Judge Dredd: “I never broke the law; I am the law!”
He’s not though. It’ll be great to see Karl Urban claim that mantle.
This is what england needs now.. He will protect the street…
Judge, jury & executioner
Just not the gold codpiece.
I don’t think it is any coincidence that the current Judge Dredd epic running in the progs is called “Day of Chaos” - are Tharg’s droid plugged into the zeitgeist that they saw this coming long before the country’s police and politicians? No one at the Nerve Centre was available for comment, however, concerned citizens are encouraged to read 2000 AD - it is the future happening today.
I WISH MY COMICS SHOP SOLD 2000AD STUFF
Most LCS will order 2000 AD for you if you ask - Diamond do carry it and are now moving from the 4 prog packs to individual issues (we believe the Surgeon General ordered them too after a few high profile cases of Thrill-Power Overload).
You can also buy digital progs from the 2000 AD shop or Clickwheel (which offers digital subscriptions too).
This is what england needs now.. He will protect the street…
Judge, jury & executioner
Just not the gold codpiece.
I don’t think it is any coincidence that the current Judge Dredd epic running in the progs is called “Day of Chaos” - are Tharg’s droid plugged into the zeitgeist that they saw this coming long before the country’s police and politicians? No one at the Nerve Centre was available for comment, however, concerned citizens are encouraged to read 2000 AD - it is the future happening today.
Movie Review: Judge Dredd (1995)
Hey guys!
Today I want to do my first review for my blog. This is a film that I’ve always heard about from time to time but I’ve never watched the whole thing until last night and that’s the 1995 film, Judge Dredd. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Max von Sydow, and Rob Schneider.
Plot: Now basically what this film is about is that it takes place in the future. The Planet Earth has changed into a virtually inhabitable place called “The Cursed Earth”. The Earth’s population have crowded into cities called “Mega Cities”. However, violent crimes and riots are happening left and right but the justice system has become powerless to contain the situations. But this new justice system has created this new form of justice were you have 3 justice systems rolled into 1 (police, jury, executioner) that are called Judges. Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) has a well known reputation and is one of the best. His get-in, get-out persona has become feared by the scum of Mega City 1 (once known as New York). Also, you have Judge Hershey (Diane Lane) who works with Dredd who is not as aggressive but is there when Dredd needs her. Meanwhile, Judge Dredd reputation has impressed the council especially the Head of Council, Judge Fargo (Max von Sydow). But soon chaos would emerge from within the city when Rico (Armand Assante) a former Judge now psychopath who escapes from prison and is bent on destroying Mega City 1. While Rico is seeking destruction, Dredd has been accused for the murder of a journalist and with DNA evidence, Dredd is charged for the murder and sentenced to life in prison. On the way to prison, he comes across a former criminal, Fergee (Rob Schneider) a hacker who was just recently busted by Dredd for public mischief. But soon they would band together to escape their travel to prison. So with Dredd on the run with Fergee, they must find their way back to Mega City 1. Along the way, Dredd founds out he was framed for the murder and that Rico had set it up with the help of a Judge that’s part of the council. So as Rico’s plot unfolds, Dredd must get back to Mega City 1 and stop Rico from destroying the city.
Review: Now that’s pretty much the plot in a nutshell. I know I’ve probably missed some stuff and perhaps a few plot points. But looking back on Judge Dredd, it’s a watchable film. Now I know some have said this is the worst movie of all time but I have to disagree. I’ve seen worse. It’s just this film had potential to be far better than what it was but they dropped the ball in so many areas. Now I’ll go over some stuff and share my thoughts about certain things.
First off, the cast. Sylvester Stallone is good. I’m a fan of Stallone and I can say he looks the part and it was good casting. But I got to be honest, at times I think Stallone played his character way too seriously. Now again I like Stallone and I’ve enjoyed some films prior to Judge Dredd (i.e. Demolition Man, Cliffhanger, and so on) but here it’s like he is good as Judge Dredd but performance-wise or when it came to dialogue, he was hamming it up so much. Stallone can be low key and a lot of times it works but it just seems like in this film, he is yelling a lot more than usual. For instance, “I AM THE LAW!” which a lot of people make fun of and I can understand why. This phrase is used quite a few times throughout the film and again I just think Stallone was taking this role way too serious. Now some might argue, “well Stallone has always been like that” but I’m sorry, just watch his previous films like the ones I mentioned such as Demolition Man, Cliffhanger, Cobra, Lock Up, Tango & Cash, and so on. Stallone is never over the top once in those films, it’s mostly low key and going with the flow of his character. So Stallone was good but 85% of the time, he just takes this way role too seriously and his execution of dialogue was too over the top. Armand Assante was good. Great? No. But he can play a villain, I will admit that. Honestly, I’m not familiar with Assante’s work but he worked as a villain and I enjoyed this psychopath type of persona. Diane Lane is good but I can agree with some people, their is no point to her character. It’s like she is there for Dredd but doesn’t do much until the final act. So again Diane Lane is good but you can go with or without her character. Rob Schneider played Fergee, a hacker who teams up with Dredd in the second half of the film. Rob Schneider didn’t help much. Now I like Rob Schneider but I don’t know its like he is supposed to be the comedic relief but his character got annoying at times. It’s like ok he has a few comedic lines but they fall flat. He plays pretty much the pest and at times he does bog down the film with his flat humor and quirky personality. It’s kind of like the way people think of Jar Jar Binks. Now I can take Rob Schneider over Jar Jar Binks any day but Rob Schneider’s character was too much at some points. Trying to be funny when he’s not. He is the sidekick that brings the comedic relief but it’s just got annoying for the most part. Max von Sydow has also a small role as Judge Fargo and he is good. He is in the film for probably 10 minutes at the most but it’s a good role. So the cast overall is solid aside from Rob Schneider.
