Great movie, and Karl Urban is amazing as he is in everything. It's not underrated though. It's got a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, fwiw. It's a well received film, and most people who are fans of the genre really like it. It just didn't do well at the box office, for whatever reason. Underrated is a good movie that didn't get as good of a critical reception as it deserved, like John Carpenter's "In The Mouth of Madness" (or even "The Thing" at the time, although history has righted that wrong).
I really wish they hadn't marketed it like crap with the 3d gimmick. Made me disregard it totally back in the day. Only several years after when my mate recommended it, I watched it and damn. One of my all time favourites now and I've seen it a dozen times. Would have been cool to see it in Cinema and how the 3d looked
@@patjacksonpodium i think it was the Marketing. It relied only on the "3D" and that was totally burned out when they Marketed it that way. I was turned off watching it in the cinema by that, too. At least it was like that here in germany
Yes, this. He gambled that the tower was so tall that she'd be out of signal range by the time she hit the ground. I do wonder why a bomb rigged to a dead man's switch wouldn't also go off if the trigger went out of range or otherwise could no longer send a signal, but I guess this particular one relied upon sending confirmation of death rather than continually telling the bomb to not go off.
@@TheMidnightPhil If this future tech is as unreliable as some tech is today, like bluetooth, you don't want it detonating just because of signal drop :)
@@TheMidnightPhil it is indeed kind of a convenient and silly plot shield... a logical dead man switch requires constant communication and explodes when it is missing - it shouldn't require a "confirmation" event
And the fact that, unlike what many actors would have done, Karl Urban didn't demand to take the helmet off at some point so his face could be seen is commendable. Mad respect for the lack of ego and commitment to the IP.
@@johnplaysgames3120 also the studio payed a lot of money for Stallone, so they wanted to show his face. Karl Urban was probably (definitely) not as expensive then as Sly was in the other one. My point is that it might not be ego as much as money.
@@johnplaysgames3120 *And the fact that, unlike what many actors would have done, Karl Urban didn't demand to take the helmet off at some point so his face could be seen is commendable.* It's my understanding he actually fought against the studio when they did want Dredd to reveal his face on screen.
Dredd never takes his helmet off because the law is supposed to be faceless. Also one of the original writers of the comics had two rules “Dredd is hero” and “Dredd is villain” The comics also have a level of satire as well as the ultra violence. And yes, the original Robocop movie is heavily influenced by Judge Dredd
It’s weird that so many people misunderstand the dead man trigger. Like other comments say, Dredd explains his reasoning seconds earlier: the signal won’t be strong enough to reach the bombs through a kilometer of building. That’s it. Just spotty wifi. It’s why he throws her instead of shooting her then and there. But so many people expect the explosion, and make up nonsense theories, or are just confused by it. Don’t see how it could be made any clearer tho. Anyway, yes, Mandalorian copied this: Dredd never removes his helmet. Stallone did in his film because vanity (and just a much worse film overall), but the comic book character never does; he is that uniform, helmet and scowl. That grimace is permanent too. Urban’s Dredd is infinitely more faithful to the character. Story too; Dredd has basically zero character arc, because he’s not supposed to. And the film is better for it
@@sojugon i completely agree that it wasn’t set up well at all. As you say, it’s immediately resolved making it a bit of a plot non-point. I had just happened to see someone else react to the film, and they had the same confusion, which, in turn, confuses me - perhaps especially because everything about it is contained in 30 seconds. Sure, the movie could have cut to a screen saying “connection to bombs dropped” or something, but… really? There are plenty of films that are intentionally complex, or unintentionally just poorly made. This one thing is just so odd to me, because it’s simple, stated outright by the protagonist, and relatable to anyone who’s ever lost cell signal or something.
@@sojugon the thing is u cant make it clearer then having the main character bascily say it ... if u explain more u not take ur audience serious, sometimes some people needs to be left behind to make the movie better for the once paying attention if u make movie for the least understanding movies u get the shit we get so often nowadays if a movie explains everything its just a bad movie for stupid people ... i am totaly fine with some people dont understand stuff tehy can listen to it again if they cant get it instantly xD
I just figured that Dredd was hoping that the deadman signal wouldn't reach far enough from the bottom of the tower to trigger the bombs. But he was willing to die in order to see justice done. It's not like he was going to let MaMa go, after all.
@@sojugon I think the issue is less with the movie - I mean, the protagonist straight up says the information you need at the moment you need to know it, it doesn't get any clearer than that - and more with movie reactors in general. I see it all the time on movie reaction channels. The amount of obvious stuff that gets missed is sometimes mind-blowing. But, really, it makes sense. I mean, think about it: Instead of just watching a movie like they normally would IRL, movie reactors have to also make sure they're reacting visually, keep a running commentary going so there's not too much dead space where they're just staring at the screen, process what they're experiencing out loud, try to be entertaining, have some level of self-consciousness because they know there are going to be thousands and thousands of people staring at them as they watch the movie, etc. And if there's more than one reactor, it gets worse because then they're also falling into conversations with each other or trying to crack jokes and entertain the other person as well. As a result, movie reactors often talk over important moments or bits of dialog or just don't process the info well because their attention is necessarily divided. I mean, George is obviously a smart guy and yet it took him three instances of slo-mo in the movie before he put together that it was the effect of the drug in the inhalers and not just a pointless stylistic effect. That's not the movie, that's him missing the information because he wasn't paying attention when they conveyed it the first time. No hate to these guys or any other movie reactor, btw; that's just a side effect of reacting to movies on-camera. You can't just forget yourself and become immersed like you would off-camera and so, unfortunately, you miss things. A good comparison would be this: Think about how much you pay attention to a movie when you watch it alone vs. if someone puts it on at a party or with a big group of friends. In the first instance, you can catch everything the director intends for you to catch. In the second instance, people are chatting, making jokes, some people are not really into the movie and are having unrelated conversations, getting up, moving around, asking if anyone wants pizza, etc. and your levels of immersion and attention are going to be a lot less.
There are different types of trigger, that this was a “dead man” trigger wasn’t completely clear. I believe you can have some sort of “falling edge” trigger that cuts signal to trigger as opposed to this type that sends a positive trigger. The difference being that even getting out of range or any signal disruption would trigger vs distance or destruction of device could prevent signal to be sent
I think one of the greatest parts is where Dredd just says “Drug bust, perps were unco-operative” hits home that to Dredd this was just a Tuesday, and tomorrow will be more of the same.
Karl Urban is the most underappreciated actor in Hollywood. The guy has insane range and his ability to change his accent between his various roles is beyond impressive
@@Ausl0vich from what I’ve come to understand about English accents is that every single region and even some of the towns seem to have their own recognized accent
Anderson is extremely powerful in the Comics, she is not only a street judge but a member of Psi Division, the most powerful psychics and judges in the Halls of Justice who's role it is to interrogate witnesses and also investigate crimes based on this and apprehend the most dangerous psychic criminals. She is also one of Dredds very few real friends, because she knows that they are similar in many aspects due to her psychic ability. Dredd views Anderson like a sibling because he's not exactly a 'normal' either, being cloned using the DNA of the Greatest Judges. Pretty much he's a bio engineered super Judge.
Little funfact: Everyone in the Dredd comics ages in real time. The first appearance of Dredd was in 1977 he's pushing about 70ish at this point the comics.
@@RyPie51 yes it is, but slower because of the rejuv treatments. Also his feet hurt because he wears boots a size too small to keep himself mean. Otherwise Judges start to get soft on the citizens as they get old.
And it means that his views have changed over time. He’s become less racist against mutants, less homophobic etc as he’s grown. In line with British society.
