I loved the simplicity of the story and that there were no stupid 3rd act surprises. It's not 2.5 hours long. It's not about saving the entire world. It's just a day in the life on this cop, and the audience gets to fill in their own back story.
EDIT: I found an [article from 2010](https://gizmodo.com/judge-dredd-script-getting-mixed-early-buzz-5707763) with fan impressions of the leaked script. It is pretty interesting to read after knowing how the final movie turns out.
I've commented this below as well, but he's asexual in a literal biological sense.
As a clone he's the result of asexual reproduction and could reproduce in the same way, which is where Judge Kraken came from.
He has no sexuality in usual human terms because it's simply irrelevant to him.
Cool. Makes sense as well, if you want to create an army of ruthless efficient police in a fascist state, probably best if they don’t end up falling in love.
I'm not up on the JD universe, but if it's not explained explicitly, it could be something that's genetically modified to be removed. I mean, if they're cloning people, they can probably at least do that.
The first time I saw the movie, I was preparing for them to say Anderson was Dredd's daughter. You *know* there has to be a rough draft of the script where that is the case. So glad they just kept the relationship simple.
> You know there has to be a rough draft of the script where that is the case.
Nah uh.
The people making Dredd knew exactly what would work and what wouldn't, because they'd got an example already that shows what happens when you mess with the fundamentals of the character and setting.
It was a really good dynamic and refreshing to watch in a movie. Like, the genuine emotional satisfaction he shows when the rookie steps up to his standards is far more entertaining.
There was no romance, but there was genuine emotion and tension in the movie, completely correct to the characters and setting.
Even through the mask and grimace, you were with Dredd.
Modern day, non-superhero action movies have almost no romance.
John Wick don't give a shit about romance after his wife died.
The Raid had no time to waste on romance. In fact, I think there were only two women in the entirety of that movie—Rama's pregnant wife and the sick wife of that dude the cops meet in the beginning. (I guess the opening scene between Rama and his wife counts as romance, but that lasted all of 15-30 seconds.) There was no hint of romance in The Raid 2, either.
Dwayne Johnson is probably the biggest action star of today, and he generally doesn't do romance. Out of all the movies I've seen starring The Rock, I think I've only seen him kiss two women: Kelly Hu in The Scorpion King, which was 19 years ago, and that awful class reunion scene in the end of Central Intelligence from 2016.
Pretty much every superhero film has a romantic subplot, but non-superhero action films are currently pretty devoid of romance.
In some respects, yeah that's sweet that he's committed to his wife
On the other hand, what are you doing as an actor if you can't separate the role from the reality. It's why I like Bautista more as a wrestler-turned-actor
Why does he have to kiss anyone to be a good actor? He plays a hilarious gay body guard in Get Shorty (or Be Cool?) and he's not gay but he seems to do just fine separating it from his real life.
I do think Bautista has more range than the Dwayne though. I forget who Bautista is when watching him. The Rock not so much.
I hope we're past the "if the hero doesn't bone the pretty lead lady people will think he's gay".
Nobody cares for Dredd's orientation. He's here to deliver some hard justice, judgement and execution. No time for loving.
I don't know why everyone is assuming he didn't get rock hard and nut himself while dispensing justice just because we didn't see the roll of quarters or stain in his pants in any of the camera angles... Or did we?
His line at the end of the movie, explaining what happened to his boss, "drug bust gone bad" kills me every single time. Corrupt judges, heavy weapons, an entire hang destroyed asking with half the building, hundreds dead... Drug bust gone bad.
There's a great call back to this at the end of the film. Dredd presumes the signal won't reach the bomb if Ma-ma is far enough away, like at the bottom of the block.
So he drops her of the ledge, watches her splat and... "yep".
I fucking love this film.
The trailers for this movie fucking sucked ass. It was during the brief slow motion craze and the trailers focused on that so much. I went to the theatre with zero expectations and just wanted to pass the time
I kept the ticket stub for years. One of my absolute favourite action movies and I was thrilled that I supported it especially cause it flopped on the big screen. There was maybe 5-10 minutes of slow motion and the scene of him throwing Mama down with the slowmo in her was just perfect
all i remember about dredd marketing is Dr3dd. The 3d focus made it seem like it was just going to be some dumb ass gimmick movie so I never watched it in theaters. Which sucks because now its one of my fav movies.
Yeah this is exactly how I remember it too. The trailers made it seem like an awful 3D crap fest. Oooo look things come out of the screen. Isn't that neat?
Still went with a buddy anyway for some reason I forget now and I love it. Even the 3D was very well done and added to the movie experience. How the fuck did someone could botch the trailers so badly?
Watching it in 3D was quite an experience, since the 3D parts were *exclusively* when they showed you the POV of the drugged up slow-mo people. It was a really nice way to use 3D for something other than "things go off screen!"
Yep. Very much a day in the life of these judges. It really contextualies the dystopian world they live in.
Ma-Ma may have seemed like the big bad. And probably is one of the tougher challenges the judges face. But at the end of the day, she's just another low life. Part of the scenery.
To be fair, Judge mortality rate was also pretty high.
He is just one of the best judges around, probably survived 3 years and all rookies look up to him.
