It is such a shame that comparisons to the Stallone Dredd film and The Raid stopped people from going to see this movie because it is a blast…har..har.
Urban gives a great performance and I think Stallone would have been equally great if he had only gone with the same gritty, ruthless, single-minded, killer Dredd that Urban portrayed. The Stallone film got the look of the uniforms and bikes right and I would have liked to have seen them in this movie as they make the Judges much more imposing.
I can’t help thinking that if this had been a massive success, the next film would have suffered from the studios usual reaction, thinking that more is better. More money , more explosions, more over the top action, more C.G.I. all at the expense of the story and characters, and that never works.
Great review…..hope all is o.k. at home…Glad they caught those bastards….Not exactly criminal masterminds though…har…har
I couldn’t believe the amount of people who were complaining about Dredd because it was a sequel to “that stupid Stallone movie”. They seemed to miss that it was 17 years later. I tried to tell them it was a reboot like Batman but they didn’t get it. So irritating.
I think the 95 Dredd was fine for the time, because comic book movies were still struggling back then. Urban’s portrayal was spot on. Actually, the entire movie was.
You’re probably right, if the movie was huge the studio would meddle and we’d end up with another Spider-man 3.
Thanks, I’m glad they are caught too. It doesn’t fix the situation but I at least have the peace of mind that they are off the streets.
Yeah, had a home invasion about a week and a half ago. Thankfully the police caught them but we still haven’t gotten anything back and we’re unsure if we will.
The fact that in most cinemas at least at my local one where Dredd was shown you could only see it in 3D is probably the biggest reason why the film failed.
Other factors probably include the fact the story centred entirely in one location what looked like to consist solely or mainly of firefights probably put people off and the Dredd character himself and universe is not widely as known as DC and Marvel.
The marketing in general messed it up. Word of mouth did wonders and made it a massive hit on home video. If only they left it in theaters for more than a week it may have been one of those rare times when a film goes up the chart.
I have an example for you about the poor marketing and distribution. I live in Finland in a town large enough to support two multiplex movie theaters. Dredd was shown here precisely once, at midnight (which is rare for any movie), with no subtitles (which is standard for foreign-language films here). The theater was packed.
Wow. Out here it was pulled from most theaters a few days after opening weekend. Which is especially stupid because word of mouth was buzzing almost immediately from the people who did see it. While it wouldn’t have suddenly jumped to #1 in its second week, if they would have left it in for another it definitely would have had a nice bump in ticket sales.
You won’t believe this, but Stallone’s Dredd is what got me into the character.
Since I’m not from the UK or the US, I’ve never heard of the comics and Stallone’s international fame is the reason (for better or worse) why the character became a part of pop culture even among those who’ve never heard of AD2000.
I always saw Dredd (even Stallone’s) as futuristic Dirty Harry (and I love Dirty Harry), so it was real easy for me to get into the character even without the whole fascism commentary that the comics love. In other words, I believe that even Stallone’s “fun” Dredd still captures what’s so great about the character and comics’ fanboys are being way too judgmental (no pun intended).
Having said all that, Urban’s Dredd was just as fun, but in a slightly different B-movie way and there should definitely be a sequel. Your video showed really well how creative the guys behind this movie were. And even the casting is perfect (those of you who became fans of Olivia after this, should check out her panned very b-movie action horror The Darkest Hour (2011)).
Luckily, for those, who are in need of a new Dredd fix, there is one or two other existing Dredd projects out there that fans should really enjoy…
The first thing everyone should watch (especially if you liked Aeon Flux animated show) is a short free 100%-professionally-made animated fan web mini-series called Judge Dredd: Superfiend (2014) (TV Mini-Series). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4096870/reference
It’s easy to find on Youtube. It has 6 episodes, about 5 minutes each, it’s VERY gory and it’s an alternate take on the origins of Judge Death and his first clash with Dredd. It’s highly faithful to the comics in style and it will live you with an impression, even if it relies on dream logic a bit. After you’ve seen this, you’ll be wondering why the f wasn’t there a Dredd animated feature during the 80s, especially after Wizards, LOTR and especially Heavy Metal (and to a much lesser extent Rock ‘n’ Rule) started the adult animated feature genre.
