I remember when this movie came out of nowhere in 1995...I was a kid and didn't know anything about what constitutes a "good movie", but I sure did enjoy the heck out of all the action, costumes, and the way they presented how the dystopian future looked! Thanks for this upload, Oliver!
@@agp11001 It wasn't so much him taking off the helmet that ruined the film but it just seemed to be around that mark that the film declined in general and wasn't a Judge Dredd film anymore but a Stallone action film that happen to feature some stuff from Judge Dredd.
@@darkwoods1954 indeed the opening of the movie is great, then the film nosedives into a sly vehicle which is not a bad thing per se, but it's just not dredd anymore
I love both DREDD movies. They couldn't be more dissimilar, but they're wildly entertaining triumphs of production design. Alan Silvestri's score for JUDGE DREDD is simply amazing!
As a 90's baby, Judge Dredd was absolutely AMAZING when I first watched it. I still enjoy it to this day. The scene he mentioned where the robot pulls the arms and you just see the splatter, that stuck with me for a while when I was young
I am afraid it never actually existed - not as a fully-locked edit anyway. It was probably a work-in-progress and all the related material is very likely to have been lost, like the NC-17 cut of "Predator 2" or the original ultra-gory edit of "Event Horizon". One can only hope there's still at least one low-quality VHS dub of the more violent edit gathering dust somewhere, allowing for the deleted bits to be featured in a future special edition.
That footage is VERY likely destroyed. Considering the story and the fact that there were two lawsuits and 3 mpaa submissions, they very likely decided it was more trouble than it was worth and destroyed or incinerated that footage.
@@the-NightStar "Boy, I hate being right all the time!". Jokes aside, that sucks but it was very likely: before the advent of DVD, there was no avenue for deleted footage and it was common procedure to dispose of all the material that wasn't cut in the final negative. I am actually more abashed (and pleasantly so) when deleted footage from 30+ years ago resurfaces. That doesn't negate the possibility that the footage might still exist on a video dub hiding in somebody's basement. VHS work-in-progress tapes were pretty common in the late-80s\early-90s, as that's what was used to show producers how the editing was progressing. That's how the extended cut of "Nightbreed" became a festival sensation about 10 years ago, so there's still some tiny bit of hope.
There's always bootlegs. Among Sylvester Stallone's back catalogue, and the most violent, bloody and brutal film in history, and I love it, is 2008's Rambo. It's well made, well acted, and well directed by Stallone. The climax, with John Rambo taking control of a .50 Calibre Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun mounted on the back of a Land Rover, with support fire from the mercenaries and the Karen Rebel Army, is by turns loud, bloody, gruesome and brutal. To sum it up in one word: Awesome 👌 👏 👍 😀
You have to wonder where the disconnect really was, as the director seemed to have been steering closer to the original materials tone whereas the writer and producers were trying to push for something more commercially accessible for kiddos. I'd kill to see the original cut.
@@williamchamberlain2263 Yep, hence? “Eat recycled food. Recycled food is good for the environment and “OK” for you…” Sounds like the ideal fast food ad actually…
...the comic books are pretty humorous in tone and are not that violent - you don't see people being torn to pieces by robots or anything like that. Bullet impacts are shown, but they are not graphic at all.
@@hansjuker8296 thats not true. the non-existence of social media back then limited the potential of shitstorms cancelling movies even before their release
I’m surprised there was such an uproar about the toys and Happy Meals being associated with an R-rated movie. Robocop came earlier and was as hard an R as you could get, and they made toys, video games, a kids cartoon, etc.
The soccer moms, the churches, and PTAs probability complained the loudest and got their demands met. They got Invader Zim a kids cartoon which aired on Nickelodeon 00 to 03 show canceled which was aimed at kids 10+, saying it gave kids nightmares. Which was BS the show was on season 3 before it got canceled. The PTAs, the churches, and the soccer moms, they'll do what it takes to get your shit taken down back then.