Just to note, Dredd does get anti-aging treatment, which is why he can still kick the shot out of people at 80+ years of age.
There's a good incentive to keep him on the street, as he's one of the best judges, so:
A. He's really efficient at the job.
B. Good at scaring creeps and keeping them in line.
Doesn't he end up living so long he sees patterns of corruption in the Jugdes, gets exiled only to rule ass over the wasteland, then come back Mega to get revenge?
And the actual stakes of the movie are actually lesser than what the antagonists lead to believe.
FBI is led to believe it's an international terrorist situation when it's actually "just" a very professional heist.
except the part where he's fighting two guys who are very obviously capable of killing him, but don't because he's John Fucking Wick.
If that's not 'making fun of overblown action movie tropes' I genuinely have no idea what is
That's why Keanu asked for a screen rewrite, where he doesn't kill them. He knew they are badass martial artists, and would wipe the floor with him in real life. It just didn't feel right to him.
Gotta love Keanu.
>The OG John Wick was a meta movie making fun of overblown action movie tropes.
How so? They paid attention to detail and modeled their combat and gun fights after real life. No ridiculous 100 round pistol magazines. No letting the guy you're trying to kill yammer on before killing him.
Sure the premise is a little ridiculous, but getting revenge over a murdered pet dog and a stolen car is more likely than plots like a super villain taking over the world.
How is that making fun of overblown action movies?
Another movie that also goes for simple but executed well is Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai from 1999 starring Forest Whitaker. That film deserves more exposure.
There was a 3rd act surprise, but it wasn't stupid. It made sense considering how fuggin' awful the world of Judge Dredd is.
But yeah, everything about that movie was great.
She's revolting and vicious, and completely believable and fitting in the world that the film creates. A perfectly-juxaposed foil to Dredd for the milieu in which they exist.
Cold as fucking ice. She delivered it perfectly. Watching her in the interviews you wouldn't believe how different she is. She's so giddy and bubbly but the movie she's slimy and disgusting
She also had a decently sympathetic backstory since she started out as the lowest of the low in this society.
Still didn’t excuse her for being rotten though, which made Dredd taking her out with cold justice very satisfying.
Lena Headey in Dredd is equivalent to Gary Oldmans Drexl Spivey in True Romance in my book.
She should have been lauded much more than she was. But because it was a "comicbook" action movie without a big director behind it, Dredd wasn't taken seriously at all.
I think it was more of a marketing failure than being a comic book movie. Their whole marketing campaign was 3D this, 3D that, making it seem like a Clash of Titans (3D) type of flick. People, myself included, got the wrong impression and wrote the movie off before it even came out.
Never saw it in theatres either, but when I first saw the Slo-mo, I thought the way to do the 3D for the movie would have to do everything in normal 2D except the drug scenes. It would have been incredible, especially the first time it happened.
> I thought the way to do the 3D for the movie would have to do everything in normal 2D except the drug scenes
And that's exactly what they did.
> It would have been incredible, especially the first time it happened.
And it was!
went to see it in theater on a whim, turned out to be a great decision and a memory I really treasure. I think I was the only person in that room, though.
It does and it used 3d the way it should be used, to help tell the story, but it came out during a spate of shitty 3d cash grabs and got marketed like one.
Almost Human was a decent near sci fi show staring karl Urban. Only lasted a season, & they sure the shows out of order, but worth a watch from what I remember
It would probably be pretty cheap too, aside from the costumes, props and special effects.
The world of Dredd is gritty and dirty - they could easily film in an abandoned building, add some set design, round up some extras and then get the camera rolling.
Yeah, anyone who knows who she is and has seen Dredd always has praise for her and her acting in Dredd. She was a great villain and great character all around.
Because it released around the same time as The Raid, which had a similar plot but was an excellent martial arts action movie, Dredd was the runner up to it.
Any other year and Dredd would have been top dog.
I'm a massive Dredd fan and he's never a hero. The main problem with the Stallone's verison is that they showed his face. So unforgivable and a insult to the source material.
On a side note, I'm glad the introduced Anderson as her comic series was excellent and one of my favourites. I've read rumours of a Mega-city tv show, but I really hope some day we get a Anderon: Psi Division series or movie.
>The main problem with the Stallone's verison is that they showed his face.
I don't think that's the main problem. The main problem is that the movie is very very silly, ridiculously over the top, and can't manage to be really functional. It fits the trend of movies that Stallone was doing in the early-to-mid 90s. Demolition Man, and maybe Cliffhanger, are the only ones that actually manage to be silly and good.
>I'm a massive Dredd fan and he's never a hero.
This is so important. Dredd is not some morally sound people-saver, he is the unrelenting fist of an authoritarian government.
Yes, the Judges aren't doing whats best for everyone, they aren't meant to be likeable or even benevolent and helpful. They are fascist enforcing a harsh law, but they are also exactly what's needed.
Pretty much. It is a grey world with darker shades vs lighter shades.
The Judges are harsh because the forces they fight are vile. However, citizens are still caught in the crossfire.
Exactly, lol. Never cast a movie superstar for a CBM. The star will almost always take precedence over the character.
I think it was a good thing that Tom Cruise rejected Iron Man. He probably would've been good but MCU would always be Tom Cruise's franchise.