@@cassandraharris853 Dredd was never racist or homophobic. He, personally never had a problem with mutants, but the law said that Mutants wheren't allowed in MC1, so he enforced the law. (Until he argues that law needs to change and points out everyone, reguardless of genetic status, should be treated equally under the law as that's one of the very foundations of the law it's self.) And when it comes to sex, well, he just doesn't understand sexual relationships of any sort, is completely chaste and was always as disaproving of overt hetrosexuality as he was of homosexuality.
Best rendition of Judge Dredd ever. And I love it that there is a newer generation that knows so little about him. Dredd is an icon and one of the few comics I ever read when I was younger.
I love when actors are fans of the source material, they really understand the role more than most, like Karl Urban. Glad he played Dredd, I wish they’d do a sequel with him.
I love how this movie feels completely unique, it has its own style, its own pacing, it feels really clean and tight and not over-bloated, and communicates a lot about its characters through the action and dialogue without having to take a bunch of time to directly establish the characters through like flashbacks or exposition or something. The action, the context and the world tell the story well enough on their own. ps Ma Ma wasn't bluffing/ the eyeball guy didn't deactivate the explosives, they were 1 km above ground, and Dredd wagered that the radio signal wouldn't be able to penetrate that many levels of concrete back to the explosives on the top floor.
Well I wouldn't say "completely unique". The story is incredibly similar to "The Raid": Police raiding a huge apartment complex with a crime boss at the top locking them in, sending their goons from all directions while the civilians hide and suffer because of the fighting, etc. Now these two movies were shot pretty much simultaniously, so one wasn't copying the other and the story isn't the main focus of either movie anyway, but the similarities are very hard to miss.
@@mormacil Doesn't the CEO for the game dev, Rebellion have the rights? I'm pretty sure he's been wanting a TV show at the very least but was struggling with finding someone to back it.
@@narutohokage20 Yes, and apparently the TV series 'Mega City One' is in preproduction, but nothing really concrete has come out around it, or whether Karl Urban would be involved.
He was willing to bet on the kilometer of concrete that makes up the tower would be enough to block the signal. He isn't wrong to even make that observation, one of the first things that he noticed when the doors were put on lockdown was that his radio wasn't getting a signal.
One of the best action movies! For the ending, Dredd called her bluff. Peach Trees is a mile high. He didn’t believe a signal would reach the detonator.
Calling her bluff would've entailed that the thing was never going to trigger bombs to go off in the first place if she died. It likely would've, just not through hundreds of feet of concrete like he says. EDIT: She wasn't bluffing, her plan just had a huge glaring flaw.
The Dredd comics are a lot of fun, with a rich world and a wide tonal range - very much resembling Verhoeven’s scifi movies actually. Dredd himself is famous for being an incredible hard-ass.
Is he head and shoulders above the other judges (sort of the way John Wick is so famous because he's the best) or just a bit better and is famous for the situations he deals with?
@@HeyCousin According to the comics Dredd is the second highest ever scoring Judge from the academy, only his brother Rico scored higher, but he went bad. There's a bit more to it than that in the comics (including a time travel plot, lol) but that's the basis of his backstory. Also he's supposed to have written books on being a Judge etc., so he's kind of a big deal and pretty renowned. Judge Anderson is also in the comics, although not as a rookie - she heads up the psychic division.
Dredd threw Mama over to kill her because she only had her level of the tower rigged to blow, so he reasoned that the transmitter on her trigger wouldn’t reach that high up
Glad you put in Andersons speech after she spared the techie. When she stood up to Dredd and justified why she let him go she passed her assessment: she dispensed the law on her own. She didnt quote from a book. She didnt ask for Dredds approval. She made her judgement on her own based on what she knew. Too many people skip that part without realizing how important it is. The look on half of Dredds face says it all: she just passed.
It's the turning point, like when Michael Corleone lights Enzo the baker's cigarette in The Godfather, or when William Munny takes the first drink of whiskey in Unforgiven. Great scenes, all.
Simone and George, just to let you know, due to copyright issues with Stallone's Judge Dredd movie, this Dredd film is based on his first appearance in the British weekly comic book 2000AD. It is a more brutal, less comedic Dredd, who never removes his helmet and is all about the law. The "hot shot " was used by Dredd to take out the criminal, without harming the innocent hostage.
George's point was that he could've probably done that with a regular round, but maybe he switched to the "Hot Shot" just to be more cruel... personally I think he did it because it was a more sure kill, like if he only winged the guy he might have been able to pull the trigger, or if it concussed his brain a certain way maybe he pulls the trigger in a death throe... but the Hot Shot just fuses all his nerves instantly, keeping him from being able to do that.
@@hellomark1 Actually Dredd use's "hotshot" while speaking to the perp so he doesnt catch on he says "I heard ya hotshot" the perp answers "what" and he repeats "hotshot" a little louder this time which activates the round...................Just my take on it
To be fair the early comics were often way more wacky and comedic than the 90s ones. There's a lot in the Stallone movie that's ripped from them. Doesn't stop it being a terrible film though, lol.
@@hellomark1 You're correct on Dredd's reasoning for using the Hotshot. A regular round might not have caused an instant kill, and the perp would only need a split second to pull the trigger, perhaps even just out of automatic reflex. Frying the brain prevented that.
@@moreau1755also those guns pack a serious punch, even an instant kill headshot my cause massive instant trauma which can lead to muscle spasms and pulling the trigger and killing the hostage. The hotshot round seemed to have a 'softer' landing, safer to the hostage and any random pedestrions behind the perp
This is one of those movies that was made for 3D rather than being converted after the fact. It was absolutely fantastic in theaters. Also it wasn't the eyeball guy. They're a kilometer above ground, in a building made of concrete strong enough to withstand nuclear war. The transmitter on her wrist wasn't strong enough.
This was absolutely beautiful to watch in 3D. Slo-Mo was a fantastic theatrical device when watching in cinemas. It really made the most of the visual spectacle with the lighting detail, effects and all of the grittiness / gruesomeness that was displayed.
Judge Dredd as a franchise is criminally underrated. The comics run the whole gamut from comedic satire to harsh social commentary to earnest tributes to full war epic to hypnotic and trippy. Two things that have been consistent is the violence and that scowl. This movie is a great jumping on point for newcomers and it should've sparked at least a tv series. I watched this twice in theaters and bought the DVD and Blu-Ray in hopes that we can see more like this. Damn that inept marketing team!
Urban was definitely the better Dredd in the two movies. Dredd was, by far, more well written. The movie as a whole was better in all ways, especially effects... I mean 17 years in advances will make a better looking cyberpunk movie. but still anytime I hear the word Dredd, I hear Sly saying "I AM THE LAW!" I actually think this movie would have done better if it didn't have to deal with a lot of us remembering the 95 version. It was an uphill battle to begin with. I do think this series could catch on easier as an animated series and would even settle for that if we cannot get Urban back as Dredd.
@@Tanx33 the only decent thing in the Stallone version was Mega city ,one it was much closer to how the comic portrayed the design of it ,but Karl Urbn portayed Dredd much better and closer in his demeanour than Stallone who refused to keep the helmet on,dredds face has never been seen
The hot shot round is from the comic book, it is a heat seeking round that might be useful in a hostage situation because he doesn't have to shoot straight, it will follow the target around obstacles. I think in the filmmaking process they added the burning effect because its use wasn't obvious.
This definitely needs a sequel. Mega city one goes from Connecticut to Florida. And the detonator is to far way to set off the explosion it's 150 stories away
A key thing to realize about this film is Dredd's reaction to everything in the end. For most every other character in the movie, this is one of the most notable days of their lives. For Dredd, this is literally just a Tuesday. In this universe this kind of thing happens most every day to the average Judge.