The plot was ok in my opinion. I mean for a 1995 action/sci-fi it’s not that bad and the plot works. So I can’t complain much about the plot or story. The film also has a good pace. It’s about 95 min. long and that’s pretty good for this type of film and the film keeps moving. There is no slow spots or dull spots, the momentum is there and it keeps flowing. Dialogue is ok. I mentioned earlier that Stallone’s dialogue was over the top about 85% of the time but I think that’s the thing with this film. Dialogue is ok in some areas but it’s like they really try to put it in your face by being serious or something Oscar-worthy and it does not work. Considering Judge Dredd continues to say “I AM THE LAW!” so just by knowing that he does play this lawman who is by the books and his dialogue is just over the top. But overall the dialogue is ok but nothing more than that.
Action scenes were good. There were a few action scenes here and there. For instance, when Dredd went up against the cannibals. There was some good bits of action. The chase scene between Dredd and the cops on those flying bikes (which I know some people pointed out it ripped off from Return of The Jedi) but even so it was a cool scene. So there is some good bits of action here and there. The finale was lackluster, I got to be honest. It’s like you have the characters. Dredd and Rico are face to face. Rico has got a robot that has Diane Lane’s character and Rob Schneider’s character was hurt. So at first it seems like maybe Stallone would go 1 on 1 with the robot and it would have been badass. But then Rob Schneider’s character comes up from behind the robot and disables it with his hacking skills I suppose and the robot malfunctions. So no fight between Stallone and the robot. But you got Dredd and Rico 1 on 1 in the head of the Statue of Liberty and to me it was just a lackluster fight. They throw a couple of punches but it ends within like 30 seconds when Dredd throws Rico off the statue and that’s it. So the final fight of the film was just so lackluster and it didn’t fulfill anything. It’s like they could have been extended but it was over within the blink of an eye. Now this film does have cool special FX. For a 1995 film, it does have some good eye candy and for the most part I enjoyed the visuals and production value. I mean this film had a big budget so I give it props for good FX and production value.
Overall, Judge Dredd is a watchable film. It’s like I’ve seen worse but this film does disappoint in a lot of areas because it could have been so much better. I do put some blame on the director, Danny Cannon because there was some creative disputes between him and Stallone. But the thing is that when you are a director, you got to take control. I do blame Stallone for some things as much as I like him as an actor but he wanted more creative control and it was Stallone that persuaded Danny Cannon for Rob Schneider as Fergee. So I do put blame on Cannon and Stallone but mostly Cannon because he is a director. You are the captain. Sometimes you got to put your foot down. But getting back to what I was saying, it’s a watchable film. I would say it’s a fun time waster. There is some good things going for it but for the most part it’s disappointing because it has the potential. I know they are currently working on a remake or reboot of this film which is set for 2012 release and it has Karl Urban as Judge Dredd which I’m ready for. I mean after watching this film, I would definitely be interested in a remake or reboot. So all in all, Judge Dredd (1995). It’s watchable, entertaining in some parts. Good cast (with the exception of Rob Schneider), good pace, some good bits of action, good SFX. However, it does have it’s weak points. It lacks what might have been or what could have been, annoying sidekick (ugh fucking Rob Schneider), over the top dialogue at some points, lackluster finale, and some pointless characters. So do I recommend Judge Dredd (1995)? Yes, if your looking for a fun time waster but expect nothing great.
My Rating: 4/10
Grade: C
Paul stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost discuss their love of comics including Batman, The Walking Dead, Judge Dredd and Turf.
Another fail from that major organ of Truth, The Sun:
KIM KARDASHIAN must have had guests on edge at an LA fragrance launch after reinventing herself as Judge Dredd for the occasion.
The socialite evoked memories of the futuristic outfit made famous by the 2000 AD comic book law enforcement officer.
Though there were several key differences between Kim and Dredd.
For starters, the crime-fighting hero never flashed any cleavage in his get-up - as demonstrated here by SYLVESTER STALLONE, who brought the cop to life in the 1995 flop film.
She also wielded a handbag rather than a machine gun and nattered on a mobile phone en route to the Unbreakable perfume bash at The Redbury.
I mean - where is the large gold codpiece? We also remain grateful that Stallone didn’t flash any man-cleavage, the film was painful enough without it!!