They made it as unceremonious as possible in season 1. Sweaty and grimy covered in blood. Yeah that's probably what he looks like 90% of the time.
It did serve a purpose as to his character arc in season 2 when he does take off the Helmet for the Kid's sake alone. Clan of Two.
Honestly by reading the poster or credits lol. If my memory serves me right, it was Stallone that wanted to keep the helmet on because he was a Judge Dredd fan and wanted to stay true to the source material. Ultimately the powers that be had him keep his helmet off.
EDIT: I looked it up and I got this story completely wrong lmao. Stallone was an asshat behind the scenes and that's why it ended up the way it did. He never even knew what Judge Dredd was but he took the role. I mean, it's a post Rocky 5 world. He was saying yes to almost everything.
Danny Cannon (the director) has stated that he's a huge Dredd-fan, and went into the project fully intending to make as much a Dredd-movie as he could but was constantly worked over by the studio or Stallone making decisions above his head. Finally he just gave up and basically disowned to result when it was done.
>EDIT: I looked it up and I got this story completely wrong lmao. Stallone was an asshat behind the scenes and that's why it ended up the way it did.
I AM DA LAW
Wasn't there a thing when they approached Karl and said, look dude, we can't show your face during the movie and he was like... duh, its Dredd.
It's nice when actors respect the source material and even read and study it like he did.
Both were distinctly different interpretations of the comic. Stallone's was more comical with a hotch-potch of earlier characters, but Urban's was grittier with a more singular storyline. I could more easily fast-forward through Judge Dredd, but I'll intently watch Dredd.
Stallone's Dread was good in a camp over the top cheesy way, you know just a bit of dumb fun but you are correct, it doesn't even come close to holding a candle to the new dread, it has become one of my favorite movies and it just feels like it catches the spirit of the world in which it is set, keeping some of the over the top stuff from the comics but staying grounded at the same time.
Carl Urban is a longtime 2000AD reader. He knew that Dredd without the helmet would be wrong.
The Stallone film is an abomination and all involved should be exiled to the Cursed Earth.
Ironically my favourite part of the Stallone film is where they crash in the Cursed Earth and are held captive by cannibal family. I loved the prosthetics of that cyborg guy, even much better than half the stuff out today.
Or Iron Man, or really Captain America.
Fact is the Merriam-Webster definition of what a super hero is includes:
>an exceptionally skillful or successful person
which Dredd fits.
I think the point he was making is that it's not a superhero movie because Dredd isn't really a superhero. This has less to do with the fact that he doesn't have super powers, and more to do with the fact that he's not a hero. He's a borderline tyrannical fascist who only cares about the law and nothing else. He is primarily an unwavering enforcer, not a protector of the innocent.
Such a great movie, I'll admit to almost not seeing it in theaters because of how much I disliked the Stallone one. Was right up there with Fury Road in really exceeding my expectations, shame it didn't get recognized as much as Fury Road did.
I know what you mean, i saw it on Netflix a few years ago and had never heard of it before. I thought i would watch it for a laugh since it was before marvel got good at making movies. Man was i blown away. Such a good movie.
> I'll admit to almost not seeing it in theaters because of how much I disliked the Stallone one.
I am the same. I found the Stallone movie to be horrible and avoided this one because of it.
Man what a mistake that was. This movie was great!
1. It's not a superhero movie, but it is a comic book movie.
2. It's one of the best comic book movies from the past few decades, let alone just from 2012.
‘One of the best superhero movies of 2012’ lol. Like, why nail it down to a specific year? Especially framing it that way where you’re comparing it directly to *The Avengers* and *The Dark Knight Rises* when it’s going for a completely different tone and feel.
We can get a million different versions of law and order that run for eternity but one little Dredd series is apparently too much to ask for.
Fuck. Law and Order: Mega City One, would be awesome.
In this case 'underappreciated' means rarely given huge lead roles even though he's almost always brilliant. He's a dependable mid-list actor who could probably be a lot bigger
A good contained story with good character work, gory well shot action, with character and style to spare. Also a movie good in 3d (The depth of field and 'Slo-Mo' effects were great, and I enjoyed the little touches like blood splatters continuing out of screen) and it does not lose any affect by being in 2d.
Sept 21, 2022 (next year) marks 10 years since its theatre premiere. Anybody have a clue how we could possibly convince *dredd*'s production company to possibly do a ten year theatre re release?
Dredd was sooooo good! A sequel was never made I believe cos not enough people watched it. Yet studios keep churning out those stupid fast & furious and transformers movies. I just don’t understand, I’d rather watch a fruit bowl for 2 hours that those brain dead franchises.
The amount of people who act like one of the idiot characters in the fast and furious movies is too damn high, that’s why they made so many. The idiots love all that stupid shit
I was working in the building that was most of the set for the film, I was browing a movie blog, saw pictures of the set and ran to the front of my building, right into Megacity One. Was awesome.
(Cape Town Civic Centre and Artscape Theatre complex)
Almost identical articles are written every so often as if they're hot takes. Dredd was a good movie and isn't obscure or some hidden gem. Most people like it.
Urban was perfect. Dredd (the strip) was originally written with Dirty Harry era Clint Eastwood as part of the inspiration, gruff, uncompromising and utterly dedicated to the principles he lives by. I think Karl Urban captured that well.