2000 AD was my comic of choice as a teenager. Judge Dredd was its key comic within its 1980s, Gen-X cynicism fuelled hijinks. Sadly prophetic in some ways, as parodies often are.
Not only does this movie look great in general (brilliant sense of place with the editing and sets), it's an absolute treat in 3D. No, seriously, it's gotta be in the top five or so.
I love that Dredd said she passed at the end. She openly admitted to having her weapon taken from her and that she knew that meant she failed. But she still stayed on mission anyway, with conviction, and Dredd respected the hell out of that.
Dredd was actually modelled on Clint Eastwood, Think Dirty Harry completely off the leash.. And yes like the Mandalorian he was never seen without the helmet, when awake Dredd is ALWAYS on duty... This movie portrays Dredd as he was in the comics, Anderson is also spot on, this movie SHOULD have had a follow up.. The Stallone version got the world environment and some very significant characters spot on, but it broke the cardinal rule, Dredd was unmasked...
One of my favourite Dredd quotes from 2000AD is when Dredd is seeing a psychotherapist who suggests that he has substituted the helmet for his mothers womb and the 'safe space' it provides. Dredd answers. 'In a firefight, that's the last place I'd stick my head.'
Guy with the eyes is Domhnall Gleason. Now that you've seen him in this, the Law of Movie Tangents requires that you watch Ex Machina. Which you should do anyway 'cause it's easily one of the best sci-fi movies in the last ten years.
My favourite film critic in the UK once said that you could sit down and watch 4 or 5 Domhnall Gleeson movies in a row and not know it was the same actor. And he was right.
"If a judge shows up, there is gonna be stray bullets everywhere" 2 seconds later the floor is swiss cheese - maybe George is psychic? It wasn't the eyeball guy who saved Dredd... Dredd gambled that being 1 km above ground that the small device didn't have enough range to reach the explosives to trigger them.
I used to read 2000AD when I was a little kid. This film really captures a lot of the atmosphere of Judge Dredd! You can pretty much press "pause" at any random moment, and what's on screen will likely look like a panel from the comic.
Loved it. 10 min into my first time watching this, I knew I needed the soundtrack. It provided good background music for writing some intense parts of my novels.
This was a brilliant adaptation of a character that was done an injustice by Stallone earlier on. Live action comic book done right. I love how they used pneumatic air to create the slo-mo bullet impacts and it is still one of the best violent visuals ever created IMO.
incendiary round in the first bust was not because Dredd enjoys pain of others, it was to sever a spine so he will not shoot the hostage. it has nothing to do with enjoying pain, but everhing to do with following the law(in that case- the sentence is death) and not letting innocent be harmed.
Loved Judge Dredd since he hit the British comic world in 1977 (2nd issue of 2000AD if memory serves), this movie get's him and the vibe perfectly and shows just how truly woeful Stallone's 1995 version of the stoic lawman was.
@@royalecrafts6252 that was more to do with budgets (or lack there of for Dredd - hence mostly relying on real world Johannesburg as the backdrop) than anything else, that and the Angel Gang were the only things they got right in Stallone's outing. If anything the lack pf budget helped to make it more gritty and grounded than the cartoon-ish MC1 form certain era's of the pages of 2000AD (also reflected in the more practical approach in the design of the Judges uniforms).
Awesome reactions. Karl Urban said he was a fan of Judge Dredd and his portray was on point. He kept to the character. Dredd is what most Judges aspire to judge to follow the letter of the law. And unlike some actors today we know Karl is handsome, but he wanted to this right and never removed helmet. I absolutely love this movie and WISH it had a sequel. Because Judge Dredd does grow as character, and it is amazing. He does have compassion as you can see at end where he sees law is good, but we still need to use our humanity. Also, the dead man switch had a range it was too far out of range as she fell to bottom floor to trigger it.
The building had 1km of height (0.6 miles or so). The emitter, like the wi-fi or bluetooth devices, can't send the signal at that range. Walkie talkie or other radios would send the signal on that range, but they would be much bigger than that tiny bracelet she was using.
This is the best version of Judge Dredd I've ever seen! There were talks of a Sequel and a Spinoff TV series that was going to premiere on Amazon called Judge Dredd: Mega City One. However plans for this would be cancelled or put on hold due to the poor box office where DREDD made $45 million dollars against a $50 million dollar budget.
Sadly, I was part of the reason for this. I skipped this movie in theaters thinking it was just a moody, angsty-teenager version of the Stallone film. Then I finally caught it on HBO one night and thought it was one of the best action movies I'd seen in years. Kicking myself that I was part of the reason this movie didn't make enough at the box office to warrant further iterations.
They really messed up the advertising, both to the public and the cinemas/distributors. it was in cinemas for an extremely short time and the only people who saw it there were already Dredd fans. it also had the problem that due to production problems and the fact the script leaked early - resulting in someone stealing the idea for The Raid, which beat it to release.
the Hot-shot round he used in the first scene, the thermite/heat from it would also fry the perp's nervous system, which would presumably keep him from reflexively shooting his hostage.
this movie is better than most action made today and they made it for $50 million. for example the first Avengers movie cost $220 million. gotta give credit for using what they have the best way possible. not to mention how well the CG holds up a decade later.
The Burning round is used to eliminate targets while avoiding shrapenel from harming the hostage. Although the world of 2000AD is brutal by design, with the Judges trained to be merciless.
The bombs did not detnate as the DMS was too far awar down at ground floor, plus the building also shielded it. If you look back, Dredd was waiting to see whether his assumption was correct or not, before leaving the balcony.
Ma Ma had armed the bombs on only so many levels. Ma Ma had the detonator which has a transmitter. The transmitter only has a certain range. When he threw her over the edge and she hit the ground, the transmitter was out of range of the bomb.👍
This movie is so dope. It’s really too bad it didn’t do well enough to get sequels. Also one of the very few movies I would actually recommend watching in 3D if you have the means to do so anymore. (Probably difficult nowadays.)
Regarding the bomb, Dredd says to Ma-Ma, "We're a kilometer above ground. What do you figure the range is on that thing? Could it get through a hundred levels of concrete? How about two hundred? Let's find out." He implies that the dead man's switch has a range and will not be able to send the signal from the bottom of Peach Trees if he throws her out of the window and also, that the concrete will reduce the signal range even further. No one else interfered with it, it was just out of range.
Dredd's universe and lore is pretty awesome. A few things. Dredd's affectionate nickname is "older stoney face" so, yeah, he always looks grumpy and mean. Dredd ages in real time in the comics so a year passes in our world and Dredd gets older. There is "rejuve" technology which can make your body basically de-age though. What's great about this is that Karl Urban still has years to play Dredd, they can make Mega City one look more high-tech and then in the future they can just say he's had rejuve treatment and cast a younger actor (with a similar chin) after hopefully another couple of films. Dredd (and his brother Rico) is a clone of the founder of the Judge system Judge Fargo. There is another clone of Dredd later in the comics called Judge Kraken who is a pretty important cog in an epic plotline. There are other Mega-Cities in the world though several are wiped out during events in the comics. They all have their own style of judges and they generally look freaking awesome.
There are a few more clones since Kraken - Judge Rico who is still on the streets of MC1; one who went to become a BritCit judge; and one who went into MC1's space force. Rico Dredd's daughter Vienna occasionally gets them all together as they are her only family.
I remember watching this in cinemas in 3D, 3D may have been a gimmick for most movies but with this it really added to the experience. Absolutely brutal, pumping soundtrack, and really gritty take on the Dredd universe, the 90's movie captures some more of the comic book humour but I think Karl Urban captured the character of Dredd better.