"Robocop" came out in the late-80s, this was the mid-90s. By that point, American parents (it's always the American parents) had been complaining about their children being exposed to this kind of material for years and corporations were forced to budge out of fear of losing their profits. A few years earlier, "Batman Returns" and its darker tone had caused Warner Bros. to lose a similar deal for McDonald's happy meals and toys, which is why the third Batman movie by Tim Burton was shelved and the more kids-friendly "Batman Forever" happened.
I saw this film as a kid in the cinema 📽️ and absolutely loved it even though it was different to 2000AD but I always wondered why they didn't do a toy line 🤣
At least he's honest about it. All he wanted to do was to make a violent, hard-R rated film based on Judge Dredd, but no, studio interference had to happen. If they let him make it the way he wanted to make, it would've been a great film that is more faithful to the comics.
Wow this brought me back, I think I'll have to find it again and watch it. I remember seeing it in on video in 1996, then I also got the SNES game which was incredible at the time! Awesome property, thanks for the upload.
This was the first rated R movie I saw in the theater. I was 11 and my aunt agreed to let my cousin and I see it. At the ticket booth, my cousin became overwhelmed with fear and ran back to the car where my aunt waited to make sure we got in ok. I bought my ticket and, after pleading with him to join me, went inside and experienced this magical movie by myself. It filled my head with wonder and creative ideas I had never thought possible. I know "die hard" fans hate the film because it isn't a dark comedy about faceless oppression. But I love it. Still to this day, when I hear the drums from Alan Silvestri's score, my mind ignites with excitement and fervor.
On an aesthetic level, I thought the film was pretty amazing, and still holds up to this day. One of the more impressive future cities in cinema. I think it stands alongside the Blade Runner series and Fifth Element in that regard. Despite a couple of moments of obvious green screen, this film is somewhat of a technical achievement for its time.
absolute gold, what a story teller! hadnt heard of the docu, but will be watching tonight! who would've guessed ide be drooling over judge dread nostalgia 30 years later.
PG-13 ruins movies. I know that it is done to allow a larger audience to watch a movie, but the problem is that I don't really believe the stakes as much when I don't watch the violence happening. That's why Robocop is an amazing movie. The violence carries weight. Also, kids are going to buy the comic books regardless of wether they are allowed to see it. Seeing a movie meant for adults is going to prime kids to want to know as much about the thing as possible before being able to graduate to the real thing.
Its normal for films to undergo cuts for cinema. It is what it is. It doesn't always make them better to keep it in. Stallone's Cobra, a film notorious for its action, was also cut down from a much larger cut that was even more graphic. It doesn't always make it better.
That’s not why “Robocop” was a brilliant movie. Robocop was a brilliant movie because of the writing and the direction. Robocop knew EXACTLY what it was, and it didn’t have any large studio or giant superstar “movie stars” to derail it. It was basically Judge Dredd in style, without ever actually saying it.
I'm one of the people that didn't hate this movie. The fact that they put an A.B.C. Warrior in it bought a lot of forgiveness for whatever shortcomings it may have had.
Years and years ago, I heard Stephen J. Cannell tell that story about DeSouza writing a big screen version of Greatest America Hero, but Cannell never mentioned what film Disney blamed DeSouza for screwing up. Now, it all makes sense. FYI - after the DeSouza debacle, Cannell ended up hiring Paul Hernandez (the writer of Sky High) to pen the Hero script. It's sad. I have been HUGE FAN of both Stevens for over forty years now. DeSouza got his start writing for both Six Million $ Man and Knight Rider (before rewriting 48 hrs., Commando and Die Hard 1 & 2) while the late great Stephen J. Cannell created hits like Rockford Files, Hero, A-Team and Jump St. So having the two of them team up to create Greatest American Hero : The Movie was like a dream come true for me. Too bad it never came to fruition. Since Cannell's death in 2010, there have been three or four attempts at remaking Hero with Cannell's daughter leading the charge. Sadly, every pitch they have come up with was awful! I'd love to hear DeSouza pitch or even read Hernandez's draft. They have to be better than all the others.