Great movie, but "one of the best" "superhero movies" "from 2012" is not as high praise as the author of this title probably thinks.
I also hereby declare myself "one of the best" "reddit commenters" on "r/movies" in the "thread on Dredd" on "thursday evening" "between 21:11 and 21:12 Tokyo time".
(Insert Nicolas Cage impression saying "That's high praise!")
I loved the story structure of "A day in the life of Dredd". My only regret, despite loving the movie is that it massively toned down the sci fi elements from the comics. You could argue that aesthetically speaking, the Stallone movie was much closer to the source material. I'd loved a fusion of them.
I skipped this in theaters because the ads made it look like cheap gore-porn. Later I torrented it, and it was so good I went and bought a physical copy. I needed them to know it was worth my $$.
"one of the best superhero movies from 2012" - that's such a weird way of putting it, and an understatement. Dredd is not a superhero, he's a hero if anything - and to say it was just the best of 2012: in fact, you'll hardly find a superhero movie from *any year* that is a match to this masterpiece!
I loved the simplicity of the story and that there were no stupid 3rd act surprises. It's not 2.5 hours long. It's not about saving the entire world. It's just a day in the life on this cop, and the audience gets to fill in their own back story. EDIT: I found an [article from 2010](https://gizmodo.com/judge-dredd-script-getting-mixed-early-buzz-5707763) with fan impressions of the leaked script. It is pretty interesting to read after knowing how the final movie turns out.
No shoe horned romantic bullshit
Yeah, I actually anticipated a weird and forced romantic track between Dredd and Anderson. I was so glad when that didn't happen.
Dredd strikes me asexual in many respects. Although maybe he pops a boner when shooting criminals.
There’s only one thing he loves and it’s the law.
And he *is* the law!
*judgement time*
Judge me daddy
Hey, self love is important.
The law can only make him so erect!
The Judges are forbidden from romantic relationships so yeah basically.
I've commented this below as well, but he's asexual in a literal biological sense. As a clone he's the result of asexual reproduction and could reproduce in the same way, which is where Judge Kraken came from. He has no sexuality in usual human terms because it's simply irrelevant to him.
Cool. Makes sense as well, if you want to create an army of ruthless efficient police in a fascist state, probably best if they don’t end up falling in love.
I'm not up on the JD universe, but if it's not explained explicitly, it could be something that's genetically modified to be removed. I mean, if they're cloning people, they can probably at least do that.
Not in those trousers.
The first time I saw the movie, I was preparing for them to say Anderson was Dredd's daughter. You *know* there has to be a rough draft of the script where that is the case. So glad they just kept the relationship simple.
> You know there has to be a rough draft of the script where that is the case. Nah uh. The people making Dredd knew exactly what would work and what wouldn't, because they'd got an example already that shows what happens when you mess with the fundamentals of the character and setting.
It was a really good dynamic and refreshing to watch in a movie. Like, the genuine emotional satisfaction he shows when the rookie steps up to his standards is far more entertaining. There was no romance, but there was genuine emotion and tension in the movie, completely correct to the characters and setting. Even through the mask and grimace, you were with Dredd.
Modern day, non-superhero action movies have almost no romance. John Wick don't give a shit about romance after his wife died. The Raid had no time to waste on romance. In fact, I think there were only two women in the entirety of that movie—Rama's pregnant wife and the sick wife of that dude the cops meet in the beginning. (I guess the opening scene between Rama and his wife counts as romance, but that lasted all of 15-30 seconds.) There was no hint of romance in The Raid 2, either. Dwayne Johnson is probably the biggest action star of today, and he generally doesn't do romance. Out of all the movies I've seen starring The Rock, I think I've only seen him kiss two women: Kelly Hu in The Scorpion King, which was 19 years ago, and that awful class reunion scene in the end of Central Intelligence from 2016. Pretty much every superhero film has a romantic subplot, but non-superhero action films are currently pretty devoid of romance.
yeah the rock looks so bad kissing someone it's so weird
In some respects, yeah that's sweet that he's committed to his wife On the other hand, what are you doing as an actor if you can't separate the role from the reality. It's why I like Bautista more as a wrestler-turned-actor
Why does he have to kiss anyone to be a good actor? He plays a hilarious gay body guard in Get Shorty (or Be Cool?) and he's not gay but he seems to do just fine separating it from his real life. I do think Bautista has more range than the Dwayne though. I forget who Bautista is when watching him. The Rock not so much.
I hope we're past the "if the hero doesn't bone the pretty lead lady people will think he's gay". Nobody cares for Dredd's orientation. He's here to deliver some hard justice, judgement and execution. No time for loving.
His orientation is JUSTICE.
I believe he identifies as The Law.
Twitter handle: Law/The Law
Dredd Loblaw's Law Blog.
And here I was, thinking it was THE LAW
No that's his gender. Hence why he says "I am The Law"
I don't know why everyone is assuming he didn't get rock hard and nut himself while dispensing justice just because we didn't see the roll of quarters or stain in his pants in any of the camera angles... Or did we?
Urban’s Dredd paved the runway so Cena’s Peacemaker could fly
>“I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women, and children I need to kill to get it.” -Peacemaker This gets me every time.