I clicked on this immediately; knowing that you guys were NOT ready for what it was going to give you. 🤣 Dredd is one of those interesting (what I call) "mirror movies" here in The States. Every now and then, two movies release in the same year that have the exact same premise by chance. It happened with Armageddon and Deep Impact; Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down; Dante's Peak and Volcano, etc. Dredd came out the same year America was introduced to The Raid...two hyper violent and kinetic films about cops trapped in a high rise controlled by a ruthless gang that they have to battle their way out of. And BOTH were amazing.
Dredd literally explained why the bomb didn't go off at the end. They were a Kilometer above ground, through 200 floors of concrete. He was betting the transmitter had neither the range, nor the power to activate from that distance. He was right
The droning bass in the song that plays every time we see a SlowMo scene is Edith Piaf's rendition of Je Ne Regrette Rien, slowed down about 400 times. The same song and technique used in Inception.
Now that you’ve made it to this film can you please reactions to “the raid redemption” and “the raid 2”. This Dredd movie was heavily inspired by “raid redemption” and Indonesian action film that is highly underrated and looked over by the general public for it being 1)foreign and 2) no big names (at the time) but a master class in action and transitions. Definitely think y’all would enjoy both films
@@soulless_swede well they are both extremely similar for no reason then. Sorry for a incorrect assumption on my part. Doesn’t take away from either movie or add both are fantastic
@@paintwhisperer Yeah it's something that's come up in interviews, apparently it was coincidence as they were being produced at the same time and didn't know about the other movie.
I love that when he traces the link to where he is talking from over the loud speaker, the software used is real security software (NMAP) for probing/analyzing a network and attached devices.
Also, I don’t know if this was intentional by the filmmakers, but the Judge’s names ascend in number of letters. Lex Chan Dredd Kaplan Alvarez Anderson 3 to 8. I always notice this.
After Dredd throws Mama's 2nd in command off the ledge, he just calmly turns around and leisurely walks away. Seriously one of the greatest show of bad assery ever... At that moment Mama probably realized that she might have bit off more than she could chew...
This movie is basically as if you picked up a Random Judge Dredd comic book, and just start reading. it doesn't try to tell you a life story.. it's just another day in Mega city one. and that's what makes it SO GOOD!!! Judge Dredd ages with time since his first issue unlike most comic book characters.. making him about 80--85 years old by now... and No!!! you never saw his face! it's a big part of his character, making him Faceless, and focusing on what he does. the lore of Mega city 1, the apocalyptic world, the justice system, is all really a unique world that many many many movies and media drew inspiration from.
It's got a sort of timeless quality. For all the CGI there is, it's blended so well with the practical effects and production design. It's so tight. I think the violence maybe puts people off, but that's what makes it a cult classic. Proper comic book noir.
1977! I was 8 years old. Me and my mates absolutely loved this. Strange for you to think about, but at the time British kids much preferred this to Marvel.
Fun Fact: Robocop character was based off of Dredd comics. Similar lines in the film are in the comic such as "Stay out of trouble" and "Dead or Alive you're coming with me". Robocop visor is similar too.
Dredd didn't use the hot shot round in the beginning because he drew pleasure from it, he did it because he felt it was appropriate, given the kind of crime and his frustration with the criminal (i.e. if you give yourself up, he goes easy on you... if you give him a hard time, he WON'T take it easy on you). And yes, Dredd is drawn with a permanent scowl in the comics, and he never takes his helmet off, which was a big point of contention with Stallone's movie. Everyone involved with this movie knew exactly what Dredd was really about and what inspired the creation of Dredd in the first place, which was the ultraviolence of the 70s US crime movies, most notably Mean Streets, Charles Bronson's Death Wish, and Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies (which is where the scowl comes from as well as Urban's vocal performance).
*Doesn't take off the helmet because he's always "The Law"!* Also, MaMa fell out of range of the detonator/signal before she died. That's why they showed the signal turning red & nothing happened...if I remember correctly.
22:00 No, it was the distance. Dread said they were nearly a kilometer above the ground. By the time she died, the transmitter in her was out of range of the detonator.
Guys about the deadman switch. Dredd says to Mama that they are a kilometer above ground. By the time she hit the ground the transmitter was out of range
This film is criminally underrated. Karl Urban knocked it out of the park.
Great movie, and Karl Urban is amazing as he is in everything. It's not underrated though. It's got a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, fwiw. It's a well received film, and most people who are fans of the genre really like it. It just didn't do well at the box office, for whatever reason.
Underrated is a good movie that didn't get as good of a critical reception as it deserved, like John Carpenter's "In The Mouth of Madness" (or even "The Thing" at the time, although history has righted that wrong).
It's fantastic. Wish for a 2nd one....
I really wish they hadn't marketed it like crap with the 3d gimmick. Made me disregard it totally back in the day. Only several years after when my mate recommended it, I watched it and damn. One of my all time favourites now and I've seen it a dozen times. Would have been cool to see it in Cinema and how the 3d looked
@@cmxpiipl Same on all counts
@@patjacksonpodium i think it was the Marketing. It relied only on the "3D" and that was totally burned out when they Marketed it that way. I was turned off watching it in the cinema by that, too.
At least it was like that here in germany
About the bomb: He did say (but I think you cut it from the reaction) that the signal won't reach from the bottom through all the concrete floors.
Yes, this. He gambled that the tower was so tall that she'd be out of signal range by the time she hit the ground. I do wonder why a bomb rigged to a dead man's switch wouldn't also go off if the trigger went out of range or otherwise could no longer send a signal, but I guess this particular one relied upon sending confirmation of death rather than continually telling the bomb to not go off.
@@TheMidnightPhil If this future tech is as unreliable as some tech is today, like bluetooth, you don't want it detonating just because of signal drop :)
These 2 are so dumb sometimes
@@TheMidnightPhil it is indeed kind of a convenient and silly plot shield...
a logical dead man switch requires constant communication and explodes when it is missing - it shouldn't require a "confirmation" event
Which is a horrible way to rig a dead-man switch. Don't trigger when a signal is received, trigger when the signal is lost.
Yes, the frown and the not taking off of the helmet is a Judge Dredd trademark.
And the fact that, unlike what many actors would have done, Karl Urban didn't demand to take the helmet off at some point so his face could be seen is commendable. Mad respect for the lack of ego and commitment to the IP.
@@johnplaysgames3120 also the studio payed a lot of money for Stallone, so they wanted to show his face. Karl Urban was probably (definitely) not as expensive then as Sly was in the other one. My point is that it might not be ego as much as money.
@@johnplaysgames3120
*And the fact that, unlike what many actors would have done, Karl Urban didn't demand to take the helmet off at some point so his face could be seen is commendable.*
It's my understanding he actually fought against the studio when they did want Dredd to reveal his face on screen.
@@Jaslath It helped that Karl Urban was a fan of the comic since he was a teenager so he understood how important that was to the character.
And predates Boba Fett.
This is the movie that needed a sequel
Agreed!
They’re supposed to be working on a series based on this version called “Mega City 1” and Carl Urban said he’d play Dredd again.
@@McPh1741 oh god I hope that's true
@@sebastianwagner7334 it is. They just had problems with funding because Dredd bombed at the box office.
Karl Urban wants it too and keeps trying to get the money. If i ever win the lottery ill bank roll it.
Dredd never takes his helmet off because the law is supposed to be faceless. Also one of the original writers of the comics had two rules “Dredd is hero” and “Dredd is villain”
The comics also have a level of satire as well as the ultra violence. And yes, the original Robocop movie is heavily influenced by Judge Dredd
Ironically, the Stallone version of "Dredd" is NOT so heavily influenced by Judge Dredd.
Even going so far as to nick the line "Your move, creep."
Also a big influence on the whole Warhammer 40k thing.
@@iantellam9970 2000ad was a massive 40k influence overall. Nemesis the Warlock even more than Dredd.