I was one of the writers on this movie, right before DeSouza. That film put me in hospital. The behind the scenes stories (all to do with the ineptness of the producers) are hilarious. Until Danny Cannon and Stallone, it was set to be directed by Tony Scott with Schwarzenegger playing Dredd.
I remember reading years back that a special edition laserdisc version of Judge Dredd was being prepped, potentially featuring reinstated cut footage. The word was that Disney had destroyed all the cut footage and consequently the special edition laserdisc release was scrapped.
Really interesting stuff! So often the behind the scenes stuff is mythologized into stories about the mean old studio interfering with the director's vision, when there's probably a lot of examples of directors being hired to do a specific job and messing up!
This is fantastic! Love Steven E. de Souza, and I used to watch 1995's Judge Dredd quite regularly as a young'n! Hoping for a good blu-ray release that would go into the backstory on that film, so this is a fantastic free treat, thank you!
Man, what a great story. Steven is one of my favorite writers and this movie lives in my heart. I really like it. Knowing all that now, just makes it even better.
The dystopic vision of this movie is still fantastic. I'd love a 90s nostalgia movie or series with the same kind of exaggerated designs to come out now. (I liked Dredd, but I think the gritty-realism-Batman-Begins approach is wrong for Judge Dredd. It HAS to be all over-the-top.)
I remember watching the tv ads for this a week before the film was released back in Summer '95. Normally, at the end of these ads, the announcer would say "rated PG-13", "rated R", etc., but for this film he instead said "This film has not yet been rated". Normally that particular statement is used in promotional ads a few months before release (example: an ad or trailer during the Super Bowl for a movie scheduled for release in the summer), when the movie has yet to be finished and submitted to the ratings board. The fact that the movie was one week from release and they *still* didn't have a rating was a big tip-off that something was wrong. The studio was trying in vain to cut this down to a PG-13 rating to keep the toy and burger chain deals. It still went out with an R, yet the final product is neither fish nor fowl; too harsh for a family-friendly comic book movie and too family-friendly for a Judge Dredd adaptation.
It would be great if they'd release an completely uncut X-rated version of JUDGE DREDD. This movie still has many fans and we all know that it got butchered before release. Dredd was always a very dark and brutal comic. So the 1995 movie would work even better as an x-rated release. Greetings from Germany :)
I've never seen Judge Dredd from start to finish...... had no interest at the time. The video game was fun! The Dredd movie later with Karl Urban was awesome!
If you're a fan of the comic then don't bother! It broke my heart at the time, the mean machine is done well but Dredd takes his helmet off and has a comedy sidekick which tells you everything you need to know. I saw the later one at the cinema and was so happy they did the comic justice at last
Great deleted scene and story. Love that movie also. My brother loved 200AD. It was a great comic. proper weird, but Judge Dread and Rougue Trooper where superb.
The art direction very closely matched the comics/graphic novels, but the business minds and egos ruined the final product. The creatives behind the scenes working on production design probably knew about the original dread source material, and knew what it could have been
The weird thing is R rated violent films had toylines and cartoons, such as Rambo, Robocop, Aliens etc Because studios knew kids watched these films on the sly, on video mainly. I guess after Batman Returns (a mere PG-13) and McDonalds throwing a fit over content, things changed. This is a classic example of an IP needing a large budget, but studios thinking they won't get the returns needed on an adult film. Again, crazy considering how much Total Recall and Terminator 2 made (for Carolco, the company previously managed by the founders of Cinergi). From what I've heard a Judge Dredd movie had been a dream project of Danny Cannon's since he was a teen, so it looks like he was honoring the comic. The studio should have worked out what kind of movie they were making before shooting, as going the route they did ends up with a movie that doesn't please any audience. I do feel sorry for Danny Cannon on this. He should have just been allowed to make it like Robocop (which itself is something of a ripoff of the Judge Dredd comic).