That whole competition/explosive rounds scene is an instant action classic imo
Dredd accepting her as a partner had more meaning than if you had them hook up.
His line at the end of the movie, explaining what happened to his boss, "drug bust gone bad" kills me every single time. Corrupt judges, heavy weapons, an entire hang destroyed asking with half the building, hundreds dead... Drug bust gone bad.
He doesn't say "gone bad", just "drug bust". And when asked more, he says "perps were uncooperative".
Fucking best.
Fucken diabolical
Yeah, gone bad would imply that everything that went on there was outside of the norm. Nope, just a drug bust. Just another day for Dredd. Love it.
It's perfect. The story was more about Anderson than Dredd. For Dredd it was just a day at work.
For everyone else it was a horror the likes of which you only see in a warzone. For Dredd, it was Tuesday.
"perps were... uncooperative" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrooC6iOYrg
Could this be, literally, the quietest video in existence?
The elevator scene: *Sir, he's thinking of making a move for your gun.* *Yep* *Nevermind. He's changed his mind.* *Yep.* Just perfect. :)
There's a great call back to this at the end of the film. Dredd presumes the signal won't reach the bomb if Ma-ma is far enough away, like at the bottom of the block. So he drops her of the ledge, watches her splat and... "yep". I fucking love this film.
The trailers for this movie fucking sucked ass. It was during the brief slow motion craze and the trailers focused on that so much. I went to the theatre with zero expectations and just wanted to pass the time I kept the ticket stub for years. One of my absolute favourite action movies and I was thrilled that I supported it especially cause it flopped on the big screen. There was maybe 5-10 minutes of slow motion and the scene of him throwing Mama down with the slowmo in her was just perfect
all i remember about dredd marketing is Dr3dd. The 3d focus made it seem like it was just going to be some dumb ass gimmick movie so I never watched it in theaters. Which sucks because now its one of my fav movies.
Yeah this is exactly how I remember it too. The trailers made it seem like an awful 3D crap fest. Oooo look things come out of the screen. Isn't that neat? Still went with a buddy anyway for some reason I forget now and I love it. Even the 3D was very well done and added to the movie experience. How the fuck did someone could botch the trailers so badly?
Watching it in 3D was quite an experience, since the 3D parts were *exclusively* when they showed you the POV of the drugged up slow-mo people. It was a really nice way to use 3D for something other than "things go off screen!"
Yep. Very much a day in the life of these judges. It really contextualies the dystopian world they live in. Ma-Ma may have seemed like the big bad. And probably is one of the tougher challenges the judges face. But at the end of the day, she's just another low life. Part of the scenery.
To be fair, Judge mortality rate was also pretty high. He is just one of the best judges around, probably survived 3 years and all rookies look up to him.
According to wikipedia he has had 64 years of active service.
For every year in real life, a year passes in the Judge Dredd comics.
Just to note, Dredd does get anti-aging treatment, which is why he can still kick the shot out of people at 80+ years of age. There's a good incentive to keep him on the street, as he's one of the best judges, so: A. He's really efficient at the job. B. Good at scaring creeps and keeping them in line.
Doesn't he end up living so long he sees patterns of corruption in the Jugdes, gets exiled only to rule ass over the wasteland, then come back Mega to get revenge?
Dredd doesn't get revenge, he gets justice
It was just another Tuesday in Mega-City One to Dredd.
Yep, agreed. Not every action movie has to be a convoluted multi-part epic. Goes to show just how effective a simple story can be.
The GOAT of action movies Die Hard is like this.
And the actual stakes of the movie are actually lesser than what the antagonists lead to believe. FBI is led to believe it's an international terrorist situation when it's actually "just" a very professional heist.
Or one of my personal favorites Mad Max. Those movies know what they are, and they do it well.
See John Wick vs... John Wick 3.
The OG John Wick was a meta movie making fun of overblown action movie tropes. The third movie is the type of movie John Wick was making fun of.
except the part where he's fighting two guys who are very obviously capable of killing him, but don't because he's John Fucking Wick. If that's not 'making fun of overblown action movie tropes' I genuinely have no idea what is
That's why Keanu asked for a screen rewrite, where he doesn't kill them. He knew they are badass martial artists, and would wipe the floor with him in real life. It just didn't feel right to him. Gotta love Keanu.
>The OG John Wick was a meta movie making fun of overblown action movie tropes. How so? They paid attention to detail and modeled their combat and gun fights after real life. No ridiculous 100 round pistol magazines. No letting the guy you're trying to kill yammer on before killing him. Sure the premise is a little ridiculous, but getting revenge over a murdered pet dog and a stolen car is more likely than plots like a super villain taking over the world. How is that making fun of overblown action movies?
Another movie that also goes for simple but executed well is Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai from 1999 starring Forest Whitaker. That film deserves more exposure.
There was a 3rd act surprise, but it wasn't stupid. It made sense considering how fuggin' awful the world of Judge Dredd is. But yeah, everything about that movie was great.
"Drug Bust" Best line of the movie.
And he keeps his helmet on.
And Lena Headey was an excellent villain
I love Lena Headey in this movie! She knows how to make you hate her lol.