@@pitmatix1457 Maybe a bit of Rogue Trooper too. The Norts look preeeety Imperial.
It’s weird that so many people misunderstand the dead man trigger. Like other comments say, Dredd explains his reasoning seconds earlier: the signal won’t be strong enough to reach the bombs through a kilometer of building. That’s it. Just spotty wifi. It’s why he throws her instead of shooting her then and there.
But so many people expect the explosion, and make up nonsense theories, or are just confused by it. Don’t see how it could be made any clearer tho.
Anyway, yes, Mandalorian copied this: Dredd never removes his helmet. Stallone did in his film because vanity (and just a much worse film overall), but the comic book character never does; he is that uniform, helmet and scowl. That grimace is permanent too. Urban’s Dredd is infinitely more faithful to the character. Story too; Dredd has basically zero character arc, because he’s not supposed to. And the film is better for it
@@sojugon i completely agree that it wasn’t set up well at all. As you say, it’s immediately resolved making it a bit of a plot non-point. I had just happened to see someone else react to the film, and they had the same confusion, which, in turn, confuses me - perhaps especially because everything about it is contained in 30 seconds. Sure, the movie could have cut to a screen saying “connection to bombs dropped” or something, but… really? There are plenty of films that are intentionally complex, or unintentionally just poorly made. This one thing is just so odd to me, because it’s simple, stated outright by the protagonist, and relatable to anyone who’s ever lost cell signal or something.
@@sojugon the thing is u cant make it clearer then having the main character bascily say it ...
if u explain more u not take ur audience serious, sometimes some people needs to be left behind to make the movie better for the once paying attention
if u make movie for the least understanding movies u get the shit we get so often nowadays
if a movie explains everything its just a bad movie for stupid people ... i am totaly fine with some people dont understand stuff tehy can listen to it again if they cant get it instantly xD
I just figured that Dredd was hoping that the deadman signal wouldn't reach far enough from the bottom of the tower to trigger the bombs. But he was willing to die in order to see justice done. It's not like he was going to let MaMa go, after all.
@@sojugon I think the issue is less with the movie - I mean, the protagonist straight up says the information you need at the moment you need to know it, it doesn't get any clearer than that - and more with movie reactors in general. I see it all the time on movie reaction channels. The amount of obvious stuff that gets missed is sometimes mind-blowing. But, really, it makes sense. I mean, think about it: Instead of just watching a movie like they normally would IRL, movie reactors have to also make sure they're reacting visually, keep a running commentary going so there's not too much dead space where they're just staring at the screen, process what they're experiencing out loud, try to be entertaining, have some level of self-consciousness because they know there are going to be thousands and thousands of people staring at them as they watch the movie, etc. And if there's more than one reactor, it gets worse because then they're also falling into conversations with each other or trying to crack jokes and entertain the other person as well. As a result, movie reactors often talk over important moments or bits of dialog or just don't process the info well because their attention is necessarily divided. I mean, George is obviously a smart guy and yet it took him three instances of slo-mo in the movie before he put together that it was the effect of the drug in the inhalers and not just a pointless stylistic effect. That's not the movie, that's him missing the information because he wasn't paying attention when they conveyed it the first time. No hate to these guys or any other movie reactor, btw; that's just a side effect of reacting to movies on-camera. You can't just forget yourself and become immersed like you would off-camera and so, unfortunately, you miss things.
A good comparison would be this: Think about how much you pay attention to a movie when you watch it alone vs. if someone puts it on at a party or with a big group of friends. In the first instance, you can catch everything the director intends for you to catch. In the second instance, people are chatting, making jokes, some people are not really into the movie and are having unrelated conversations, getting up, moving around, asking if anyone wants pizza, etc. and your levels of immersion and attention are going to be a lot less.
There are different types of trigger, that this was a “dead man” trigger wasn’t completely clear. I believe you can have some sort of “falling edge” trigger that cuts signal to trigger as opposed to this type that sends a positive trigger. The difference being that even getting out of range or any signal disruption would trigger vs distance or destruction of device could prevent signal to be sent
I think one of the greatest parts is where Dredd just says “Drug bust, perps were unco-operative” hits home that to Dredd this was just a Tuesday, and tomorrow will be more of the same.
Karl Urban is the most underappreciated actor in Hollywood. The guy has insane range and his ability to change his accent between his various roles is beyond impressive
I like Karl Urban but as a fellow Kiwi even I have to admit that his british accent is terrible.
He's getting love with his Billy Butcher though
@@Ausl0vich from what I’ve come to understand about English accents is that every single region and even some of the towns seem to have their own recognized accent
@@reconsoldier135 As a Brit I can confirm that this is true, and none of them sound like Karl Urban in the Boys XD
@@MrVisualHigh what about Karl Urban in Thor: Ragnarok?
Anderson is extremely powerful in the Comics, she is not only a street judge but a member of Psi Division, the most powerful psychics and judges in the Halls of Justice who's role it is to interrogate witnesses and also investigate crimes based on this and apprehend the most dangerous psychic criminals. She is also one of Dredds very few real friends, because she knows that they are similar in many aspects due to her psychic ability.
Dredd views Anderson like a sibling because he's not exactly a 'normal' either, being cloned using the DNA of the Greatest Judges. Pretty much he's a bio engineered super Judge.
I Am Alpharius
@@crimsonknight7011 me too!
whose* role not who's.
Wow, so cool. I had no idea about that last part.
You interrogate suspects. And you question witnesses. 😏
Little funfact: Everyone in the Dredd comics ages in real time. The first appearance of Dredd was in 1977 he's pushing about 70ish at this point the comics.
Is his body failing him because of aging etc?
@@RyPie51 Rejuvenation treatments exists in Mega City One and Dredd has also had several organs replaced with robotic ones over the years.
@@RyPie51 yes it is, but slower because of the rejuv treatments. Also his feet hurt because he wears boots a size too small to keep himself mean. Otherwise Judges start to get soft on the citizens as they get old.
And it means that his views have changed over time. He’s become less racist against mutants, less homophobic etc as he’s grown. In line with British society.
@@cassandraharris853 Dredd was never racist or homophobic. He, personally never had a problem with mutants, but the law said that Mutants wheren't allowed in MC1, so he enforced the law. (Until he argues that law needs to change and points out everyone, reguardless of genetic status, should be treated equally under the law as that's one of the very foundations of the law it's self.) And when it comes to sex, well, he just doesn't understand sexual relationships of any sort, is completely chaste and was always as disaproving of overt hetrosexuality as he was of homosexuality.
Best rendition of Judge Dredd ever. And I love it that there is a newer generation that knows so little about him. Dredd is an icon and one of the few comics I ever read when I was younger.
I've been wanting to read the comics since I first saw this when it came out, haven't gotten around to it yet though.
I love when actors are fans of the source material, they really understand the role more than most, like Karl Urban. Glad he played Dredd, I wish they’d do a sequel with him.
He wishes they’d do a sequel with him too.
yup respected the character unlike stallone
I love how this movie feels completely unique, it has its own style, its own pacing, it feels really clean and tight and not over-bloated, and communicates a lot about its characters through the action and dialogue without having to take a bunch of time to directly establish the characters through like flashbacks or exposition or something. The action, the context and the world tell the story well enough on their own.
ps Ma Ma wasn't bluffing/ the eyeball guy didn't deactivate the explosives, they were 1 km above ground, and Dredd wagered that the radio signal wouldn't be able to penetrate that many levels of concrete back to the explosives on the top floor.
Well I wouldn't say "completely unique". The story is incredibly similar to "The Raid": Police raiding a huge apartment complex with a crime boss at the top locking them in, sending their goons from all directions while the civilians hide and suffer because of the fighting, etc.
