Pete Travis’ much-awaited reboot of John Wagner’s Judge Dredd comic strip lands in cinemas this Friday, simply titled Dredd. You can read our review of the film HERE, and while far from perfect, Travis and Alex Garland’s take on the popular British comic far surpasses the terrible Sylvester Stallone version in just about every aspect. Those who thought the titular hero would never see his fair cinematic due can rest easy, for the duo have delivered a visceral, thrilling, and grown-up action film with splendid visuals and rock-solid performances.
Here’s our 10 reasons why Dredd far and away outdoes Judge Dredd.
10. The Tone
The opening credits of Judge Dredd make it very clear from the outset that this is not going to be a film that one takes particularly seriously. The campy type-face and flashes of various Judge Dredd comic books might suggest a clear love for the source material – not that it really shows through the rest of the product – but the tone is completely wrong, and not at all befitting the serious, darkly comic demeanour that has defined the comics. An opening title crawl, complete with narration from James Earl Jones, only heightens the kitschy, jovial feel, and Alan Silvestri’s flowery score – though perfectly apt for a care-free adventure film – feels horribly inappropriate for a film about absolute, summary execution.
Thankfully this is completely rectified in Dredd; though fully aware of its own sense of pulpiness, this is serious, grown-up cinema, ultra-violent, but with a sense of humour that’s less goofy and more cynical, attuned to its older target audience compared to superhero comic book films. It has a much better idea about both what it is and what it should be, and I imagine fans of the comics are going to almost universally prefer this approach to the sillier Stallone effort.
We are currently seeking Dredd contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a Dredd contributor, click here.
8 Comments
Nice article, citizen Munro. I hearby award you your full eagle and rank of street Judge. May your lawgiver always fire true. :)
I am sorry Whatculture, you have lost a former dedicated reader. The click to read set up has ruined this site. Not just because it’s the most horrible set up a site could have. Not even because it offends the readers by clearly putting advertising in front of readers. But because all your articles start with a number (“top ten…”) and then “…reasons why…” “…supervillains” “…best superheroes”. This site is just a series of annoying lists. I used to love this site, but now I’ve really given up. Goodbye.
hello Whatculture, you have just gained a dedicated reader. My favorite thing is that all your articles start with a number (“top ten…”) and then “…reasons why…” “…supervillains” “…best superheroes”. good thing the articles are wonderfully written with decent logic base. This site is just a series of wonderfully geeky lists.
Speaking as “a conservative loon” (and proud of it), that was a great rundown on why ‘Dredd’ is infinitely superior to the 1995 debacle… but what’s with the spoilers, give a thought for those yet to see the film!?
Well, you’ve totally sold me on it. The trailer was awesome, but I still only had hopes. I think I’ve moved past hopes and now have some expectations. I might go pick up Stallone’s version for 5 bucks and have some fun before I go see some real ass kicking.
“Alan Silvestri’s flowery score – though perfectly apt for a care-free adventure film – feels horribly inappropriate for a film about absolute, summary execution.”
At least, unlike the music for the new version, it doesn’t suck.
I’m sorry, how is it saying “the Dredd from the comics is not cool enough for a movie so we’re going to change everything about him” being more respectful toward the fans? Because that’s what they’re doing with this movie. They changed everything: the tone (which in the comics was darkly and subtly humorous), his look, the look of the settings and even his relationship with Anderson, who was never Dredd’s cadet and was already a veteran Judge in the totally independent Psi-Division when she first appeared in the continuity. How is this being more faithful to the comics??
One question that was often asked about the Stallone film is “Why did they cast Hershey, rather than Anderson, as Dredd’s sidekick?” I think the answer lies in my belief that – based on the plot and characters – the people who wrote the Stallone film got all their source material from comics published in the late 70s. The trouble with this is that the Dredd comics didn’t really hit their stride until the early 80s, and by the mid-90s (when the film came out) it was a totally different comic and Dredd was a very different character. I think that was the source of a lot of issues with that film.