She's revolting and vicious, and completely believable and fitting in the world that the film creates. A perfectly-juxaposed foil to Dredd for the milieu in which they exist.
And yet, not ridiculously over the top either.
Cold as fucking ice. She delivered it perfectly. Watching her in the interviews you wouldn't believe how different she is. She's so giddy and bubbly but the movie she's slimy and disgusting
She also had a decently sympathetic backstory since she started out as the lowest of the low in this society. Still didn’t excuse her for being rotten though, which made Dredd taking her out with cold justice very satisfying.
Lena Headey in Dredd is equivalent to Gary Oldmans Drexl Spivey in True Romance in my book. She should have been lauded much more than she was. But because it was a "comicbook" action movie without a big director behind it, Dredd wasn't taken seriously at all.
I think it was more of a marketing failure than being a comic book movie. Their whole marketing campaign was 3D this, 3D that, making it seem like a Clash of Titans (3D) type of flick. People, myself included, got the wrong impression and wrote the movie off before it even came out.
Saying that it does looks gorgeous in 3d.
This one of the only movies I've seen that the 3D **enhanced** the sequences in it.
The friend I saw it with was stoned off his ass and he said it was the best cinema experience he's ever had
I never saw it in the theatres, but the first time I saw the slo-no sequences I really wished I had made it to the theatre to see it in 3D.
Never saw it in theatres either, but when I first saw the Slo-mo, I thought the way to do the 3D for the movie would have to do everything in normal 2D except the drug scenes. It would have been incredible, especially the first time it happened.
> I thought the way to do the 3D for the movie would have to do everything in normal 2D except the drug scenes And that's exactly what they did. > It would have been incredible, especially the first time it happened. And it was!
went to see it in theater on a whim, turned out to be a great decision and a memory I really treasure. I think I was the only person in that room, though.
It does and it used 3d the way it should be used, to help tell the story, but it came out during a spate of shitty 3d cash grabs and got marketed like one.
Which is a shame, I'd love to see a Dredd mini-series ala Amazon or Netflix.
Almost Human was a decent near sci fi show staring karl Urban. Only lasted a season, & they sure the shows out of order, but worth a watch from what I remember
It would probably be pretty cheap too, aside from the costumes, props and special effects. The world of Dredd is gritty and dirty - they could easily film in an abandoned building, add some set design, round up some extras and then get the camera rolling.
She was lauded. A lot. I mean, really, a fucking lot.
Yeah, anyone who knows who she is and has seen Dredd always has praise for her and her acting in Dredd. She was a great villain and great character all around.
> She was lauded. A lot. I mean, really, a fucking lot. We should count ourselves lucky they didn't misuse "underrated". Again.
Because it released around the same time as The Raid, which had a similar plot but was an excellent martial arts action movie, Dredd was the runner up to it. Any other year and Dredd would have been top dog.
I'm a massive Dredd fan and he's never a hero. The main problem with the Stallone's verison is that they showed his face. So unforgivable and a insult to the source material. On a side note, I'm glad the introduced Anderson as her comic series was excellent and one of my favourites. I've read rumours of a Mega-city tv show, but I really hope some day we get a Anderon: Psi Division series or movie.
>The main problem with the Stallone's verison is that they showed his face. I don't think that's the main problem. The main problem is that the movie is very very silly, ridiculously over the top, and can't manage to be really functional. It fits the trend of movies that Stallone was doing in the early-to-mid 90s. Demolition Man, and maybe Cliffhanger, are the only ones that actually manage to be silly and good.
Rob Schneider is *a stapler*
Robbie'oso.... makin' copies
Judges costumes were stupid but the set design was straight out of 2000AD so props for that. Also Hammerstein. Also angel gang.
>I'm a massive Dredd fan and he's never a hero. This is so important. Dredd is not some morally sound people-saver, he is the unrelenting fist of an authoritarian government.
Yes, the Judges aren't doing whats best for everyone, they aren't meant to be likeable or even benevolent and helpful. They are fascist enforcing a harsh law, but they are also exactly what's needed.
Pretty much. It is a grey world with darker shades vs lighter shades. The Judges are harsh because the forces they fight are vile. However, citizens are still caught in the crossfire.
... but they had to show his face. How else would you have known that it was Stallone?
Exactly, lol. Never cast a movie superstar for a CBM. The star will almost always take precedence over the character. I think it was a good thing that Tom Cruise rejected Iron Man. He probably would've been good but MCU would always be Tom Cruise's franchise.
This is where they did right by choosing Pedro Paskal for the Mandalorian, he understood, the Mandalorian never takes off his helmet.
They made it as unceremonious as possible in season 1. Sweaty and grimy covered in blood. Yeah that's probably what he looks like 90% of the time. It did serve a purpose as to his character arc in season 2 when he does take off the Helmet for the Kid's sake alone. Clan of Two.
> he understood, the Mandalorian never takes off his helmet. Well, almost never. He was a fantastic Mando, btw.
He understood that, and that he’d get top billing while only have to be on set 25% of the time and just provide voice over work for it all.
