Judge Dredd

Judge Dredd is another in a long line of older comics that was made into an action movie back in the mid nineties. It never garnered that much attention being considered by most critics as average at best and was soon forgotten. Now it's been reissued in a budget bluray release. Probably to take advantage of the newer 2012 movie based on the same comic book but simply called Dredd instead. This however, is the original first movie. Don't confuse them!

The movie is quite impressive at first with it's soaring vista of a future megatropolis but never quite achieves the gritty realism nor the breathtaking beauty of say a Blade Runner. It tries but it just doesn't succeed. Then it immediately drops you into a typical sci-fi action sequence that's lots of fun to watch which then eventually devolves into chaos, betrayal and action scenes that are each fun in their own right but never really quite jell into a complete whole.

Part of the problem may be the over the top plot with it's soaring music and much larger than life characters especially Stallone. Well executed it can work; just think Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark. But here it just seems overly melodramatic and pretentious. There's all the elements that should be a winner such as a hoverbike chase but compared to a Fifth Element or a typical Star Wars chase, they just never quite measure up. It also doesn't help that the first half of the movie tends to be better than the last half and I found the ending a bit of a let down as well.

The video was also a bit of a disappointment. It's a 1080p but didn't really strike me as any better than the 480p of my ten year old dvd. It's okay but lacks the true sharpness and crispness of the best blurays. The audio is a DTS-HD Master track but once again, didn't really seem to be any improvement over the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track of the dvd or the 5.1 French track from this BD for that matter. And for a bluray the extras are very minimal, a few previews and a ten minute piece on making Dredd that frankly looks like it was taken from a very bad VHS copy. It's fuzzy as hell. So no extra points here either.

It does have lots of action and bigger than life scenes, so it won't bore you. But it also really won't engage you either. Amazon calls it's third star "okay" and that basically describes this movie. It's okay, but nothing more.

J. A.

The "Judge Dredd" movie is certainly infamous for not having the character helmet on his head all through the movie, like the character did in the comic books. Probably due of the producers, who won't let an famous action star to not see his face all through the film. That is the major flaw there. Some of the action sequences and an strong cast makes this flawed, Science-Fiction comic book action-thriller fun to watch. Stallone is fine in the role (Although he is overshadowed by his previous role in a Science-Fiction picture titled "Demolition Man" at that time, which it is a slightly better film). But he is surrounded by a top supporting cast like Armand Assante in a over the top performance as the villian, Diane Lane as Dredd's loyal partner, Rob Schneider as a wrongly convinced criminal...who is forced to work with Stallone to stay alive (!), Max Von Sydow as Chief Justice Fargo, Jurgen Prochnow as a Corrupted Judge Griffin and more. The premise is a good one, it has some story surprises and twist. But director Danny Cannon (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) disowned the film, which it was released in theaters. Because of the many changes, Stallone wanted in the script and the director didn't get along with Stallone.

The Blu-ray has an strong anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) 1080P transfer and an terrific DTS 5.1 HD Sound. Some of the CGI effects shot is dated in this transfer but i haven't seen this movie looked good in years. Since i did seen it once in theaters and on VHS, a couple of times since. Blu-ray has one special feature:20 minutes featurette with the cast & cast. "Judge Dredd" was an box office disappointment. It was released in the same week of "Apollo 13" and yes... "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers:The Movie!". But the movie does have an cult following over the recent years. Some of the editing of this movie, especially during the last big action sequences feels choppy. Because it was originally longer, when Dredd starts shooting down the Judge clones. I could swear, i did see this sequence in theaters but on video, it was gone. I remember that sequence was longer in theaters. "Judge Dredd" is a fun movie but if the story was done more seriously and darker, maybe this picture could have been something more and also toned down the sense of humour. But Schneider does get one good laugh, when he imitating Dredd's character on their way to prison. A cast of familiar cast appears in smaller roles, including James Remar and Scott Wilson appears uncredited. James Earl Jones reads the opening narration. Panavision. Grade:B+ for the movie. Grade:A- for the Picture Quality and Sound Quality.

I have to say that I was not familiar with any Judge Dredd comics, games or had had any other contact with the character apart from this movie so I cannot compare the character to other sources. Therefore, coming from someone that did not "know" the Judge prior to the film I have to say that the movie was FANTASTIC!
There are slight hints of Mad Max and Total Recall, so the movie falls into the action/adventure/science fiction type of category, and what a major hit this action-packed movie is!
Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, and Rob Schneider, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding, making this movie one of the best of its kind. The actors' great talent and chemistry clearly shows, thus providing a film that can be watched over and over again. The plot, the setting, the special effects, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, I would definitely line up to watch a sequel!