Back in 1994, I cycled to Shepperton studios and took some photos of the vehicles used in this film. Also some of the set. Only a wire fence separated them from the pathway and stream round the back where people were walking their dogs
Fascinating. I enjoy the 1995 movie, but I would have loved a version by Souza that was actually *written* for an R rating. There's definitely a disconnect between the comic relief, Marvel-level tone and goofiness and the darker elements, apocalypse, dystopia and horror-tinged clones of the actual film.
Robocop had toys in the late 80s. I had most of them and loved the original movie. Now I have a Peter Weller signed Alex Murphy figure with interchangeable exploding hand, blown off right arm and shotgun pellet riddled upper torso plus screaming head sculpt.
I seen the movie in theaters and I loved it, especially the video game. I even read some of the comics years later. I even own Dredd starring Karl Urban and the video game, Dredd vs. Death was amazing.
All I can say is: I loved the movie as a kid and I would have had my parents buy me the toys!!! I grew up loving Rambo, Terminator, Predator and Robocop, etc. I collect all the figures today. I just started reading the Judge Dredd comics last year.
Much repsect for at that time young (he was only 27) director, Danny Cannon. But this is a movie Paul Verhoeven should have made and rated -R. 2:39 By the way, why was this deleted from the documentary? It's great!
This was bloody lovely and fascinating to hear. But I'm just flabbergasted at how they just didn't edit out the very violent bits and use Steven de Souza's version for the kids = everyone wins... didn't they have a post production team back then or what? 😅🤣
@@TheNameisPlissken1981 Ah right. Big shame that. Seems that Dredd hasn't caught a break, with the Karl Urban one being absolutely amazing but having utter shite marketing... Maybe third time's a charm 😛
Watch judge Dredd for these 6 reasons... the practical effects, the set design, the score, Diane Lane, Armand Assante and James Earl Jones' awesome voice.
This makes total sense. Judge Dredd Stallone movie should have been a violent satire like a Paul Verhoeven movie. Instead it was cut down to please the toy companies.
Swear to god when I was at boarding school in 1997 a student from SE ASIA had an alternate more violent cut of this on VHS, I have never been able to find it again. This kid also had workprints of MIB and other films as well that are rare/non-existent anymore.
This movie was a sad attempt of trying to bring Dredd from comic to film, it felt dumbed down the moment they got Dredd to remove his helmet and reveal his face which to me personally was the killer let down, however, in the comic Dredd did actually remove his helmet in the privacy of his own apartment but they hazed his reflection in the mirror and drew his profile at an angle so you still wouldn't see his face. They should've kept the original violent cut in the movie or even included Judge Death as a nemesis, would've more than likely made the movie worth watching to see Dredd and his arch-enemies the Dark Judges go hard at it. The Karl Urban Dredd was more enjoyable to me.
I remember back in the 90's in the VHS rental shop in Sweden, the back cover had screenshots that were not in the movie (like Dredd shooting clones with a shotgun with blood splatter from their bellies), I saw the movie and afterwards was like "hey, that scene wasn't in there"
As a child when I saw these, I really enjoyed this movie. Never heard of the comic, never seen ads for the movie, Rambo with short hair? I've no expectations whatsoever. Still, I rewatch it like a million times. As a kid I shout 'Im the law'-Rico whenever I have a chance 🤣
1995 Judge Dredd is a great movie. I bought it on DVD in 2006. I once owned the junior novelization and a behind the scenes book. How can nobody not like this movie? It was violent, fun. Sylvester Stallone gave his all as Judge Dredd. Good practical effects. Good costumes and sets. An amazing soundtrack by Alan Silvestri. Epic heroic main theme. A shame it wasn't the graphic violent R rated movie Steven E. de Souza had written.
Haven’t you seen the video? De Souza didn’t write an R rated movie, he had written a PG13 movie. The director made the movie ultra-violent and it got an R only after heavy editing.