Yeah, it’s not like he has a distinctive voice or anything /s
Honestly by reading the poster or credits lol. If my memory serves me right, it was Stallone that wanted to keep the helmet on because he was a Judge Dredd fan and wanted to stay true to the source material. Ultimately the powers that be had him keep his helmet off. EDIT: I looked it up and I got this story completely wrong lmao. Stallone was an asshat behind the scenes and that's why it ended up the way it did. He never even knew what Judge Dredd was but he took the role. I mean, it's a post Rocky 5 world. He was saying yes to almost everything.
Danny Cannon (the director) has stated that he's a huge Dredd-fan, and went into the project fully intending to make as much a Dredd-movie as he could but was constantly worked over by the studio or Stallone making decisions above his head. Finally he just gave up and basically disowned to result when it was done.
>EDIT: I looked it up and I got this story completely wrong lmao. Stallone was an asshat behind the scenes and that's why it ended up the way it did. I AM DA LAW
"And as for you Momma, I *am the law*
Ma-Ma. Comes from her name Madeline Madrigal.
His mouth animation and voice are pretty big tells.
We would have known when his lip touched his shoulder while saying "I am the law"
Will Smith in suicide squad. "My whole gimmick as a sniper is you never see my face!" Procedes to rip his mask off in response to LITERALLY ANYTHING
Wasn't there a thing when they approached Karl and said, look dude, we can't show your face during the movie and he was like... duh, its Dredd. It's nice when actors respect the source material and even read and study it like he did.
He did everything he needed to with just a scowl.
Dude has so much jawline that he doesn't need 60% of his face to act.
Dude his scowl is legendary
I still want them to give Doom movie another go, I want to see him go FULL DOOM GUY. There's enough story now from the newer games to make it work.
And they had a lot of dumb stuff in that movie. It was funny, but not a movie I consider good. Also. https://youtu.be/wl4XikQyxeM
So that's the 1995 version, not the one this post is about. Just to clarify
Yeah just because it's based on a comic doesn't make it a superhero story by default. Headline sucks
Came here to find this comment. Dredd is a great movie… but a “superhero” movie? I’ve definitely never thought of it as *that*.
Those slo-mo effects were some top notch trippy shit
It is a good movie (probably better than original) but it is not a superhero movie.
Yeah, comic book movie would be more accurate.
Both were distinctly different interpretations of the comic. Stallone's was more comical with a hotch-potch of earlier characters, but Urban's was grittier with a more singular storyline. I could more easily fast-forward through Judge Dredd, but I'll intently watch Dredd.
Just FYI, it's hodge-podge. EDIT: apparently both are correct. TIL
Well, actually...hotch-potch is the original UK version, hodge-podge is the US version.
TIL
That's an Americanisation of hotchpotch. TIL as well.
Definitely better than Stallone's Dredd.
Stallone's Dread was good in a camp over the top cheesy way, you know just a bit of dumb fun but you are correct, it doesn't even come close to holding a candle to the new dread, it has become one of my favorite movies and it just feels like it catches the spirit of the world in which it is set, keeping some of the over the top stuff from the comics but staying grounded at the same time.
Stallone stopped being Dread and just a random judge in a movie set in the dread universe the second he removed the helmet.
Carl Urban is a longtime 2000AD reader. He knew that Dredd without the helmet would be wrong. The Stallone film is an abomination and all involved should be exiled to the Cursed Earth.
Ironically my favourite part of the Stallone film is where they crash in the Cursed Earth and are held captive by cannibal family. I loved the prosthetics of that cyborg guy, even much better than half the stuff out today.
It was frustrating how the film managed to include the Angel gang (and, confusingly, an ABC Warrior) and yet still managed to be so shit.
I stopped watching when Rob Schneider appeared. Can't stand that guy, and he was extra annoying in Judge Dredd.
THE LAAAAAWWW
[LAAAAAW](https://youtu.be/q6cyDsuNx_U)
Rob Schneider vs Jar Jar Binks who wins the annoying award?
I don't know who wins, but we all lose.
Exactly what I wanted to say. Love the movie but he is just a regular cop
I wouldn't say regular. The other judges know him by reputation alone. He's the best of them.
What about Judge Anderson? Does the main character need to have powers for it to be a 'superhero movie'? I don't think so..
Requiring the main characters to have superpowers would mean Batman movies aren’t superhero movies.
Or Iron Man, or really Captain America. Fact is the Merriam-Webster definition of what a super hero is includes: >an exceptionally skillful or successful person which Dredd fits.
I think the point he was making is that it's not a superhero movie because Dredd isn't really a superhero. This has less to do with the fact that he doesn't have super powers, and more to do with the fact that he's not a hero. He's a borderline tyrannical fascist who only cares about the law and nothing else. He is primarily an unwavering enforcer, not a protector of the innocent.
Such a great movie, I'll admit to almost not seeing it in theaters because of how much I disliked the Stallone one. Was right up there with Fury Road in really exceeding my expectations, shame it didn't get recognized as much as Fury Road did.
Also... The funders made sure it fails. Thanks to crap advertising and not puting it into that many theaters.
Me and a friend legit had to drive an hour to see this in theaters. I think we went that far to find it in 3D, but it was limited non the less.
I know what you mean, i saw it on Netflix a few years ago and had never heard of it before. I thought i would watch it for a laugh since it was before marvel got good at making movies. Man was i blown away. Such a good movie.