The second project is more of a typical fan project, but still pretty decent. It’s a free semi-professionally fan-made 20 minutes live action short that follows a side-story set in the Judge Dredd world. It follows an aging judge who develops empathy and is no longer willing to serve the cause. He opts for retirement, which means he’s going into the wastelands outside of MegaCityOne to die. However, when he runs into his first batch of savages, his survival instincts kick in.
It’s called Judge Minty (2013) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2627140/reference
The interesting thing about this one is that it focuses on a subject so far unexplored in the movies (what happens after judge’s “retirement”) and it has some pretty fun action scenes (for a semi-professional fan-made project). Also, the star of the movie – the eponymous Judge Minty – is played by an actual older actor and he’s pretty f-ing good. This short proves that the Universe of Mega City One is pretty rich for inspiration and that you can easily make a Dredd movie that focuses on other things that’re going on there and people who work there besides him.
Finally, there is a third free fan-made Dredd project out there, but it’s not very good. It’s a non-professional (and almost amateurish) attempt to create a short live action Dredd mini-series. The series is called “Judge Dredd: Cursed Edge” (2013) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3142252/reference
It’s made by a group of Dredd fans from Europe (lots of them cosplayers, it would seem). It’s suppose to have six 20 minutes episodes, but only three have been completed thus far. The story is not that bad – several judges are working on separate cases (a new drug is in town and a judge has gone missing) that turn out to have a lot in common. The story was obviously compiled by actual fans (they even reference the British judges), but the production is on a micro-budget and barely anything looks right, the acting and especially directing and editing are pretty non-professional and Dredd himself is completely absent (which would be fine if these new characters were as interesting as Judge Minty for example, but they’re pretty much cardboard cutouts thus far).
Anyway, if you have an itch that only more Dredd can scratch, this is what you need.
btw
Cecil, if you watch and like any of these three, please make a short addendum video about them, because people have no idea any of these exist and they could really use some spotlighting.
I got into Dredd from the Anthrax song and thought the Stallone version was good but not really what it should have been. (but I go over that enough in the old video)
I didn’t even recognize Olivia, since at the time the only thing I knew her from was…ugh…Juno. Darkest Hour was cool, I liked it.
I’ll look into those other Dredd related things. Perhaps in the future I’ll do some kind of overall Dredd video.
Yeah, about that song… Although I’ve heard that Anthrax song many (many) times since I first heard the album it’s from back in high-school, I, for whatever reason, never EVER connected it with Dredd, although it’s obviously about Dredd. Thanks for reminding us of that…
Btw, ever thought about covering one of Cameron’s favorite Sci-Fi B movies – Gunhed (1989)?
Also, was it yours or Josh’s idea to pick up Petar for Drome? Great choice, btw.
Gunhed is a lot of fun, I’m not sure when but I want to do that one.
We were talking about possible new hosts and Petar was the first choice for both of us. I already knew him and knew he had the right vibe to fit in with the show. He’s been great and while Alex will be missed, Petar adds a wonderful new angle to the show.
I really did enjoy Dredd. Many of friends were reluctant to see it, thinking it was just gonna be some stupid 3D action movie. I told them how ridiculous they were being and then I went to the theaters to see it myself.
My favorite part was that the films villain was a woman who wasn’t sexualized (for the most part.) or used any sort of ‘feminine wiles’. She was a villain who just happened to be female.
I also recognized that Rakie Ayola from the Doctor Who episode ‘Midnight’ was in this. That was cool.
Off-Topic question from the video, but I recently re-watched your ‘Exlopring Texas Chainsaw 3D’ episode and you said the film could gone without Kenny. Why didn’t you like Kenny? He was the only decent friend Heather had.
(You know, considering that her boyfriend cheated in her with Kenny’s girlfriend.)
