| Product: |
Judge Dredd (DVD) |
| Date: |
03/02/03 (137 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Nice concepts., Comic book feel.
Disadvantages: It's light weight entertainment.
The 1995 release Judge Dredd often cops a hiding from arm-chair critics for being a failed cousin of Blade Runner. Well, I've got the cleats on, and I'm going in to bat on behalf of Judge Dredd. I'm not going to swing at the idea that this film scales anywhere near the heights of Blade Runner, which is a dazzling benchmark in cinematic history, but I am going to suggest that it was never designed to.
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner was spawned from Philip K. Dick's thought provoking novel "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?". Accordingly, the film was deep and meaningful as it delivered its collection of thrills and spills. It's a completely different story with the film I'm reviewing today. Judge Dredd, the movie, is based on a comic strip character of the same name, and isn't meant to pose too many searching questions. Instead, the film is simply a transfer of a light-hearted idea from the smudgy ink pages of a comic book onto the silver screen. Enjoy it for what it is, and let Blade Runner be Blade Runner.
*I am the law!!! - The story*
As the movie opens we're transported into the future. Fans of the comic book series will already know the run down, but for the rest of us a James Earl Jones monologue is used to introduce us to the scenario. It's the 22nd century and acting as some sort of sanctuary on a cursed Earth is Mega City One, a vast metropolis that is home to 65 million souls. Mega City One is surrounded by a massive wall designed to keep the unspeakable horrors that reside in the wasteland outside from getting in. However, it hasn't always been peaches and cream, milk and honey, or beer and skittles inside the giant city.
Crime got way out of hand inside Mega City One, and some radical changes were made to the city's law enforcement. Patrolling the streets now, and keeping the peace, are the Judges - law enforcement officers who dispense justice on the spot. To
churn out the old cliché, the Judges are judge, jury and executioner.
All's well with this state approved vigilante approach to law and order thanks to a strict code that the Judges adhere to. They have a little bible-like book called The Book of the Law, which they follow to the letter. The Book of the Law is the key to harmony in the massive city, and held as something sacred.
The pin-up boy for the Judge system is one Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone). Dredd's virtually an automaton, roaming the streets of Mega City One on a hoverbike dishing out the law with a sneer and a blast from his futuristic pistol. The criminals fear Dredd, and all the other Judges aspire to walk in his footsteps, at least until events take a turn for the worse.
Judge Dredd is framed for a murder he didn?t commit. Worse still, it's made to look as if he's abused his Law-given powers as a Judge. Despite the efforts of his self-appointed defense attorney, Judge Hershey (Diana Lane), Dredd is sentenced to not pass Go and not to collect two hundred dollars. He's going to jail for a very long time.
As Dredd's being transported to his new home, an old rival, Rico, takes the opportunity to launch a wild and furious killing spree in Mega City One, with Judges being his primary targets.
The stage is set for Dredd and his friends to prove his innocence, and then put a stop to the madman, Rico, before he plunges Mega City One into everlasting chaos under his own totalitarian regime.
*The Academy Award winning acting*
The acting in Judge Dredd is nothing to write home about. The Acadamy probably wasn't even notified of the film's presence. However, I will say that the cast successfully portrayed comic book characters. Depth wasn't required.
Stallone as Dredd does what he does best. For his large sign on fee he probably dragged a few extra million souls into the cinemas. In a way, it'
;s actually handy having a recognizable person in the role. Judge Dredd is shallow character that probably needed topping up with a little Stallone. On that note, Stallone delivers plenty of his trademark grunting exclamations as he battles through trauma after trauma.
Just about every light hearted action flick has a comic sidekick. For Judge Dredd it's a petty criminal played by Rob Schneider of Deuce Bigalow fame. His stand-out moment for me is when he delivers quite a good impression of Stallone?s big line, "I am the law!" The only other notable mention is Armand Assante as the arch-villain, Rico. He performs well as an outrageous maniacal meglomaniac.
*Other bits and pieces of note*
Fans of the comic book series will probably get a kick out of seeing the Judge paraphernalia come to life on the big screen. I'm told that the uniforms and patrol vehicles hold true to the comic's vision.
Personally, I got a buzz out of the scenery created by the filmmakers. Mega City One looks quite fascinating with its size and futuristic look. It's not the Los Angeles of Blade Runner, but it's still worth a look.
Stallone's Dredd is required to spend a little bit of time with a helmet on, as per the comic book character. The helmet envelopes the head and comes down and covers the eyes, leaving just the mouth and chin revealed. Rumor has it that Stallone wasn't happy with the look of his thin lips when left without the aid of his bloodhound eyes, and went and had collagen injections to remedy the problem.
*Joe's final word*
Don't take Judge Dredd too seriously, and you'll enjoy watching it. If you were all for Starship Troopers with its lack of graphic realism, then you're a sure thing to have fun with Judge Dredd. The violence isn't particularly gratuitous or gory, so I think it's safe for kids over 13 to watch it with you.
Over all, this f
ilm does what it's meant to, without threatening to become a cult classic. Therefore, I'm giving it four out of five stars.
Cheers for reading!
~Joe
Summary:
|
|
Deutschland 
España 
Italia 
France - Sitemap - Product Index
