ALL SCI-FI

[The Spike]

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"I Am the Cloned Law!"

Judge Dredd is directed by Danny Cannon and written by William Wisher Junior and Steven E. de Souza. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Joan Chen, Jürgen Prochnow and Max von Sydow. Music is scored by Alan Silvestri and cinematography by Adrian Biddle.

Adapted from the Judge Dredd stories in British comic book 2000AD, the plot finds Stallone as Judge Joseph Dredd, a ruthless law enforcer of the future in Mega City 1. Framed for murder, Dredd finds himself on the other side of the fence (literally) as he is sent to prison beyond Mega City 1's walls out in the Cursed Earth. He must somehow escape to clear his name and stop Mega City 1 from becoming corrupted by those that framed him.

OK, it's hardly brilliant. It lifts from other notable sci-fi movies, so it's lazy, and it has plot holes galore. But is Judge Dredd deserve the critical mauling it got?

Well no, actually. That is, if you take it on its own mindless popcorn terms.

The action is fast paced, it's loud and brash, but it's not in an insulting way like Batman & Robin, Stallone positively plays it dead right with a glint in his eye and chin perfectly chiselled. Diane Lane is sexy as heck-fire in figure hugging futuristic suit, while the production design, the color toning, and the effects (with one exception) are undervalued eye-pleasing delights. Add in Armand Assante having the time of his life as villain-psycho Rico Dredd, and it's a more than adequate blockbuster material.

I understand the fan's reactions — those of the comic book that is — because I'm one of them. I treasured my 2000AD and Starlord copies right into my 20s when I foolishly sold them. This is without doubt a watered down version of Dredd, clearly caught between a fan director's will and a studio's insistence on popcorn munching appeasement.

So, it's a fact that we don't have the ultra violence and generally fascist wallop that permeates 2000AD's stiff-backed, hard bastard. But there are delicate hints of totalitarianism and Nazi overtones in Cannon's movie, and whiffs of satire are there as well. It really isn't the directionless adaptation some insist it is.

It has many flaws for sure, but it makes for a nice companion piece to the better Demolition Man, for that is the bonkers popcorn world it sits in. A guilty pleasure? Well I don't feel guilty about enjoying Judge Dredd a lot, but yes Mr. Fascist, I'm guilty as charged. 6.5/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Bud Brewster]

[Bud Brewster]

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Nothing like a good trailer to put a guy in the mood for a rousing action movie!
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____________________ Judge Dredd - trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

I remember reading that Sylvester Stallone wanted to keep the helmet on, like in the comics. But the Producers, or studio figured that if they were paying Sylvester Stallone THAT much money to star in the movie, then by golly, you are going to see his face!

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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Not the best Stallone action movie, but perhaps not the worst either.

The problem is partly due to the fact that the fans of the comic book wanted an accurate portrayal of the character, and this one apparently did a poor job of it.

But even if it's judged on its own merits, it isn't overly impressive. I think another problem with the movie is that Judge Dredd has no depth of character. Very two-dimensional. So, we never feel very involved in the story.

And the running joke about the big flashy motorcycles that were undependable just wasn't all that funny.

I had fun modifying the poster. I didn't like the way his head was cut in half, so I widened the poster and painted in the right side of his head.


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And it was indeed a very cool robot!




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_____________________ ABC Warrior Robot


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bogmeister]

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A big budget adaptation of the sci-fi character which began in British comic books back in 1977.

In the future, Earth is mostly a wasteland and most of humanity resides in mega-cities. The law in Mega City One is enforced by Judges who act as police officers, judges, and executioners all rolled into one.

In other words, these judges of the future have a lot of legal power, perhaps too much. The title character (Sylvester Stallone) is probably the best of these enforcers, but he's framed for a murder and sent to a penal colony as punishment. The main villain is Rico (Armand Assante), another former judge who turns out to be a cloned experiment to create the ultimate judges, of which Dredd was also a result. Dredd, of course, soon makes his way back to his city for a confrontation.




____________________ Judge Dredd (trailer)


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As with many such films, the story and concept strayed too far from the original. One superficial difference is that Dredd in the books never took off his helmet. But in such a film, Hollywood felt that the star (Stallone) needed to be seen in all his glory, and perhaps to humanize the character so that the audience can readily identify with him.

The bigger issue is all this hokey plot about Dredd and Rico being experiments to create better Judges. Diane Lane plays Judge Hershey, one of Dredd's very few allies; she's definite eye candy. Rob Schneider, as a convicted thief, is there for comedy relief; he doesn't really belong in a story such as this, though he offers some respite from the doldrums.

