About The Judge Dredd Reboot

The 1995 Judge Dredd movie starring a Sylvester Stallone in permanent sneer mode is pretty damn awful.  The overacting bravado of Stallone made Dredd out to be some sort of meat head who shoots first, rambles about Civics 101 later (basically the cop version of Rambo but without the sad back story).  The story is a typical frame job, redemption arc where Judge Dredd is stripped of his judgeship and later who cares.  A Judge Dredd movie where Dredd isn't a judge for most of it?  Great idea!  An even better idea?  Casting Rob Schneider as the comic relief.  Genius!  Out of the park Hollywood!  Enjoy your panda steaks.

 The movie was faithful to the bad dialogue though.

Needless to say, Judge Dredd needed a reboot more than any movie in the history of cinema other than possibly The Golden Compass.  And okay, maybe not in the history of cinema, but Rob Schneider ruins movies just by looking in their general direction.  I don't think there is a single actor more universally despised than him and I just gave him a compliment by calling him an "actor".  Adam Sandler should be given a humanitarian award just because of the charity he gives this man by keeping his career alive.

I was psyched when I heard about the reboot coming out this September.  The casting of Karl Urban as Dredd seemed a little odd but I didn't care.  Judge Dredd isn't exactly a multi-dimensional character (that Stallone still screwed up).  Lena Headey is the villain, which is tits.  Most importantly, no comic relief character that wasn't needed the first fucking time.  This was going to be the gritty, dark, amoral Judge Dredd movie the first one was supposed to be.  The law is back baby!  Let's see that trailer.

Holy shit, who choose the music?  It's pretty damn jarring to go from La Roux dance mix 2000 to Inception noise.  And by the looks of the setting, is this Judge Dredd in Tower Heist?  It looks like most of the movie will take place in one tower, followed by a chase sequence on the highway in the third act.  I guess he isn't going to be spending the 2nd act in the wastelands fist fighting mutants, so that's a good thing, but I have reservations for a movie that probably won't be able to pull off the Die Hard, entire movie is in one tower setting.  Mostly because one movie is Die Hard, and the other has a screenplay from the guy who wrote Never Let Me Go.

Honestly though, this looks like it will be an enjoyable film that has the proper Judge Dredd characteristics.  It certainly looks darker than the first film and sounds like it too since Dredd talks like Christian Bale's Batman.  The trailer didn't hint at if the movie will be violent enough for a real Judge Dredd movie, but the R rating helps put those fears to rest.  The biggest complaint I see from other people is the change to his uniform, but I don't have a problem with it.  His uniform in the comics, and to some degree the first movie, makes Dredd look like a gaudy flamenco dancer who just jumped off a float at Carnivále.  Hard to include that in a gritty movie if the audience can't take the main character seriously.

 I am the law.  Via Flickr.

I am optimistic for Dredd.  I haven't said that in a long time regarding a reboot but this one actually felt needed.  Also, you know what, it's weird to write about a movie reboot that I think I might like.  Really weird.  It's almost as if, something else, is happening to off set it.  That can't be true though....

Oh?  What's this?   


Disclaimer:  Dredd will not take off his helmet in this movie.  Calling it.

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