How The Biggest Sci-Fi Superhero Of The 90s Failed And Why It Deserves Better

By Drew Dietsch
| Published 26 seconds ago

Judge Dredd is a film that almost no one wants to defend. A box office flop and critical disaster, the mega-budget sci-fi film is remembered as little more than a footnote in the memories of most film fans.

Twenty-five years later, Judge Dredd deserves a shot at reappraisal for a number of reasons. And with the world recognizing the brutality and unchecked power wielded by the police during this time of global protests, it seems appropriate to look back at a film that went to the actually address some of these issues.

What Judge Dredd Got Right

Before entering the inevitable politics Judge Dreddwe should pay a service to some of the surface elements of the 1995 film. Because as a piece of pure production, this is a film that needs to be promoted.

Production designer Nigel Phelps, whose work stretches from the 1989s Batman i Pokemon Detective Pikachutakes incredible inspiration from both 2000 AD source material a sci-fi world building epics like Blade Runner. With a reported budget of $90 million, Judge Dredd is a film that knows it has to nail its special futuristic look in every area. And it does.

Judge Dredd part of an era where genre blockbusters were becoming the most expensive ever. Multiple new technologies and classic film art have never been more accessible to filmmakers. Before studios felt that most of the effects work could be handled by CG alone, there was a period in the mid to late 90’s when digital effects and practical work were married in highly effective ways. This film is one of the best examples of that. It is a beautifully tactile production that needs to be celebrated as such.

There are even more technical elements of Judge Dredd who need their time in the sun. The score by legendary composer Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future, A predator, Avengers: Endgame) does his best riff on that Basil Poledouris pomp you hear in movies like RoboCop a Starship Troopers. Director Danny Cannon and his cinematographer Adrian Biddle shoot the film with colorful joy, enjoying the huge world in which they play. It’s a film that enjoys every bit of comic talent it has. This is not going for earth or gritty. This is a Comic Book Film and a crafty one at that. The fact that the film opens with a montage of colorful images from the comic books should tell you what it’s going for.

Now, this is where things are going to get controversial for several reasons. One of those reasons has to do with 2012 movie, Dredd. That film was widely praised by critics and fans, but after revisiting both The Judge Dredd films, the 2012 version fails in a big way where the 1995 version (mostly) succeeds: being a faithful piece of satire about fascist militaristic policing.

In Judge DreddDredd is eventually framed for the murder of a journalist, Vartis Hammond, who intends to expose the corruption of the Justice Department. Hammond begins to believe that the Department of Justice is helping fuel violent crime in order to implement policies that give him even more power. This is a film that clearly wants to explore the idea of ​​systemic issues in policing. The idea of ​​making Dredd, a character who treats the law like a religion, a victim of this corrupt system is great drama and commentary. It feels like the best possible story to tell if you want to be true to the source material’s critical commentary on policing.

And although that element is present rather than the 2012 version, it will eventually get the short shifts. Because while Judge Dredd works as a flashy sci-fi action piece, it fails in a few key ways.

What Went Wrong With This Mega-Budget Comic Book Adaptation

There are a number of things that don’t unequivocally work about them Judge Dredd. I say that as someone who still gets a lot of enjoyment out of the film. As an adaptation, many fans find it completely sacrilegious that Dredd never takes off his helmet (which he never does in the comics). They don’t like the general “mainstreaming” of the tone in order to be something that might appeal to wider audiences. Those are not the problems I have with the film.

Yes, it’s worth talking about Judge Dredd as a star vehicle for Sylvester Stallone. Like many films tailored to fit the persona and perception of a celebrity, this film’s material is often treated as something less unique. Stallone has to have a catchphrase, a Rob Schneider-esque comedic sidekick, and has to be portrayed as a square-jawed hero who saves the day. Stallone is not bad in the film, but he is asked to fit a square peg in the round hole of satire that the film wants to achieve.

On the other end, you have Armand Assante as the villainous Rico. Although equally lacking in tone, Assante goes big and bold here. He plays the role as if it were a guest spot on the ’60s Batman a television show. That’s campy fun but it undermines some of the dramatic weight his villain is meant to carry. In fact, the majority of the excellent cast – Diane Lane, Jürgen Prochnow, Max von Sydow! – do a really great job with what they are given, but what they are given ultimately fails them.

And although many will discourage the cheese Judge Dredd as a negative, that’s not where the film deserves your scorn. In fact, the easiness has actually helped keep this film as a piece of entertainment worth revisiting. The real big criticism relates to the way the film ends.

After the revelation that Dredd and Rico are clones of Chief Justice Fargo (Max von Sydow) and that Rico wants to take over the Department of Justice and replace all the Judges with clones who will do his psychotic bidding, Dredd is able to kill Rico and stop his plan. At this point, it is fully revealed that the Justice Department was built on lies and that the entire council of Chief Justices was murdered. The system has been exposed and pretty much burned down. The Judges look to Judge Dredd to see what he will do. They want him to become the new head of the council.

His response? “I’m just a street Judge.” Although he recommends that his partner Judge Hershey (Diane Lane) take the job instead, Judge Dredd wants to return to work as usual. Here the film fails in its attempt to deliver a strong enough message about police reform. He pays lip service to the idea of ​​change but doesn’t commit to making a big enough statement.

This is a place Judge Dredd‘s decision to kowtow to mainstream sensibilities undercuts anything subversive he might be doing. While that means it actually works on a lot of broad levels, it never manages to hammer home the elements that make it stand out.

Twenty-five years later, Judge Dredd serves as a monument to big budget genre filmmaking. As a piece of pure production, it needs to be heralded as one of the greatest hits of the 90s. Everything about the texture of the film is a huge success. And even its gentleness has helped cement the film as a piece of polished silliness. If the film’s satire worked, it might have aged even better.