Now these two movies were shot pretty much simultaniously, so one wasn't copying the other and the story isn't the main focus of either movie anyway, but the similarities are very hard to miss.
@@Quallenkrauler True but the comic had similar stories for a long time, Judges raid a block.
Still waiting a sequel to this, Karl Urban was born to this role!
He really wants to make it but nobody with the rights wants to finance it :(
@@mormacil Doesn't the CEO for the game dev, Rebellion have the rights? I'm pretty sure he's been wanting a TV show at the very least but was struggling with finding someone to back it.
@@narutohokage20 He acquired them a few years ago, nothing has been produced though nor has Urban been hired to reprise Dredd in any capacity.
@BattleAngelFan There no natural rights though. Nothing about rights is natural. They're all artificial cultural constructs.
@@narutohokage20 Yes, and apparently the TV series 'Mega City One' is in preproduction, but nothing really concrete has come out around it, or whether Karl Urban would be involved.
The idea is that Dredd was willing to bet on the fact that MaMa’s bomb wouldn’t activate if she died at the bottom of Peach Trees
@Latest Obssesion It's a very quick line that makes it clear. With commentating, especially on a first watch it's pretty easy to miss.
He was willing to bet on the kilometer of concrete that makes up the tower would be enough to block the signal. He isn't wrong to even make that observation, one of the first things that he noticed when the doors were put on lockdown was that his radio wasn't getting a signal.
In my headcannon i just assume thats not the first time Dredd has seen that trick before and winged it
One of the best action movies!
For the ending, Dredd called her bluff. Peach Trees is a mile high. He didn’t believe a signal would reach the detonator.
Calling her bluff would've entailed that the thing was never going to trigger bombs to go off in the first place if she died. It likely would've, just not through hundreds of feet of concrete like he says.
EDIT: She wasn't bluffing, her plan just had a huge glaring flaw.
The Dredd comics are a lot of fun, with a rich world and a wide tonal range - very much resembling Verhoeven’s scifi movies actually. Dredd himself is famous for being an incredible hard-ass.
Is he head and shoulders above the other judges (sort of the way John Wick is so famous because he's the best) or just a bit better and is famous for the situations he deals with?
Now all we need is Strontium Dog and Rogue Trooper movies to get a 200AD trifecta.
I believe that Jurassic Park stole the idea about bringing dinosaurs back from the dead from 2000 A.D. comics
@@HeyCousin According to the comics Dredd is the second highest ever scoring Judge from the academy, only his brother Rico scored higher, but he went bad. There's a bit more to it than that in the comics (including a time travel plot, lol) but that's the basis of his backstory. Also he's supposed to have written books on being a Judge etc., so he's kind of a big deal and pretty renowned. Judge Anderson is also in the comics, although not as a rookie - she heads up the psychic division.
@@willpayne8726 possible but Creighton published in 1990 so he must have been writing it for a few years prior
Dredd threw Mama over to kill her because she only had her level of the tower rigged to blow, so he reasoned that the transmitter on her trigger wouldn’t reach that high up
Glad you put in Andersons speech after she spared the techie. When she stood up to Dredd and justified why she let him go she passed her assessment: she dispensed the law on her own. She didnt quote from a book. She didnt ask for Dredds approval. She made her judgement on her own based on what she knew.
Too many people skip that part without realizing how important it is. The look on half of Dredds face says it all: she just passed.
It's the turning point, like when Michael Corleone lights Enzo the baker's cigarette in The Godfather, or when William Munny takes the first drink of whiskey in Unforgiven. Great scenes, all.
Simone and George, just to let you know, due to copyright issues with Stallone's Judge Dredd movie, this Dredd film is based on his first appearance in the British weekly comic book 2000AD.
It is a more brutal, less comedic Dredd, who never removes his helmet and is all about the law.
The "hot shot " was used by Dredd to take out the criminal, without harming the innocent hostage.
George's point was that he could've probably done that with a regular round, but maybe he switched to the "Hot Shot" just to be more cruel... personally I think he did it because it was a more sure kill, like if he only winged the guy he might have been able to pull the trigger, or if it concussed his brain a certain way maybe he pulls the trigger in a death throe... but the Hot Shot just fuses all his nerves instantly, keeping him from being able to do that.
@@hellomark1 Actually Dredd use's "hotshot" while speaking to the perp so he doesnt catch on he says "I heard ya hotshot" the perp answers "what" and he repeats "hotshot" a little louder this time which activates the round...................Just my take on it
To be fair the early comics were often way more wacky and comedic than the 90s ones. There's a lot in the Stallone movie that's ripped from them. Doesn't stop it being a terrible film though, lol.
@@hellomark1 You're correct on Dredd's reasoning for using the Hotshot. A regular round might not have caused an instant kill, and the perp would only need a split second to pull the trigger, perhaps even just out of automatic reflex. Frying the brain prevented that.
@@moreau1755also those guns pack a serious punch, even an instant kill headshot my cause massive instant trauma which can lead to muscle spasms and pulling the trigger and killing the hostage. The hotshot round seemed to have a 'softer' landing, safer to the hostage and any random pedestrions behind the perp
This is one of those movies that was made for 3D rather than being converted after the fact. It was absolutely fantastic in theaters. Also it wasn't the eyeball guy. They're a kilometer above ground, in a building made of concrete strong enough to withstand nuclear war. The transmitter on her wrist wasn't strong enough.
This was absolutely beautiful to watch in 3D. Slo-Mo was a fantastic theatrical device when watching in cinemas. It really made the most of the visual spectacle with the lighting detail, effects and all of the grittiness / gruesomeness that was displayed.
Love this movie!! If there ever was a movie that deserved a sequel, this is it!!
Judge Dredd as a franchise is criminally underrated. The comics run the whole gamut from comedic satire to harsh social commentary to earnest tributes to full war epic to hypnotic and trippy. Two things that have been consistent is the violence and that scowl.
This movie is a great jumping on point for newcomers and it should've sparked at least a tv series. I watched this twice in theaters and bought the DVD and Blu-Ray in hopes that we can see more like this. Damn that inept marketing team!
Indeed, the Judge Dredd universe is fucking bananas, it's awesome.
Urban was definitely the better Dredd in the two movies. Dredd was, by far, more well written. The movie as a whole was better in all ways, especially effects... I mean 17 years in advances will make a better looking cyberpunk movie. but still anytime I hear the word Dredd, I hear Sly saying "I AM THE LAW!" I actually think this movie would have done better if it didn't have to deal with a lot of us remembering the 95 version. It was an uphill battle to begin with. I do think this series could catch on easier as an animated series and would even settle for that if we cannot get Urban back as Dredd.
@@Tanx33 the only decent thing in the Stallone version was Mega city ,one it was much closer to how the comic portrayed the design of it ,but Karl Urbn portayed Dredd much better and closer in his demeanour than Stallone who refused to keep the helmet on,dredds face has never been seen
Karl Urban says Dredd represents a failure in marketing, not filmmaking.
I believe it. For all the films that get marketed to hell and back but this deserved more.
@@Girkonthe marketers had no idea how to market this film.. hell tons of people didn’t realise it was a 2000AD judge Dredd film
This film is criminally underrated.
Easily one of my top 5 action movies.
"the universe" is from the 2000 AD comic book series.
The hot shot round is from the comic book, it is a heat seeking round that might be useful in a hostage situation because he doesn't have to shoot straight, it will follow the target around obstacles. I think in the filmmaking process they added the burning effect because its use wasn't obvious.
I was wondering why it seemed like a smaller version of the Incendiary round but that was just the rocket motor. Nice.
