Dredd vs. Judge Dredd

Dredd

Judge Dredd made his return to film and I finally got around to seeing it. A massive improvement over the Stallone version (1995). Whereas Judge Dredd sought to tell an epic tale that glimpsed wide swaths of the Judge Dredd universe, it failed to stay true to the characters or the setting. Dredd tackles a day in the life of a Megacity Judge

The particular day follows Dredd as he takes a rookie recruit on her assessment. Depending how she does, she will either washout or become a judge. As it happens, they find themselves stuck in a mega skyscraper (200 stories and 75,000 residents) with every armed thug out for their blood. The standard judge sidearm, the Lawgiver, gets great play through the movie. Dredd himself proves to be a humorless hard ass who talks like Dirty Harry (FYI: Judge Dredd was modeled on Dirty Harry in a futuristic setting). Of most note, Dredd never removes his helmet.

The recruit, Judge Anderson, is a significant character in the comic and is part of the Psi-Division. Here, she is painted as a mutant with beneficial mutations; there is no Psi-Division. This is really her story since she is the one with the character arc. Dredd is law and the law doesn’t need a character arc.

The newer movie lacks the technology of the comic or the Stallone movie. The comic had advanced robotics, flying cars, interplanetary travel, laser rifles, and more. Dredd feels almost modern; much of the missing high-tech is probably for budgetary reasons. One thing that struck me as odd was the ending. Dredd comes upon Mama and she has the building wired to explode if her heart stops. Dredd has already pronounced a death sentence on her. So, stand off? Well, Dredd comes up with a solution that struck me as needlessly risky. I would have just arrested her, had the explosives disarmed while she was carted off to jail. The death sentence can wait a couple of days, can’t it? Mama seems to be of the impression that Dredd must execute her on the spot or walk away and leave her alone. Dredd seems to be of the same impression.

Judge Dredd

The Sylvester Stallone epic was much more ambitious than Dredd, including a vast number of characters and plotlines from the long running comic. His disgraced and imprisoned clone, Rico, plays the main villain though his return is entirely unlike what was in the comic. The robot wars are referenced and a warrior robot shows up as a goon for Rico. Fergee is included as a sidekick though he is entirely unlike the character in the comic. The Angel Gang of the Cursed Earth is tossed into the mix as well.

The technology is more in keeping with the comic, though it does seem interplanetary travel has been nixed; Rico was imprisoned on the moon of Titan, not a penal facility in Aspen, Colorado. The costume was more in line with the comic, with the ludicrous shiny shoulder pads. Dredd had toned down the armor which was probably the better move; what works in a comic is often silly in a movie – I give you The Phantom (1996) in his purple jumpsuit.

The movie has many failings. First, there is the needless inclusion of a comic sidekick, especially since it was played by Rob Schneider. He is rarely funny. Once they get back to Megacity, I have no idea why he sticks with Dredd. Certainly not because they did some great bonding in the Cursed Earth. There is also the fact that Stallone is very unlike the character he is playing. The constant “I knew you’d say that” is meant to be funny but is just silly. He can’t wait to get his helmet off and it stays off through much of the movie. Dredd is the most successful judge in his time and this is repeatedly demonstrated in the comic but Stallone’s Dredd is great because he is said to be great. Another issue is that Rico and Dredd are clones but played by different actors; shouldn’t they both be played by the same actor?

The movie is generally fun but drifts far from the source material. Dredd is a more modest film but does a much better job of staying true to the character and the setting.