Despite getting a 15+ Rating in the UK, there was quit a bit of marketing aimed towards kids at the time, including Sugar Puffs Cereal gifts and a kids' comic series. Odd as, for those who don't know, it's not like the US R-Rating where parents can take their kids should they wish, here no one under 15 is admitted.
When he says "X rating" are we sure he didn't mean "NC-17"? By that point, the MPAA had changed its rating system because the old "X" had become associated with pornography and producers willing to release an "adults only" mainstream film didn't want that kind of stigma. Anyhow, nice story: Mr. De Souza already told it in written form some years ago, but hearing it from the man's mouth is a completely different experience. I am a big Judge Dredd fan - I have read pretty much anything published in the first 40 years of the strip's life - and I don't really get how people continue to associate the comic book with gritty ultra-violence. There's literally nothing like that in the strip. Yeah, people get shot, but you don't see blood gushing from the exit wounds. In terms of graphic violence, it is actually comparable to Western-themed, cowboys&indians comics from the 1950s. As for the grittiness, "Judge Dredd" is not gritty and has a great sense of humor - very tongue-in-cheek (well, it's British, after all), but very funny too. None of the things you see in the 2012 movie are from the comic strip. Judge Anderson never messed up with a guy's mind, making him believe his penis had been bitten off. And a character like Ma-Ma has no place in Dredd's universe, since she's a former prostitute turned drug dealer: there are no sex-workers in Mega City One (they definitely didn't exist in the stories from the 70s, 80s and 90s) and there are no real drugs in that world as well. In Dredd's world, people get addicted to super-sweet candies and they are ready to do anything (including killing) for them - just like heroin addicts, but that's part of the comic's humor and one of the reasons why it is so smart.
The funny part is that there *did* end up being some toys released around the same time- sets of 2-3 in. figures. I have my original Dredd vs ABC, and eventually got the one I wanted as a kid which was Dredd on the Lawmaster.
As a huge fan of the comics, I don't think that I've ever been so disappointed in a film when Sly took his helmet off.Great production values, awful end result. Many years later "Dredd" made up for it and thought it was magnificent.
Just like Halo, I don't give a damn If Dredd took his helmet off. We got guys like Superman, Captain Kirk and James Bond dying and you guys are crying about a damn helmet?
@@supoa9489 no I don't. Played a lot of Halo though and it didn't bother me one bit when Master Chief took his helmet off on the tv show. I already know what he looks like underneath, he looks like Pablo Schreiber, the actor playing him. Mystery gone. As far as superheroes killing in movies that normally don't kill in comics, I'm not too bothered by it. Didn't bother me when Superman snapped Zod's neck. I get what you're saying but there's worse things that can happen to him than his face being shown on the big screen, like dying.
@@ratedtriplex Fair enough as long as your consistent I can respect that. As far 1995 film setting, costumes, atmosphere and tone faithful the main problem trying fit mutiple storylines and villian in one movie. The removal mask was finishing blow.
I unironically love this movie. Always have. I saw it as a kid in the theater alone. I remember leaving and being kind of shocked no one stopped me lol
I loved this movie as a young teen (first 15 rated movIe I got to see at 13 years old at an Odeon Cinema). I’ve not seen it in a looooonnnnggg time. May need to rewatch it.
I watched a streaming version of this doc. and I assume this is apart of the Blu Ray Copy? Very interesting insight. It's a bummer that the director's choices caused the writer to be punished. That's Hollywood, gotta blame someone
Yeah i actually liked the movie a lot, I like Armand and Stallone acting as Brothers again like they did in Paradise Alley which is an under rated movie a little quirky but was fun watch btw. But its interesting to hear the reasons why it flopped back then but for me it had a robocop vibe to it and that movie was violent af so i wish we could see an uncut version of it.