I think it was more of a personal thing. While watching the film, he just bugged me. After thinking about it some more, I think it is just that he reminded me of someone I didn’t like. Nothing personal against the actor, I guess it was just my bias.
This was such a fantastic, gorgeous film. Finding out one of the minds behind Portishead was involved in the music just makes me love it more.
I love this film without reservation, and not just because Karl Urban is easily one of my favorite working actors. They did everything right.
And the moments where Dredd “jokes”, with that hoarse, dry wit, crack me up every time. Especially the line to Anderson about a bullet interfering with her psychic ability. Perfect.
There have been some complaints I’ve received where they didn’t like the movie because Dredd himself had no character arc and there was no one to identify with. That’s fine, that’s their opinion but I wonder, why? I mean, Dredd isn’t supposed to have some sort of growth through the film. It was meant to be a “day in the life of” showing that he is just a walking, no feeling, deliverer of “Justice”. His character is meant to essentially stay the same.
The thing about no one to identify with, is something that baffles me when there is a movie like Only God Forgives where the protagonist is a bad guy. Why do we need to identify with someone? Can’t you just watch the story unfold?
Did you say at the start Courtney Cox was quitting her job, DUMPING HER BOYFRIEND, and moving to Jersey?
Uh, why is he ok with this, even giving her a ride to the airport? In fact it seems like she has no intention of leaving him.
I know this isn’t essential to the plot, yet it bothered me.
For the record, the last time I watched this all the way through was way back in the late 80s as a kid, so my recollection of the entire film is vague at best.
follow:
It is such a shame that comparisons to the Stallone Dredd film and The Raid stopped people from going to see this movie because it is a blast…har..har.
Urban gives a great performance and I think Stallone would have been equally great if he had only gone with the same gritty, ruthless, single-minded, killer Dredd that Urban portrayed. The Stallone film got the look of the uniforms and bikes right and I would have liked to have seen them in this movie as they make the Judges much more imposing.
I can’t help thinking that if this had been a massive success, the next film would have suffered from the studios usual reaction, thinking that more is better. More money , more explosions, more over the top action, more C.G.I. all at the expense of the story and characters, and that never works.
Great review…..hope all is o.k. at home…Glad they caught those bastards….Not exactly criminal masterminds though…har…har
I couldn’t believe the amount of people who were complaining about Dredd because it was a sequel to “that stupid Stallone movie”. They seemed to miss that it was 17 years later. I tried to tell them it was a reboot like Batman but they didn’t get it. So irritating.
I think the 95 Dredd was fine for the time, because comic book movies were still struggling back then. Urban’s portrayal was spot on. Actually, the entire movie was.
You’re probably right, if the movie was huge the studio would meddle and we’d end up with another Spider-man 3.
Thanks, I’m glad they are caught too. It doesn’t fix the situation but I at least have the peace of mind that they are off the streets.
Did someone break into your house?
Yeah, had a home invasion about a week and a half ago. Thankfully the police caught them but we still haven’t gotten anything back and we’re unsure if we will.
There’s going to be a Pirates 5…..yeech…
Anywho, great exploring video, Cecil. I will definitely rent/buy/steal “Dredd” on your recommendation. Is “Sleepaway Camp” next?
Another Pirates movie, ugh.
Next is In the Mouth of Madness and then Sleepaway Camp is after that.
The fact that in most cinemas at least at my local one where Dredd was shown you could only see it in 3D is probably the biggest reason why the film failed.
Other factors probably include the fact the story centred entirely in one location what looked like to consist solely or mainly of firefights probably put people off and the Dredd character himself and universe is not widely as known as DC and Marvel.
The marketing in general messed it up. Word of mouth did wonders and made it a massive hit on home video. If only they left it in theaters for more than a week it may have been one of those rare times when a film goes up the chart.
I have an example for you about the poor marketing and distribution. I live in Finland in a town large enough to support two multiplex movie theaters. Dredd was shown here precisely once, at midnight (which is rare for any movie), with no subtitles (which is standard for foreign-language films here). The theater was packed.
