Judge Dredd (Wide Screen) > Reviews > Who am I to Judge Dredd?

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
Soundtrack	Average

Advantages:	Stallone lovers will love Sly .
Disadvantages:	Judge Dredd lovers may not .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

"You're under arrest! Throw down your weapons and prepare to be judged!" - Joseph Dredd.

Judge Dredd as you've never seen him before. This is because the 1995 movie, directed by the Englishman Danny Cannon, breaks not one, but two of 2000 A.D's golden rules. Allow me to explain. Comic book hero, Judge Joseph Dredd, never removes his helmet! Yet within 10 minutes of cellulose exposure that's exactly what he does, revealing the chiselled features of the man formerly known as Rocky. And what's wrong with that I say? Who wants to watch a film starring Sylvester Stallone and NOT catch a glimpse of that jagged, yet handsome profile? (Hands down please). I for one would be disappointed if Hollywood deprived me of a perfectly good excuse to swoon over my popcorn, but I digress. Another big no-no, and shattered rule numero due (that's noo-mer-o doo-ay), is the love interest that is allowed to develop between our main lawman and the fine figure of Judge Hershey (Diane Lane doing her role justice - hey a pun!). And again, I say what the hell. What's an action movie without a snog at the end? (There's no need to answer that). Judge Dredd was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed, regardless of my physical admiration for it's leading man, and I shall now explain why.

"Emotions - There ought to be a law against them." - Joseph Dredd.

Sylvester Stallone may have been nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award (for worst actor) in this particular outing, but I call it hypocrasy. Want to know why? Because he was simply doing what it said on the tin. How else could he have portrayed the role of a man who often declared the presumptious words: I am the law! Of course he was cold! Too right he was tough! And hoo-bloody-ray for that superb display of arrogance! Forgive my passion and please blame genetics. And who could fault the detailed delight of Mega-City One? An awesome, sweat-filled backdrop to remind us once more that progress obviously means dark and dirty. It was true to ink and print, and a completely credible 22nd century, if predesessors of this genre are to be believed. What about the special effects you say? Digital wizardry. And there's nothing wrong with that when you consider it used to be done with papier mache and strings. Explosions, flying motorbikes, 8 foot tall robots and a gruesomely enhanced baddie (from the Angel gang for those of you who have seen the film and are raising a bewildered eyebrow), this film has it all in terms of movie-action stereotypical effects. And so we move on to the plot. Below you is a periphiral bounce-around of what to expect from Hollywood's depiction of yet another badly-drawn boy (yes - he was).

ONE MAN IS JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER.

Poor Herman Ferguson (played with comical relief by Rob Schneider) is released from prison, only to find himself wrongly arrested and sentenced to another 6 months by our favourite lawman. Later on, as he sits in the transport vehicle that means to take him back to the penitentiary, he recognises a familiar jaw-line beside him. Why yes! It's Judge Dredd himself! How did this come about, I hear you ask! Fear not! All relevant information to this predicament is revealed prior to this particular scene in the movie. As the story unfolds, we encounter a bad-ass cannibal gang, a not-so-noble and truth (on-death-bed) confessing Chief Justice Fargo (as portrayed by Max Von Sydow), a corrupt Jurgen Prochnow hamming it up as Judge Griffin, the ultimate arch-nemesis in the shape of Armand Assante's character of Rico, a kick-butt menacing robot, clones of an incomplete nature, a justice-fuelled ending on the Statue Of Liberty's head, and the sentence "I knew you'd say that" repeated several hundred times (I do exagerate - but not much). Phew! These plot-masking, but hopefully tempting morsels (I won't hold my breath) may be enough to convince you that this movie should been seen at least once, and in my view given a second chance. What? You want more? Then go rent the DVD! If you are one of the apparent majority that condemns this film to blockbuster hell, then you can come back and call me a time-wasting flump. So what are you waiting for? The Vin Diesel sequel? There may be truth in that yet...

All that remains for me to say is thank you for taking the time to read my coffee-motivated review, and WAKE-UP! It's over...