JUDGE DREDD (Stallone/Diane Lane) - Underrated actioner or overblown trash?

MJeeves

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"JUDGE DREDD" starring Sly Stallone and Diane Lane is on Channel 5 tonight at 9.55pm.

I remember being excited about the prospect of a "JUDGE DREDD" movie back in 1995. However, even now 12 years later I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

1: Is "JUDGE DREDD" an underrated film that was harshly treated or is it the overblown piece of trash that critics and the box office dictated?

2: Was "SLY STALLONE that BEST choice for playing Judge Dredd?

3: Is DIANE LANE in her skintight spandex Judge Hershey outfit hot or not?

4: Is ROB SCHEIDER just TOO annoying as Fergie?

5: Is the ABC Robot cool or is it very naff?

6: Should Stallone have kept the helmet on ALL THE TIME?

6: I heard that this film was supposed to be darker, more violent and less "comic", but the director Danny Cannon was "bullied" by Stallone and the studio to make a violent kids film. Has anyone heard anything about Cannon's original plans for the film?

I am THE LAAAAWWWWWW!

MOD Comment. Please do not link pictures like I have just had to remove. Please read rule 9 of the forum.
 
I think a lot of people were expecting a lot from this film but from what i of heard it was Stallone who messed with the idea to much and wrecked it shame!
 
As someone that read a lot of 2000AD comics for me they ruined it. Total hollywood piece of trash. Stallone was the WORST actor to play Judge Dredd as JD is supposed to be well over 6ft tall (stallone is not very tall) keeps his helmet on at all times and is not a nice guy, not a hero at all. They should have gotten someone like Dolph Lungren (remember him!) not for his acting abilities (if he has any!) but because his chin is the right shape! he is really tall and physically a big guy. All he would have had to do was to act even he could have said the lines if they kept the helmet on, they could even have dubbed him if needed. I would love to see a proper film made that was dark, violent and had a good cast, just imagine how many sequels they could get out of a decent first new film, the story lines as endless. Diane Lane = Hot so at least that was right. My son is now into 2000AD and he hated the film as it took away everything that the character stood for, i.e. I AM THE LAW and I don't give a sh*t about you or anyone else. Justmy opinion of course. Andy.
 
:)I gather you've got a thing about Diane Lane.

Regarding JD itself I knew they'd blown it as soon as I heard they'd cast Stallone. There was no way they would get him and keep him masked for all of the film. Having said that I quite enjoyed it as a action film but not as a Judge Dredd film. They should have got an unknown. saved themselves a fortune on his fee and they may have made a really good Judge Dredd film.

It's quite a while since I've seen it and I'm abit fuzzy on the details I so can't tackle your other questions but it was a lost opportunity. I can remember that another company wanted to make a couple of lowish budget JD films with an unknown but they never happened. They wanted to do them closer to the style of the comics.

Cheers
Bri
 
As someone that read a lot of 2000AD comics for me they ruined it. Total hollywood piece of trash. Stallone was the WORST actor to play Judge Dredd as JD is supposed to be well over 6ft tall (stallone is not very tall) keeps his helmet on at all times and is not a nice guy, not a hero at all. They should have gotten someone like Dolph Lungren (remember him!) not for his acting abilities (if he has any!) but because his chin is the right shape! he is really tall and physically a big guy. All he would have had to do was to act even he could have said the lines if they kept the helmet on, they could even have dubbed him if needed. I would love to see a proper film made that was dark, violent and had a good cast, just imagine how many sequels they could get out of a decent first new film, the story lines as endless. Diane Lane = Hot so at least that was right. My son is now into 2000AD and he hated the film as it took away everything that the character stood for, i.e. I AM THE LAW and I don't give a sh*t about you or anyone else. Justmy opinion of course. Andy.

Yes, but STALLONE kicked LUNDGREN's ass in "ROCKY IV" ! ;)

Yep. Got a thang for our Diane (who hasn't?).

It's on TV tonight so I may re-acquaint myself with it. I remember the ABC robot being great!
 
1: Is "JUDGE DREDD" an underrated film that was harshly treated or is it the overblown piece of trash that critics and the box office dictated?

I like it , but it could have been a lot better even with Stallone still in the lead roll.

2: Was "SLY STALLONE that BEST choice for playing Judge Dredd?

No , I thought some one like Rutger Haure (excuse the spelling) would have been a much better choice.

3: Is DIANE LANE in her skintight spandex Judge Hershey outfit hot or not?

Yes, given the chance I defiantly would!!:devil:

4: Is ROB SCHEIDER just TOO annoying as Fergie?

