence, and interesting characters: including redneck cannibals and a giant robot. The film would have been much better with out the comic relief of Rob Schneider.

The film could have benefitted from some Diane Lane nudity.

Fmovies: Judge Dredd and 2000AD represent my childhood inspiration for all things creative, accumulating in my career in the creative industry (I still have a full set of early 2000ADs in my studio). So obviously the film holds very personal emotions for me and as such I have to admit that I had a negative bias from the start. Anyway enough about me.

The film started and I was very impressed with the visual effects and design. At first I thought Judge Dredd's uniform was way over the top, even more than the comic version. However after remembering the visual style of films like Flash Gordon (1980) I put that down to personal preference.

One of the problems is Sylvester Stallone's Performance. I am not one of Sly's detractors, I have enjoyed his performances in films such as Rocky, First Blood, Paradise Alley, Copland and even Demolition Man. However this performance bares no resemblance to the character of Judge Dredd.

Stallone's character lacks the authority and quiet confidence of Judge Dredd. Sly seems to have replaced these aspects with standing in a tough pose, looking intense and shouting were applicable. Needless to say I did not see the dark and gritty anti hero I was hoping for.

I realise that this is a tall order for any actor and Sly in not helped by the films biggest problem, the atrocious dialogue. Clichés and over dramatic speeches destroy any hope of realism.

My final comment... Judge Dredd's helmet.

This should stay on at all times. I know this seems superficial, but it is representative of certain aspects of Judge Dredd's personality. Firstly Dredd's lack of personal ego, secondly his almost robot like dedication, determination and 'perceived' invulnerability and thirdly Dredd's function as an executioner.

There, I feel a little better now I've got that off my chest. Cheers.

Two weeks ago, my sister bought a VCR from one of her friends... VHS... scary enough. For her ten bucks she also got two dozen movies... Judge Dredd was one of them

Since I popped this movie in, I have watched it at the very least two dozen times. I watched it once today, once yesterday, twice the day before that, three times the day before that, twice the day before that... and I have a decent selection of other films to choose from. This movie is addictive. It has this pacing and style that, while not very realistic, and certainly not worthy of an Oscar, it just makes you grin. Every time the Alan Silvestri Dredd theme pops up, I just smile... from the Gianni Versace designed Dredd Armor, to the top-notch special effects, this movie brings together many elements into a 96 minute ride of pure cheese that keeps getting better each time you watch it

The CG can be beautiful at times, even to the point of photorealism, and certainly outdoes the the horrid cartooniness of Blade 2's or X-Men's CG...

You just have to watch it to believe how addictive this damn thing is

'Nuff Said

Judge Dredd fmovies. In the future the world has been scorched and is uninhabitable. The cities are overflowing and cramped. Violence and crime has gotten to the stages that the courts and juries of the past were unable to cope. The Judges were planned to be police, judge and executioners – the ultimate law keepers. The strictest of these is Judge Dredd. However Dredd's history is revealed when his long-forgotten genetic twin escapes from captivity and kills high ranking council members. The DNA evidence points to Dredd and he is sentenced accordingly. However he escapes with hacker Fergie and returns to the city to try and stop Rico's plan for his own laws.

It's been a few years since I saw this in the cinema and I thought I'd give it another go. However I had only average memories of it – memories that were pretty close to the mark now that I've seen it again. The film starts reasonably well and has a good little bit of humour in it – the recycling bot that says `recycle waste for food, it's good for the environment and OK for you!' is my favourite! However any nice touches like this and any debate on the nature of the Judges is quickly lost in a by-the-numbers blockbuster.

The action is OK but not great and the film doesn't manage to ever really have a genuine sense of excitement or tension. Director Cannon is much better at style than substance and here he proves that again. The cartoon violence will be OK for teenagers but is too basic and undemanding for many I think. The cityscapes are quite good but a tad OTT. Bladerunner got it pitch perfect all those years ago and every film since has tried to up the ante unnecessarily.

Stallone is a pretty good choice for Dredd because of his strong chin. I didn't care less if he removed his helmet or not, but his constant speaking in catchphrases did annoy me a bit. Oh – and I've heard a life time of `law' and `court' puns and kiss-off lines. Schneider is a misjudged comedy sidekick, he isn't used well and just gets in the way. The film would have been better without his `relief' and gone darker. Assante is a strong villain and the council is full of famous faces. Lane has nothing to do as Judge Hershey.

Overall this is a cartoon for teenagers and those just looking for lots of bangs. However, even for that crowd this may prove a little basic – I wanted it to be more sophisticated than it was and be darker (but not just violent as it has been misinterpreted as here). Maybe worth a watch with a beer and pizza but the fact that we haven't been treated to a JD2 speaks volumes.

This has got it all, the comic lines, the action, the story a perfect cast (especially Stallone, whom you could presume modelled for the comic character of Judge Dredd, Assante who makes a real cool bad guy and Schneider as the comic sidekick). This really never puts you back an inch, while you are on the edge of your seat. It is great, although I would have liked it bloodier (show how they rip Prochnow's arms and legs of and show how that human is barbecued). While I am at the bad stuff, I feel that the effects were pretty poor sometimes although that didn't bother me that much I still enjoyed it. What bothers me that at 93 minutes this film seems heavily cut, or why does the lab at the end just start exploding and why didn't I see one clone moving around. That's it, nope, the ending could have been better, but it is OK.

8 out of 10

I'll preface this by saying that I have never read the Judge Dredd comic. That being said, I bashed this movie when my friends and I watched first watched it back in 1995 in the theater. I am now throughly eating my words. This thing is amazingly good and entertaining throwaway cheese. There is zero originality here. This is Blade Runner meets Demolition Man meets Texas Chainsaw massacre meets Superman 2 meets Star Wars Trilogy. This movie is almost a replica of Demolition Man but is tons more fun. Stallone, like in Demolition Man, plays a supercop. He's accused of a crime he didn't commit and is punished, like in Demolition Man. There are other parallels along the way. He meets a Texas Chainsaw Massacre family in his exile, with an android member who looks suspiciously like Terry Bradshaw. Armand Assante is really great as the villain, Diane Lane excels in a role that doesn't fit her and Rob Schneider is stunningly endearing as the third wheel in a party of two. Max Von Sydow and Jurgen Prochnow add their talents to give the movie a seasoned flavor. Stallone's intro is pathetic but he excels along the way. The digital effects also work themselves into the story very well. I'm stunned at how good this thing is upon reviewing it.