Max von Sydow lends dignity to the role of a Chief Judge and Dredd's mentor. The money is well spent on the sets and set design, but there's an emptiness to the proceedings.

BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10

____________ Superhero Origins: Judge Dredd


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BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Eadie]

I think that the Aspen guards:



and the hunter:



costumes would have made nice powered armor concepts for Starship Troopers!
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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.

[Krel]

I don't' know much about the original Judge Dredd, but his motorcycle in the comic had a very wide rear tire. They built one like that for the movie, but what they found out is that there was a problem with the extra wide tire. It turns out that the motorcycle would go any direction the rider wanted, as long as it was straight. The motorcycle, just wouldn't turn.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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That's very interesting. My first thought was, "I get it! The wide tire prevents the motorcycle from leaning when it turns. But how do three-wheeled motorcycles turn if one really wide wheel prevents it? After all, three-wheel motorcycles won't lean when the bike turns either!"

But then I realized the answer is obvious; the two wheels in the back can rotate at different speeds during a turn, with the wheel on the inside of the turn rotating a bit slower.

However, the wide "judge cycle" wheel acts like two wheels joined together, and so they won't rotate at the two different rates needed during a turn.

I wonder if the judge cycle would turn if the outside rim of the big tire was sufficiently rounded so that a much smaller area would actually rest on the road. When the motorcycle made a turn, the bike would lean, and the part of the tire which touches the road would "roll" laterally, keeping the same amount of the tires rim area in contact with the road.

What do you think? Would that work?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[scotpens]

[Bud Brewster]

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I never knew that, scotpens! Thanks.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
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~ Director Danny Cannon was so disheartened over his constant creative disputes with Sylvester Stallone that he swore he would never again work with another self-absorbed actor. He also claimed that the final version was completely different from the script due to the changes Stallone demanded.

Note from me: Being a director must indeed be tough when you're trying to make a movie a certain way, but you're interfered with by the studio or the producer or a big star like Stallone.

~ In later interviews, Sylvester Stallone said he felt the film was supposed to be a comedy/action film, and demanded re-writes to make it even more comedic. The director and screenwriter, however, had intended a darker, more satirical approach, which led to many difficulties behind the scenes.

Note from me: Stallone did well with his comedy/action film, Demolition Man, and apparently he thought he could convert this into a movie like that one. But the script wasn't written that way, and the comedy moments he stuck IN just tended to stick OUT . . . ;roll:

~ The moment where Dredd takes off his helmet caused a lot of controversy. Judge Dredd would never remove his helmet in the comics. He took it off only once, but his disfigured face was covered with a censor bar.

Note from me: Making a movie about a character who never takes his helmet off . . . and then casting a big star like Stallone was a mistake. His fans want to see his face!





~ The scene in which Fergie mocks Dredd was improvised, and it turned out to be so funny to see Rob Schneider making fun of Sylvester Stallone that it was kept in the movie.

Note from me: That is indeed one of the best scenes in the movie. Rob Schneider is a somewhat underused comic talent.

~ To bring Hammerstein to life, they were going to use a man in a suit, but Danny Cannon insisted they build it for real. It's powered by hydraulics and controlled by five remote operators.

Note from me: Despite the fact that its movements seem fairly limited, the fact that we can tell it's a real machine makes it a joy to behold.





~ According to Rob Schneider, Sylvester Stallone called him and offered him the role of Fergie after first choice, Joe Pesci, turned it down.

Note from me: Mr. Pesci's stellar performance in My Cousin Vinnie is so good that everything else he's done is disappointing. And his "funny" character in the Lethal Weapon series is just plan annoying.

~ In an interview, Rob Schneider claimed that the film crew gave Sylvester Stallone extra fire retardant on the back of his costume for the fiery exhaust shaft scene, while Mr. Schneider got no fire retardant at all.

Note from me: Boy, ya just never know what little detail you should have spelled out carefully in the contract before you sign it!

~ The "Lawmaster" bikes were built from scratch. They were so powerful, only stuntmen could drive them. The actors were given safer, low-powered "moped" versions to ride.

Note from me: That was an admirable engineering feat, and the bikes certainly looked cool — but I didn't like the "joke" in the movie about how the bikes were faulty and unreliable. Don't ask me why, I guess my love for futuristic-looking technology makes me take it too seriously.





[size=22]~ Since this was shot in England, they kept the streets wet at all times so that it wouldn't matter if it rained.

Note from me: Not THAT . . . was brilliant!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)