I think , in all fairness to the guy , he just did what was asked of him. I would have preferred the comic relief to have been toned down just a bit though.

5: Is the ABC Robot cool or is it very naff?

Very cool, but needed to see a lot more of it.

6: Should Stallone have kept the helmet on ALL THE TIME?

Would it really have made all that much of a difference?

: I heard that this film was supposed to be darker, more violent and less "comic", but the director Danny Cannon was "bullied" by Stallone and the studio to make a violent kids film. Has anyone heard anything about Cannon's original plans for the film?

I think, that the film was a very chaotic shoot, and the final result was not what was expected. You only have to look at the end fight between Stallone and Armand Asante, to see that it was shorted and toned down.

A dark and violent version of Judge dredd although a great idea, would probably not makes it very large budget back, and , after all, thats what counts these days. Toning every thing down for a family audience seems to be the norm at the moment!!
 
It's rubbish.

I don't agree about Dolph as JD, he wasn't much cop as the Punisher which was remade into only a better made failure.

JD really could compete with Alien as a franchise of action/sci-fi/horror just prey they don't cast Nicholas Cage.
 
MOD Comment. Please do not link pictures like I have just had to remove. Please read rule 9 of the forum.

MJeeves, you didnt use this thread as another flimsy excuse for postig pctures of Diane Lane again did you? :rotfl:
 
Dolph was only my choice because of his chin shape and his physical size, certainly not his "acting" ability. Done properly they would make good films but as said I am not sure they would make good financial films. Dobut they will ever make a good one - shame.
 
MJeeves, you didnt use this thread as another flimsy excuse for postig pctures of Diane Lane again did you? :rotfl:

Who me guv? Not me. ;)

In my defence... there was one of the ABC Robot as well. :D

Personally, I think the "franchise" is dead in the water. "DREDD" isn't a big enough comic character in the US (as this film found out). He is a British comic character and doesn't translate to worldwide audiences. IMHO.
 
Far cheaper to steal/borrow ideas/storylines from Dredd and then make your own movie. Dredd's an archetypal bada$$ and there's been some nasty villains, lots of great stuff to half inch. Magnum Force springs to mind for some reason, Dirty Harry as JD had he joined the biker boys.

Maybe with the nihilism of films like Hostel and the upcoming Rambo there may prove to be a market for Dredd so who knows.
 
Yes. I heard about the planned "low budget" films.
Guess nothing came of it:confused:

They certainly wouldn't have been able to afford Stallone, Lane, Von Sydow etc again. I guess they blew their "big budget" chance of a Dredd franchise.
 
I think a lot of people were expecting a lot from this film but from what i of heard it was Stallone who messed with the idea to much and wrecked it shame!
Really?

I quite like the film myself. Yes its nothing exceptional, but for good fun with little one liners it does the job. 7/10 for me
 
Danny Cannon at the time was a really young director who was given the job of directing the film as he was a real fanboy of Judge Dredd.

However, Stallone was never happy about the direction in which the film was taken, something he has repeatedly commented on in interviews. Like many of his films in the 1990's (Cliffhanger and Demolition Man aside), he regrets alot of decisions he made in his career.

Personally I thought the film was ok, but as I have never read a Judge Dredd comic book I am not best placed to have an opinion on wether or not it did or did not do the comic book justice.
 
I think its just absolute hollywood cr.p .

I was a 2000 AD reader to and he is tall and slim and never takes his helmet off thats part of his appeal but physical atributs aside Stallone is just such a bad choice . (please im still shaking at the thought of Dolph Lundgren)

There is a misconception in Hollywood that because a story comes from a comic it needs to be "hamed up" with muscle big guys (which JD is not ) and thats where they continually go wrong .

A serious actor playing the part always does it better im thinking of Christian Bale batman returns , Sin City and host of great actors , 300 , even Toby Maguire (im not a fan but better than some muscle bound box office pilock ruining the film) Eric Bana - Hulk.

and of course if you do want to ham it up some films do call for it the best actors are still best at this Jack Nickleson as The Joker for instance .

No Stallone No No No Dolph Lundgrean :mad:, No comic sidekick (but for me thats in ANY film)

The best actor will be the best choice in a film its as simple as that , of course you try to match the physical attributes but they can do that easy these days.

You want your comic book charachter to come to life its takes acting skill simple as that .

IF you just want a film that you dont mind watching cause nothing else is on and youve never read the comic or book send for Stallone and co .
 
