Category: Opinion

Dredd is probably one of the most criminally underrated superhero films of all time. As you can tell by the poster, this is a much darker, faithful adaptation to the comic book source material. Karl Urban replaces Stallone as a much more mysterious, quieter, more intimidating Judge Dredd  this time around. The plot is simple: a deranged drug lord named Mama holds in a massive apartment complex with a army of armed assholes and it’s up to Dredd and rookie Judge Anderson to take survive the onslaught of assholes, corrupt Judges, and Mama. The movie is simple but great. The action is intense and the kills are bloody. Whereas the first movie was more epic in scope, this one mainly takes place in one location but it never really gets boring. Dredd’s look is a lot more toned down and realistic; Karl Urban is the perfect Judge Dredd I have to say. Mama is a dark, scary ass villain and I take my hat off to Lena Headey  who is probably the best female  super villain I’ve seen to date. Olivia Thirlby is a good contrast to Urban’s Dredd while still being a good character on her own. I have really one small gripe about the movie; Ma-Ma’s drug causes you to experience extreme Slow-Mo which at first can be annoying but it isn’t overused and usually has a satisfyingly messy payoff. Overall, I highly recommend Dredd as a underrated superhero action movie. Thanks for reading and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

First I gotta start this review by giving a shout out to my friend Autobot who celebrated his birthday yesterday and gave me the idea to do today’s reviews; love ya kid. So I know the 90’s Judge Dredd film adaptation isn’t really looked upon highly- ok, I’ll bite, I know it’s in that so bad it’s good category- but that and Batman Forever made me want to create a superhero story of my own. I saw both films at the local drive-in with my parents and on big screen it was something mind blowing. Dredd’s first appearance on screen riding through the flames on his Lawmaster was imprinted in my memory as one of the most epic things I’ve ever seen.

Judge Dredd takes place in Mega City; a massive, overpopulated city where crime and anarchy takes hold on a daily basis. To keep peace and order, there are a police force that are judge, jury, and executioner all in one- the Judges, Joseph Dredd being a legend among them. Our story revolves around Dredd having to team with his best friend/partner/hidden crush Hershey and wimpy hacker Fergee have to team up to thwart a plot to dismantle the Judges from inside, leading Dredd to battle the law, Cursed Earth outside the city, and his own blood in the form of psychotic ex- Judge Rico.

So the question, how does this movie hold up 22 years later- oh shit I’m old- well it holds up fine as a 90’s action superhero movie. It ain’t Steele after all. It doesn’t hold to the dark, gritty, serious tone of the source material very much. We see Stallone’s face a lot, he smiles, there’s a ass load of one liners that hit and miss and the costume is a bit ornate but I still enjoy it. A lot of the acting is over the top and even cooky but I can’t help but like Stallone as Dredd; Max Von Sydow as Chief Justice was the best performance as well as a really good performance from Rob Schneider as Fergee. The Angel Family in the desert…I love them. A family of god loving cannibals that look like a futuristic Hills Have Eyes Family. My favorite part by far. Overall if you want a fun 90’s action movie, go for it, but if you want the real Dredd experience, watch the 2012 movie with Karl Urban- review later today. Thanks for reading, and as always, may the gaming gods bring you glory.