Wow. Out here it was pulled from most theaters a few days after opening weekend. Which is especially stupid because word of mouth was buzzing almost immediately from the people who did see it. While it wouldn’t have suddenly jumped to #1 in its second week, if they would have left it in for another it definitely would have had a nice bump in ticket sales.
Best… electro… ost… EVER! 🙂
You won’t believe this, but Stallone’s Dredd is what got me into the character.
Since I’m not from the UK or the US, I’ve never heard of the comics and Stallone’s international fame is the reason (for better or worse) why the character became a part of pop culture even among those who’ve never heard of AD2000.
I always saw Dredd (even Stallone’s) as futuristic Dirty Harry (and I love Dirty Harry), so it was real easy for me to get into the character even without the whole fascism commentary that the comics love. In other words, I believe that even Stallone’s “fun” Dredd still captures what’s so great about the character and comics’ fanboys are being way too judgmental (no pun intended).
Having said all that, Urban’s Dredd was just as fun, but in a slightly different B-movie way and there should definitely be a sequel. Your video showed really well how creative the guys behind this movie were. And even the casting is perfect (those of you who became fans of Olivia after this, should check out her panned very b-movie action horror The Darkest Hour (2011)).
Luckily, for those, who are in need of a new Dredd fix, there is one or two other existing Dredd projects out there that fans should really enjoy…
The first thing everyone should watch (especially if you liked Aeon Flux animated show) is a short free 100%-professionally-made animated fan web mini-series called Judge Dredd: Superfiend (2014) (TV Mini-Series).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4096870/reference
It’s easy to find on Youtube. It has 6 episodes, about 5 minutes each, it’s VERY gory and it’s an alternate take on the origins of Judge Death and his first clash with Dredd. It’s highly faithful to the comics in style and it will live you with an impression, even if it relies on dream logic a bit. After you’ve seen this, you’ll be wondering why the f wasn’t there a Dredd animated feature during the 80s, especially after Wizards, LOTR and especially Heavy Metal (and to a much lesser extent Rock ‘n’ Rule) started the adult animated feature genre.
The second project is more of a typical fan project, but still pretty decent. It’s a free semi-professionally fan-made 20 minutes live action short that follows a side-story set in the Judge Dredd world. It follows an aging judge who develops empathy and is no longer willing to serve the cause. He opts for retirement, which means he’s going into the wastelands outside of MegaCityOne to die. However, when he runs into his first batch of savages, his survival instincts kick in.
It’s called Judge Minty (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2627140/reference
The interesting thing about this one is that it focuses on a subject so far unexplored in the movies (what happens after judge’s “retirement”) and it has some pretty fun action scenes (for a semi-professional fan-made project). Also, the star of the movie – the eponymous Judge Minty – is played by an actual older actor and he’s pretty f-ing good. This short proves that the Universe of Mega City One is pretty rich for inspiration and that you can easily make a Dredd movie that focuses on other things that’re going on there and people who work there besides him.
Finally, there is a third free fan-made Dredd project out there, but it’s not very good. It’s a non-professional (and almost amateurish) attempt to create a short live action Dredd mini-series. The series is called “Judge Dredd: Cursed Edge” (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3142252/reference
It’s made by a group of Dredd fans from Europe (lots of them cosplayers, it would seem). It’s suppose to have six 20 minutes episodes, but only three have been completed thus far. The story is not that bad – several judges are working on separate cases (a new drug is in town and a judge has gone missing) that turn out to have a lot in common. The story was obviously compiled by actual fans (they even reference the British judges), but the production is on a micro-budget and barely anything looks right, the acting and especially directing and editing are pretty non-professional and Dredd himself is completely absent (which would be fine if these new characters were as interesting as Judge Minty for example, but they’re pretty much cardboard cutouts thus far).