Watched it recently, and it's better than most of these politically-correct PG-13 rated actioners of today. Give it another go, it deserves another chance. Screw the teenage appeasing Hollywood of today! Bring back the 18/R-Rated blockbuster.
 
just watched it:)

As a standalone movie for non-DC readers, it's OK :)
but better if you're a fan of SS:smashin:

As a DC reader/fan it is an abysmal remake of a classic character:thumbsdow
 
The film is ok. Just. It's played for laughs and that doesn't really fit. The "I knew you'd say that" catch phrase wears thin very quickly.

Dredd the comic character is a real hard case. But he's such a bastard it's amusing. I remember one of the stories where there's this crazy guy who keeps admitting to crimes he hadn't actually done. Dredd ends up giving him a few years in 'the cubes' for wasting police time. :devil:

I'd love to see it get the 300/Sin City treatment. I think that would absolutely kick arse.
 
Just be thankfull that the movie didnt have the comic side kick sevant robot


Walter is a fictional character from the Judge Dredd comic strip in British comic 2000 AD.

Walter was Judge Dredd's house robot. He is usually used in stories to provide comic relief, and he has a speech impediment which causes him to pronounce his r's as w's. He was made a free robot with the rights of a human citizen in 2099 for his loyal services during the First Robot War. However he was so devoted to Dredd that he chose to remain in Dredd's employ and even got rid of his freedom papers in exchange for a Deed of Ownership giving him to Dredd.

He left Dredd's service after he sustained serious damage at the hands of Mean Machine Angel. This was an effort by the writers to kill him off when Judge Dredd stories were becoming grittier and more mature. However, the character was brought back by John Wagner several years later; he now ran his own company and on the surface appeared to be a success, but still had issue from his former devotion to Dredd. He met Dredd again in 2115, helping him escape the forces of Judge Grice and wielding a vast amount of deadly weaponry, killing many ex-convict Judges in the process.

The next year, Walter snapped and attempted to lead a second Robot War, and actually shot Dredd to punish him for Dredd's harsh treatment of him over the years. Arrested by Rookie Judge Giant and sentenced to thirty years, he was freed from jail during the actual Second Robot War. Found by Dredd, he was paroled in 2122 and now lives with Mrs Gunderson as a community service. He helps her run her Judge Death-based tourist attraction.


:eek::eek::eek:
 
My fave part of "JUDGE DREDD" (caught a bit of it on TV last night) was when they started the JUDGE slaughter...

SPOILERS...

First the precinct gets blown up with the bombs in the locker, then the ABC warrior robot is let loose and goes on a Judge killing rampage, and then Diane Lane finds a bomb on her lawmaster and just escapes...

I thought that was really cool and well done.

Fergie was annoying (even in only the small bits I saw) and Diane Lane was as hot as ever. Stallone... I dunno. I can see why some like him in the role and I can also see why some don't.
 
I remember they previewed(not sure on the spelling there) some of the making of this movie on a saturday morning video games show way back then and it did look ace i remember the bikes and thought how cool it was going to be.

it turned out ok i think i did enjoy it apart from the flying bike scenes :thumbsdow

oh before i go

Who me guv? Not me.

The Judge would respond to the above with
"I knew you'd say that" :suicide: :suicide:
 
I remember they previewed(not sure on the spelling there) some of the making of this movie on a saturday morning video games show way back then and it did look ace i remember the bikes and thought how cool it was going to be.

it turned out ok i think i did enjoy it apart from the flying bike scenes :thumbsdow

oh before i go



The Judge would respond to the above with
"I knew you'd say that" :suicide: :suicide:

"No. Not me. Eat Dredd... he works out!":D
 
I liked it. Never a huge fan of the comics, so the changes didn't bother me (went & saw it with a friend who's a 2000AD fanboy, who hated almost all of it - especially the introduction & then killing of the entire Angel gang in the space of twenty minutes!)

The production design & costumes are amazing, & as MJeeves always says, Ms Lane did look quite fine.

Fergie is very annoying & the ABC robot is very cool. Shame they didn't do more with the latter.


I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more if the BBC's Film95 hadn't shown behind-the-scenes footage of them filming the final scene in the Statue of Liberty - including the climax of the Rico/Dredd fight! :suicide:

About time they released a decent dvd of it.
 
Ahh the JD Movie.

Having been a massive JD fan as a kiddie, I remember being so excited this film.

So much so I brought the making of book, which in it talks to the producer who goes to great length to explain how he feels the ultimate JD film had already been made in the shape of Robocop!

He's kinda got a point......
 
It seems because I have never seen the original comic (didn't even know it was based on a comic!), the film is actually quite good to me! :D I certainly do think the bashing it gets is a tad harsh. Yes the one liners are predictable but come on!

Always loved that classic moment - "I forgot to mention - your new friends? They're..." and we know the rest
 

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