Dredd (2012)

[Gonk]

My experience too, they're all kind of blurring into each other. I wonder why? Dredd's the only one I'm interested in, hopefully it will be different to the crop of other films this year (yawn)

[darnmarr]

In the absence of anything juicy and informative, I'd like to share a fear that haunts me about the whole notion of a new incarnation of our beloved Joseph in celluloid form: is it possible, do you think, that everything that made him so important and different and engaging and iconic belongs to an earlier 'zeitgeist'?

I mean, Robocop was clearly a Judge Dredd film, so much so, that the creators of the Stallone debacle were hamstrung from the outset with the doubly difficult brief of not only making a Dredd film but also making something new, and that maybe this was a contributing factor to the final product being neither? 

Criticisms of the Stallone film to this day include accusations of 'ripping off' Robocop and that's because  so many of the ideas that made the strip great were already 'out there' as a result of that film, and thatfilm came out a long time ago.

Perhaps the world-rocking elements of Dredd as we experienced have seeped into the general conscience by now, ( via Robocop and other creators and products heavily influenced by the 2000ad 'Golden age' ) that even the most faithful representation might seem unimpressive to those who weren't 'there-at-the-time?'.
I love Garland's script I love the casting, I love the uniform, and even though the vehicles and block interiors we've seen remind me of Paradise Towers in Dr Who I love them too: It's just a personal fear, borne of love of the strip, that even in the very best incarnation, that even in the most faithful-in-spirit Dredd film we could have... that other folks  wont  ' get it ?'

Because ( for them ) it will be nothing new?

[Kowalsky (formerly JudgeGumpty)]

In the absence of anything juicy and informative, I'd like to share a fear that haunts me about the whole notion of a new incarnation of our beloved Joseph in celluloid form: is it possible, do you think, that everything that made him so important and different and engaging and iconic belongs to an earlier 'zeitgeist'?

I mean, Robocop was clearly a Judge Dredd film, so much so, that the creators of the Stallone debacle were hamstrung from the outset with the doubly difficult brief of not only making a Dredd film but also making something new, and that maybe this was a contributing factor to the final product being neither? 

Criticisms of the Stallone film to this day include accusations of 'ripping off' Robocop and that's because  so many of the ideas that made the strip great were already 'out there' as a result of that film, and thatfilm came out a long time ago.

Perhaps the world-rocking elements of Dredd as we experienced have seeped into the general conscience by now, ( via Robocop and other creators and products heavily influenced by the 2000ad 'Golden age' ) that even the most faithful representation might seem unimpressive to those who weren't 'there-at-the-time?'.
I love Garland's script I love the casting, I love the uniform, and even though the vehicles and block interiors we've seen remind me of Paradise Towers in Dr Who I love them too: It's just a personal fear, borne of love of the strip, that even in the very best incarnation, that even in the most faithful-in-spirit Dredd film we could have... that other folks  wont  ' get it ?'

Because ( for them ) it will be nothing new?

Thats a fair point darnmarr,there are many traits that are specific to Dredd and his world which add depth to the character and story in this particular film that will seperate him from Robocop. Similarities there will always be but im confident this film will set some distance between Dredd and the former.

[Gonk]

Yeah, I think it will do well, but mainly appeal to Dredd fans; unlike Stallone's version which didn't do either.

[Danbo]

I hope the masses see Dredd as the antidote to lycra clad goodie goodie superheroes.
I think  Dredd can fit in the same niche as Blade.

[LARF]

Never got the Dredd is Robocop thing, or vice versa. Robocop is nothing like Dredd

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

RoboCop is a satire on capitalism. 'We had exclusive Military contract with Ed 209...who cares if it worked or not!'

Judge Dredd [the comic] is a satire on life. Everything is awful in Judge Dredd from the food you eat to the insane inhabitants of Mega City 1 etc everything is going crazy.

How close are we to the Superhero's of Marvel and DC who are basically Gods moving amongst the little people? We're not even close. Most of us will live shitty lives doing shitty jobs and not even one our shitty dreams will come true.

We're a lot closer to Mega City 1 with it's concrete sprawl,dis functional self absorbed citizens and endless urban decay. We're virtually there already. Just a few decades and will be living it if not already since I'm a country boy.

That's why for me Dredd is the best by reflecting just how terrible human nature really is. You might be a genetically enhanced superman but your just a another bastard underneath it all. Truly awful! That's more like it.

[IndigoPrime]

Yeah, I think it will do well, but mainly appeal to Dredd fans

Given the relatively tiny number of people who know or care about Dredd, my hope is that the movie has some seriously widespread appeal, and isn't just something that will mainly appeal to Dredd fans. Beyond it being a total flop, a worst-case scenario is what happened to Serenity—never managing to break out beyond its core audience (which, I suspect, was probably a larger demographic than Dredd fans).

But from what I'm seeing so far, Dredd in movie form is positioning itself outside of a really tight niche. It's a no-excuses action flick, which ticks many boxes; it's seemingly pretty accessible, which ticks more; and it has an edgy near-future sci-fi vibe, which is pretty in vogue, thereby ticking more. Ultimately, people will flock to Dredd if its a visceral, exciting, thrilling, engaging movie, not because it's a version of a relatively niche British comic-book character. From what I've seen so far, I'm hopeful—and certainly more so than when I saw the shiny 1990s bollocks of the Stallone flick.

[darnmarr]

.... shiny 1990s bollocks ...

that whole film in three words

[radiator]

I would also imagine that overall it's a relatively less risky venture than the bloated, massively expensive Stallone version.

Dredd is pretty big-budget for a non-Hollywood, independent film, but it doesn't have to bring in summer blockbuster numbers to succeed. I very much doubt that Dredd could ever carry a massive blockbuster crowd-pleaser.

Slick, subversive, dark low-ish budget action movie suits the character much better.

[MR. ELIMINATOR]

I feel that often people over rate the importance of being original. I saw a great independent action movie a while ago called Hanna. The plot didn't jump out at me, a female assassin trained from a young age with some agency trying to kill her, it seemed pretty basic. But the style of the film and the incredible soundtrack by the chemical brothers made it a really great movie with one scene in particular that was truly fantastic.

There's a great quote from independent film maker Jim Jarmusch -

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: "It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to."

[Danbo]

I like that quote.

Stay tuned for the'' Adventures of the Grumpy 'take no shit' future Supercop JUSTICEMAN '' soon.

[JayzusB.Christ]

...the shiny 1990s bollocks of the Stallone flick.

Just how literally do you mean that?

[vzzbux]

It sends chills up my spine every time I see that image.




V

[Danbo]

The new uniform if a massive improvement.