Review: Judge Dredd is Campy Fun.
- Feb 25, 2017
- 2 min read
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of 2000 AD's Judge Dredd, a personal favourite comic character, here's a review of what is sometimes considered the worst comic book movie ever made.
Judge Joseph Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) is the best there is. He is unfaltering in the face of crime. Everyone knows who he is, and with good reason. He is as uncompromising as he is unstoppable. But, after he is framed for a crime he didn't commit and a violent figure from his past returns to Megacity 1, Dredd must prove his innocence and take control back from the dark forces that have risen up in his place.
First things first, Judge Dredd really isn't that bad. In fact, I can't not enjoy it. It's a standard 90's Stallone action vehicle with 2000 AD veneer. And it's a top quality veneer at that. The movie looks great with many of the sets and costumes pulled straight from the comics. It's bright and flashy with a heavy dose of neon.
Where it falters, at least when compared to its source material, is in the characters. Dredd himself has become famous for never removing his helmet, relying solely on his mouth and chin to emote, and his emotions range from stoic to angry and nothing in between. Stallone on the other hand, loses the helmet in the first 20 minutes and rarely is it seen again. He nails the badass nature of the character, pouring out one liners and sentencing criminals without a second thought. He's the best around and he lets everyone know it. While he's a far cry from his comic counterpart, Stallone manages to be thoroughly entertaining. The supporting cast is mostly decent, featuring Max Von Sydow as Dredd's mentor and the head of the order as well as Armand Assante and Jurgen Prochnow as the gloriously over the top villains. Unfortunately it also stars Rob Schneider who is nothing short of awful.
Judge Dredd also has some great action, all in that 90's sci-fi style. There's giant robots, laser shootouts and cannibal redneck cyborgs and it's all great. It is wholly ridiculous and wholly entertaining. It fits the style of the comics that didn't shy away from such things as solar rifles and immobilising foam.
Judge Dredd isn't a good movie by good movie standards but by 90's Stallone action standards, it stands alongside Demolition Man as one of the more enjoyable sci-fi action films around, comic accuracy be damned.
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