Anyway, if you have an itch that only more Dredd can scratch, this is what you need.
btw
Cecil, if you watch and like any of these three, please make a short addendum video about them, because people have no idea any of these exist and they could really use some spotlighting.
I got into Dredd from the Anthrax song and thought the Stallone version was good but not really what it should have been. (but I go over that enough in the old video)
I didn’t even recognize Olivia, since at the time the only thing I knew her from was…ugh…Juno. Darkest Hour was cool, I liked it.
I’ll look into those other Dredd related things. Perhaps in the future I’ll do some kind of overall Dredd video.
Yeah, about that song… Although I’ve heard that Anthrax song many (many) times since I first heard the album it’s from back in high-school, I, for whatever reason, never EVER connected it with Dredd, although it’s obviously about Dredd. Thanks for reminding us of that…
Btw, ever thought about covering one of Cameron’s favorite Sci-Fi B movies – Gunhed (1989)?
Also, was it yours or Josh’s idea to pick up Petar for Drome? Great choice, btw.
Gunhed is a lot of fun, I’m not sure when but I want to do that one.
We were talking about possible new hosts and Petar was the first choice for both of us. I already knew him and knew he had the right vibe to fit in with the show. He’s been great and while Alex will be missed, Petar adds a wonderful new angle to the show.
I really did enjoy Dredd. Many of friends were reluctant to see it, thinking it was just gonna be some stupid 3D action movie. I told them how ridiculous they were being and then I went to the theaters to see it myself.
My favorite part was that the films villain was a woman who wasn’t sexualized (for the most part.) or used any sort of ‘feminine wiles’. She was a villain who just happened to be female.
I also recognized that Rakie Ayola from the Doctor Who episode ‘Midnight’ was in this. That was cool.
Mama was a great villain. So ruthless and memorable. Right up there with great villains of any gender.
Off-Topic question from the video, but I recently re-watched your ‘Exlopring Texas Chainsaw 3D’ episode and you said the film could gone without Kenny. Why didn’t you like Kenny? He was the only decent friend Heather had.
(You know, considering that her boyfriend cheated in her with Kenny’s girlfriend.)
I think it was more of a personal thing. While watching the film, he just bugged me. After thinking about it some more, I think it is just that he reminded me of someone I didn’t like. Nothing personal against the actor, I guess it was just my bias.
This was such a fantastic, gorgeous film. Finding out one of the minds behind Portishead was involved in the music just makes me love it more.
I love this film without reservation, and not just because Karl Urban is easily one of my favorite working actors. They did everything right.
And the moments where Dredd “jokes”, with that hoarse, dry wit, crack me up every time. Especially the line to Anderson about a bullet interfering with her psychic ability. Perfect.
There have been some complaints I’ve received where they didn’t like the movie because Dredd himself had no character arc and there was no one to identify with. That’s fine, that’s their opinion but I wonder, why? I mean, Dredd isn’t supposed to have some sort of growth through the film. It was meant to be a “day in the life of” showing that he is just a walking, no feeling, deliverer of “Justice”. His character is meant to essentially stay the same.
The thing about no one to identify with, is something that baffles me when there is a movie like Only God Forgives where the protagonist is a bad guy. Why do we need to identify with someone? Can’t you just watch the story unfold?
Dredd was pretty much perfect, like you said.
1.WEE GET IT BATMAN AND ROBIN IS BAD GET OVER BESIDES DARK IS GETING PREETY OLD NOW
2.HEY HOW DARE YOU PIRATES OF THE CARRIBIEN IS GOOD
Did you say at the start Courtney Cox was quitting her job, DUMPING HER BOYFRIEND, and moving to Jersey?
Uh, why is he ok with this, even giving her a ride to the airport? In fact it seems like she has no intention of leaving him.
I know this isn’t essential to the plot, yet it bothered me.
For the record, the last time I watched this all the way through was way back in the late 80s as a kid, so my recollection of the entire film is vague at best.
Disregard last comment, it obviously was meant for the Masters of the Universe thread. I’m not intelligent. Sorry.