This definitely needs a sequel. Mega city one goes from Connecticut to Florida. And the detonator is to far way to set off the explosion it's 150 stories away
A key thing to realize about this film is Dredd's reaction to everything in the end. For most every other character in the movie, this is one of the most notable days of their lives. For Dredd, this is literally just a Tuesday. In this universe this kind of thing happens most every day to the average Judge.
2000 AD was my comic of choice as a teenager. Judge Dredd was its key comic within its 1980s, Gen-X cynicism fuelled hijinks. Sadly prophetic in some ways, as parodies often are.
Wondering if Duncan Jones is still directing Rogue Trooper.
Ridiculously under-rated movie! Thanks for drawing some attention to it!
Not only does this movie look great in general (brilliant sense of place with the editing and sets), it's an absolute treat in 3D. No, seriously, it's gotta be in the top five or so.
I agree....one of the few films actually worth watching in 3D!
I love that Dredd said she passed at the end. She openly admitted to having her weapon taken from her and that she knew that meant she failed. But she still stayed on mission anyway, with conviction, and Dredd respected the hell out of that.
Dredd was actually modelled on Clint Eastwood, Think Dirty Harry completely off the leash..
And yes like the Mandalorian he was never seen without the helmet, when awake Dredd is ALWAYS on duty...
This movie portrays Dredd as he was in the comics, Anderson is also spot on, this movie SHOULD have had a follow up..
The Stallone version got the world environment and some very significant characters spot on, but it broke the cardinal rule, Dredd was unmasked...
One of my favourite Dredd quotes from 2000AD is when Dredd is seeing a psychotherapist who suggests that he has substituted the helmet for his mothers womb and the 'safe space' it provides.
Dredd answers. 'In a firefight, that's the last place I'd stick my head.'
Guy with the eyes is Domhnall Gleason. Now that you've seen him in this, the Law of Movie Tangents requires that you watch Ex Machina. Which you should do anyway 'cause it's easily one of the best sci-fi movies in the last ten years.
He's also in American Made and A Stupid and Futile Gesture. Very chameleon-like character actor.
And after that you should watch Anhiliation
And he's a Weasley
Also for playing General Armitage Hux in Star Wars sequels.
My favourite film critic in the UK once said that you could sit down and watch 4 or 5 Domhnall Gleeson movies in a row and not know it was the same actor. And he was right.
love this movie for exactly what George said at 9:55 "Its just a job" the movie is just a day in the life of Judge Dredd.
"If a judge shows up, there is gonna be stray bullets everywhere" 2 seconds later the floor is swiss cheese - maybe George is psychic?
It wasn't the eyeball guy who saved Dredd... Dredd gambled that being 1 km above ground that the small device didn't have enough range to reach the explosives to trigger them.
I used to read 2000AD when I was a little kid. This film really captures a lot of the atmosphere of Judge Dredd! You can pretty much press "pause" at any random moment, and what's on screen will likely look like a panel from the comic.
22:00 no, it was the distance combined with the thick concrete that blocked the signal
Loved it. 10 min into my first time watching this, I knew I needed the soundtrack. It provided good background music for writing some intense parts of my novels.
This was a brilliant adaptation of a character that was done an injustice by Stallone earlier on. Live action comic book done right. I love how they used pneumatic air to create the slo-mo bullet impacts and it is still one of the best violent visuals ever created IMO.
Mr Frowny Face is the most apt nickname for Judge Dredd ever devised
incendiary round in the first bust was not because Dredd enjoys pain of others, it was to sever a spine so he will not shoot the hostage. it has nothing to do with enjoying pain, but everhing to do with following the law(in that case- the sentence is death) and not letting innocent be harmed.
Loved Judge Dredd since he hit the British comic world in 1977 (2nd issue of 2000AD if memory serves), this movie get's him and the vibe perfectly and shows just how truly woeful Stallone's 1995 version of the stoic lawman was.
Yeah. Issue 2 for his first story. My 12 year old self was so pissed off when I got issue 1. I had to wait a whole week!
They did have a Hammerstein style war robot in it though and that was a pretty amazing easter egg for 2000ad fans.
The city of stallone version is more faithful to the comic tho
@@pitmatix1457 just a shame the rest of the film was utter bobbins!
@@royalecrafts6252 that was more to do with budgets (or lack there of for Dredd - hence mostly relying on real world Johannesburg as the backdrop) than anything else, that and the Angel Gang were the only things they got right in Stallone's outing. If anything the lack pf budget helped to make it more gritty and grounded than the cartoon-ish MC1 form certain era's of the pages of 2000AD (also reflected in the more practical approach in the design of the Judges uniforms).
Awesome reactions. Karl Urban said he was a fan of Judge Dredd and his portray was on point. He kept to the character. Dredd is what most Judges aspire to judge to follow the letter of the law. And unlike some actors today we know Karl is handsome, but he wanted to this right and never removed helmet. I absolutely love this movie and WISH it had a sequel. Because Judge Dredd does grow as character, and it is amazing. He does have compassion as you can see at end where he sees law is good, but we still need to use our humanity. Also, the dead man switch had a range it was too far out of range as she fell to bottom floor to trigger it.
The building had 1km of height (0.6 miles or so). The emitter, like the wi-fi or bluetooth devices, can't send the signal at that range. Walkie talkie or other radios would send the signal on that range, but they would be much bigger than that tiny bracelet she was using.
One of my favorite action movies of all time. Simple but done to perfection. It looks amazing in 4k on a big screen/projector.
This is the best version of Judge Dredd I've ever seen!
There were talks of a Sequel and a Spinoff TV series that was going to premiere on Amazon called Judge Dredd: Mega City One.
However plans for this would be cancelled or put on hold due to the poor box office where DREDD made $45 million dollars against a $50 million dollar budget.
Sadly, I was part of the reason for this. I skipped this movie in theaters thinking it was just a moody, angsty-teenager version of the Stallone film. Then I finally caught it on HBO one night and thought it was one of the best action movies I'd seen in years. Kicking myself that I was part of the reason this movie didn't make enough at the box office to warrant further iterations.
They really messed up the advertising, both to the public and the cinemas/distributors. it was in cinemas for an extremely short time and the only people who saw it there were already Dredd fans. it also had the problem that due to production problems and the fact the script leaked early - resulting in someone stealing the idea for The Raid, which beat it to release.
This movie deserves more attention
the Hot-shot round he used in the first scene, the thermite/heat from it would also fry the perp's nervous system, which would presumably keep him from reflexively shooting his hostage.
"Ew, What, Ew, No, Oh, Jesus!"
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
That's the best reaction I've ever seen to that scene.
this movie is better than most action made today and they made it for $50 million. for example the first Avengers movie cost $220 million. gotta give credit for using what they have the best way possible. not to mention how well the CG holds up a decade later.
Oh snap, you guys haven't seen the Raid!? That needs to be watched immediately!!
scrolled past many comments hoping I'd see someone mention that 👍
To me this the greatest comic book film ever made, its flawless to me
The Burning round is used to eliminate targets while avoiding shrapenel from harming the hostage. Although the world of 2000AD is brutal by design, with the Judges trained to be merciless.
Great film. It definitely deserves a sequel.
I’d love to see a sequel with Judge Death
I'd love to see the judge child quest myself. Tho the 4 dirty judges could easily play the dark judges given their physical builds.
The bombs did not detnate as the DMS was too far awar down at ground floor, plus the building also shielded it.
If you look back, Dredd was waiting to see whether his assumption was correct or not, before leaving the balcony.
It's criminal that there was no sequel to this.
I highly recommend the audio dramas for Judge Dredd because they're so good and funny. The Judge Dredd universe is hilarious and awesome.
