Okay, we've danced around this elephant that's been pooping all over the room for long enough: yes, there was a film before Dredd. No, they're not related in any way at all. Yes, for the most part it is hot garbage. The 1995 Judge Dredd was a pretty big deal in its day. Not only was it another big budget action film from Sly Stallone, but it also featured rising comedic star Rob Schneider (who thankfully fell straight back down to Earth), and actually did a good job in some respects. It hewed closer to the comics than Dredd does, with the Judge uniform retaining their unwieldy shoulder decorations, and Mega City One looked suitably comic-booky. It was just...everything else Schneider's comic relief was intolerable, the plot was pretty dire, and worst of all - DREDD TOOK OFF HIS HELMET. Most of which is understandable - a blockbuster where the main character is pretty much a total emotionless jerk, whose face you never see, would be a tough sell to a general audience - but its critical panning means that the earlier attempt to get Dredd on film still colours people's perceptions. A sequel to the far superior Dredd would help us all forget that this little mistake ever happened.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