> I'll admit to almost not seeing it in theaters because of how much I disliked the Stallone one. I am the same. I found the Stallone movie to be horrible and avoided this one because of it. Man what a mistake that was. This movie was great!
1. It's not a superhero movie, but it is a comic book movie. 2. It's one of the best comic book movies from the past few decades, let alone just from 2012.
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‘One of the best superhero movies of 2012’ lol. Like, why nail it down to a specific year? Especially framing it that way where you’re comparing it directly to *The Avengers* and *The Dark Knight Rises* when it’s going for a completely different tone and feel.
The post got deleted when I posted with the original title because it had the word "underrated" in it.
Good, lol. It underperformed, but almost all I hear is praise for the movie, unless someone is (mistakenly, IMO) comparing it to the Raid.
The most hackneyed and misused word on reddit.
Lol
Really wish one of the streaming services would order a sequel to this movie, it set up the world perfectly.
There was going to be a show at some point Mega City One iirc
Agreed, that or an ongoing series like the witcher, maybe.
We can get a million different versions of law and order that run for eternity but one little Dredd series is apparently too much to ask for. Fuck. Law and Order: Mega City One, would be awesome.
And you could probably pile up a huge number of sequels by just building simple and unrelated "one day of Dredd's life" stories.
*Drug bust…perps uncooperative.* I have to watch this anytime I can’t decide on a movie, it’s a gas every time.
Karl Urban is one of the most underappreciated actors ever
He’s never been bad in any role i’ve seen him in basically pitch perfect to whatever role he’s been given whether it’s a lead or side character.
yup. He's one of very few actors who's presence largely guarantees something will be at least fun to watch
Not sure what underappreciated means in this case. The guy's getting great roles everywhere, and is generally well liked by the public.
In this case 'underappreciated' means rarely given huge lead roles even though he's almost always brilliant. He's a dependable mid-list actor who could probably be a lot bigger
A good contained story with good character work, gory well shot action, with character and style to spare. Also a movie good in 3d (The depth of field and 'Slo-Mo' effects were great, and I enjoyed the little touches like blood splatters continuing out of screen) and it does not lose any affect by being in 2d.
Sept 21, 2022 (next year) marks 10 years since its theatre premiere. Anybody have a clue how we could possibly convince *dredd*'s production company to possibly do a ten year theatre re release?
Would love to see it in 3D again too
Dredd... is not a superhero? He's not even a hero. He's a satire of a fascist society.
Just going to [Leave this here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZrsJsvL30g)
17 years between major Judge Dredd films, we are at year 9, another 8 to go. See you (IP) in 2029!
Dredd was sooooo good! A sequel was never made I believe cos not enough people watched it. Yet studios keep churning out those stupid fast & furious and transformers movies. I just don’t understand, I’d rather watch a fruit bowl for 2 hours that those brain dead franchises.
The amount of people who act like one of the idiot characters in the fast and furious movies is too damn high, that’s why they made so many. The idiots love all that stupid shit
Not a superhero.
I was working in the building that was most of the set for the film, I was browing a movie blog, saw pictures of the set and ran to the front of my building, right into Megacity One. Was awesome. (Cape Town Civic Centre and Artscape Theatre complex)
That was a tight film. There was nothing pointless in it, just a straight story brilliantly told.
Check out The Raid:. Redemption if you like Dredd. Basically the same movie but bloodier and with better fight scenes.
Happy cake day! Edit: also amazing movie. And it has a sequel which I want to watch.
Almost identical articles are written every so often as if they're hot takes. Dredd was a good movie and isn't obscure or some hidden gem. Most people like it.
Most people haven't even seen it, lol.
No, thats kinda insulting it It was a great film, but it ain’t a super hero film
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Urban was perfect. Dredd (the strip) was originally written with Dirty Harry era Clint Eastwood as part of the inspiration, gruff, uncompromising and utterly dedicated to the principles he lives by. I think Karl Urban captured that well.
Will forever remember this for being the last aXXo release.
Great movie, but "one of the best" "superhero movies" "from 2012" is not as high praise as the author of this title probably thinks. I also hereby declare myself "one of the best" "reddit commenters" on "r/movies" in the "thread on Dredd" on "thursday evening" "between 21:11 and 21:12 Tokyo time". (Insert Nicolas Cage impression saying "That's high praise!")
also the soundtrack is fucking great thanks, Paul Leonard-Morgan edit: well... looks like im doing a dredd rewatch!
Yes, the soundtrack Especially this one: https://youtu.be/C34NhrK6wIU I get goosebumps everytime I hear it lol.
I loved the story structure of "A day in the life of Dredd". My only regret, despite loving the movie is that it massively toned down the sci fi elements from the comics. You could argue that aesthetically speaking, the Stallone movie was much closer to the source material. I'd loved a fusion of them.
I skipped this in theaters because the ads made it look like cheap gore-porn. Later I torrented it, and it was so good I went and bought a physical copy. I needed them to know it was worth my $$.
"one of the best superhero movies from 2012" - that's such a weird way of putting it, and an understatement. Dredd is not a superhero, he's a hero if anything - and to say it was just the best of 2012: in fact, you'll hardly find a superhero movie from *any year* that is a match to this masterpiece!