Ma Ma had armed the bombs on only so many levels. Ma Ma had the detonator which has a transmitter. The transmitter only has a certain range. When he threw her over the edge and she hit the ground, the transmitter was out of range of the bomb.👍
Love the comics. There's an entire short about the tax collector crossing the street for lunch every day and the entire city coming down on him. 😄
Never clicked so fast on a thumbnail. One of the best underrated movies ever.
This movie is such a gem.
This movie is so dope. It’s really too bad it didn’t do well enough to get sequels.
Also one of the very few movies I would actually recommend watching in 3D if you have the means to do so anymore. (Probably difficult nowadays.)
Regarding the bomb, Dredd says to Ma-Ma, "We're a kilometer above ground. What do you figure the range is on that thing? Could it get through a hundred levels of concrete? How about two hundred? Let's find out." He implies that the dead man's switch has a range and will not be able to send the signal from the bottom of Peach Trees if he throws her out of the window and also, that the concrete will reduce the signal range even further.
No one else interfered with it, it was just out of range.
Dredd's universe and lore is pretty awesome. A few things.
Dredd's affectionate nickname is "older stoney face" so, yeah, he always looks grumpy and mean.
Dredd ages in real time in the comics so a year passes in our world and Dredd gets older. There is "rejuve" technology which can make your body basically de-age though. What's great about this is that Karl Urban still has years to play Dredd, they can make Mega City one look more high-tech and then in the future they can just say he's had rejuve treatment and cast a younger actor (with a similar chin) after hopefully another couple of films.
Dredd (and his brother Rico) is a clone of the founder of the Judge system Judge Fargo. There is another clone of Dredd later in the comics called Judge Kraken who is a pretty important cog in an epic plotline.
There are other Mega-Cities in the world though several are wiped out during events in the comics. They all have their own style of judges and they generally look freaking awesome.
There are a few more clones since Kraken - Judge Rico who is still on the streets of MC1; one who went to become a BritCit judge; and one who went into MC1's space force.
Rico Dredd's daughter Vienna occasionally gets them all together as they are her only family.
5:44 Hey look it's Avon Barksdale
This is a great action flick! I don't think nearly enough people have seen this movie to give it the accolades it deserves.
This is a great movie. I bought it to be able to watch it whenever i want. So far i have seen it 6 times. And yes that is the way he is drawn.
This movie in 3d in the theater was phenomenal
I remember watching this in cinemas in 3D, 3D may have been a gimmick for most movies but with this it really added to the experience.
Absolutely brutal, pumping soundtrack, and really gritty take on the Dredd universe, the 90's movie captures some more of the comic book humour but I think Karl Urban captured the character of Dredd better.
wow post apocolyse city scape and George failed to bring up Edmonton. Is his hatred cooling off?
I clicked on this immediately; knowing that you guys were NOT ready for what it was going to give you. 🤣 Dredd is one of those interesting (what I call) "mirror movies" here in The States. Every now and then, two movies release in the same year that have the exact same premise by chance. It happened with Armageddon and Deep Impact; Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down; Dante's Peak and Volcano, etc. Dredd came out the same year America was introduced to The Raid...two hyper violent and kinetic films about cops trapped in a high rise controlled by a ruthless gang that they have to battle their way out of.
And BOTH were amazing.
I’ve been waiting for you guys to do this movie. It has become one of my favorites.
Such a cool adaptation. It's too bad they never made any more of these.
This needs a sequel.
Dredd literally explained why the bomb didn't go off at the end. They were a Kilometer above ground, through 200 floors of concrete. He was betting the transmitter had neither the range, nor the power to activate from that distance. He was right
The droning bass in the song that plays every time we see a SlowMo scene is Edith Piaf's rendition of Je Ne Regrette Rien, slowed down about 400 times.
The same song and technique used in Inception.
Now that you’ve made it to this film can you please reactions to “the raid redemption” and “the raid 2”. This Dredd movie was heavily inspired by “raid redemption” and Indonesian action film that is highly underrated and looked over by the general public for it being 1)foreign and 2) no big names (at the time) but a master class in action and transitions. Definitely think y’all would enjoy both films
The filming of Dredd started in 2010 and ended in early spring 2011. The Raid didn't premiere until fall 2011.
@@soulless_swede well they are both extremely similar for no reason then. Sorry for a incorrect assumption on my part. Doesn’t take away from either movie or add both are fantastic
@@paintwhisperer Yeah it's something that's come up in interviews, apparently it was coincidence as they were being produced at the same time and didn't know about the other movie.
I love that when he traces the link to where he is talking from over the loud speaker, the software used is real security software (NMAP) for probing/analyzing a network and attached devices.
Also, I don’t know if this was intentional by the filmmakers, but the Judge’s names ascend in number of letters.
Lex
Chan
Dredd
Kaplan
Alvarez
Anderson
3 to 8. I always notice this.
I always took it that she fell so far that she was out of signal range. Dredd even mentioned something to that effect.
Dredd, judging non stop since 1977.
After Dredd throws Mama's 2nd in command off the ledge, he just calmly turns around and leisurely walks away. Seriously one of the greatest show of bad assery ever... At that moment Mama probably realized that she might have bit off more than she could chew...
Nice cyberpunk reference near the start. Ironically, both dredd and cyberpunk 2077 share a composer: Paul Leonard Morgan.
This movie is basically as if you picked up a Random Judge Dredd comic book, and just start reading.
it doesn't try to tell you a life story.. it's just another day in Mega city one.
and that's what makes it SO GOOD!!!
Judge Dredd ages with time since his first issue unlike most comic book characters..
making him about 80--85 years old by now...
and No!!! you never saw his face!
it's a big part of his character, making him Faceless, and focusing on what he does.
the lore of Mega city 1, the apocalyptic world, the justice system, is all really a unique world that many many many movies and media drew inspiration from.
It's got a sort of timeless quality. For all the CGI there is, it's blended so well with the practical effects and production design.
It's so tight.
I think the violence maybe puts people off, but that's what makes it a cult classic.
Proper comic book noir.
1977! I was 8 years old. Me and my mates absolutely loved this. Strange for you to think about, but at the time British kids much preferred this to Marvel.
*YES!...The ORGINAL DREDD was drawn like that with a frowny face as you called it*
I have always loved Karl Urban and Lena Heady, so I loved this movie. And Lena Heady was freaking awesome in this.
Fun Fact: Robocop character was based off of Dredd comics. Similar lines in the film are in the comic such as "Stay out of trouble" and "Dead or Alive you're coming with me". Robocop visor is similar too.
Dredd didn't use the hot shot round in the beginning because he drew pleasure from it, he did it because he felt it was appropriate, given the kind of crime and his frustration with the criminal (i.e. if you give yourself up, he goes easy on you... if you give him a hard time, he WON'T take it easy on you).
And yes, Dredd is drawn with a permanent scowl in the comics, and he never takes his helmet off, which was a big point of contention with Stallone's movie. Everyone involved with this movie knew exactly what Dredd was really about and what inspired the creation of Dredd in the first place, which was the ultraviolence of the 70s US crime movies, most notably Mean Streets, Charles Bronson's Death Wish, and Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies (which is where the scowl comes from as well as Urban's vocal performance).
I love that this is just another regular day on the job from Dredd's perspective
One of my favorite action movies. Super underrated and just a bloody good time!
George's reaction to Simone's little performance at the beginning is great
*Doesn't take off the helmet because he's always "The Law"!* Also, MaMa fell out of range of the detonator/signal before she died. That's why they showed the signal turning red & nothing happened...if I remember correctly.
22:00 No, it was the distance. Dread said they were nearly a kilometer above the ground. By the time she died, the transmitter in her was out of range of the detonator.
Guys about the deadman switch. Dredd says to Mama that they are a kilometer above ground. By the time she hit the ground the transmitter was out of range
The dead man's bracelet was out of range when she hit the bottom so it couldn't trigger the explosives.