I never read Judge Dredd, but I was familiar with it second-hand via Anthrax and their song "I Am the Law." So I knew a bit about Dredd already going into the movie. Unpopular opinion: I LOVE this movie, warts and all. A violent cut of the movie would've been interesting. I don't know if it would've made it better. But the story about the studio getting sued by the toy companies and Burger King is fascinating.
Judge Dredd isn't a kiddies comic, should have made it like Robocop 1987 wasted that big budget and gave him a fucking comedy sidekick! DREDD got everything right on!!!!
It was a kid’s comic though. Think pre-code comics in the US. 2000AD was extremely violent and aimed at 10 year old boys. Of course by 95 those kids who grew up with Dredd were in their 20s and 30s and they should have been the target audience for the movie, not dumbed down to PG13.
Stallone's Judge Dredd is considered by many to be campy popcorn entertainment and it most certainly was. Fantastic movie. So much fun to see in a theater.
@@shadowleon659 I honestly think you could edit demolition mans big end fight scene to the point it could replace Dredd's and get away with it. Once he took the helmet off there was little to differentiate between JD and Spartan. Send a maniac to catch a maniac, what a tag line.
What's crazy to me is when this released, I thought it was a sequel or something to Demolition Man. I was 5 or 6 at the time. It's a pretty good action flick.
The fact none of these guys realised Judge Dredd was never meant to be kid friendly still blows my mind at their arrogance. Dredd was punk, gritty British dark humour not toy lines and Burger King. You can’t shape Die Hard into Home Alone. Failures all the way around and as for taking his helmet off. Shame on them! No respect for the source material. Like others have said the start was fantastic and it looked amazing. Wasted opportunity
I remember when this movie came out of nowhere in 1995...I was a kid and didn't know anything about what constitutes a "good movie", but I sure did enjoy the heck out of all the action, costumes, and the way they presented how the dystopian future looked! Thanks for this upload, Oliver!
I'm sure you didn't expect to see that future in real life.
Yep, they turned a good franchise into a merchandising stunt to shovel Happy Meals into kids' faces.
I still love it almost 30 years later. It’s nothing like the books but still a great movie to quote with friends
@@mattberg6816 "Court's adjourned."
Visually it's something you do NOT see these days, especially when they're outside the city with the rednecks etc. Such rich colors.
To this day, the practical effects for Mean Machine Angel blow me away.
One of the highlights of the movie, it was brilliantly done.
Imagine if they made a legitimate practical ED- 209
Done by the legend Chris Cunningham. He did all the cool Aphex twin videos, window licker and come to the daddy.
The first quarter of the film before Dredd takes his helmet off is great. The sets, costumes and practical effects are all fantastic too.
Showing the upper half of his face is sacrilege.
To be fair, you didn't dish out the millions for mid-90s Stallone to not show his face.
@@agp11001 That is true.
@@agp11001 It wasn't so much him taking off the helmet that ruined the film but it just seemed to be around that mark that the film declined in general and wasn't a Judge Dredd film anymore but a Stallone action film that happen to feature some stuff from Judge Dredd.
@@darkwoods1954 indeed
the opening of the movie is great, then the film nosedives into a sly vehicle
which is not a bad thing per se, but it's just not dredd anymore
I love both DREDD movies. They couldn't be more dissimilar, but they're wildly entertaining triumphs of production design. Alan Silvestri's score for JUDGE DREDD is simply amazing!
his Avengers theme and overall score are even way more amazing...they're iconic. oh and don't forget..he did Back to the Future!
@@isuriadireja91 who could forget that theme, and Predator
I can watch the Karl version over and over. I just can't stomach the 90's one and what Sly did.
The 90s film Isn't Dredd.
@@emmetlarrissy8228 That's right -- it's JUDGE DREDD.
The production design on Stallone's Dredd was superb - some terrific practical effects too.
They still hold up 20+ years later
As a 90's baby, Judge Dredd was absolutely AMAZING when I first watched it. I still enjoy it to this day. The scene he mentioned where the robot pulls the arms and you just see the splatter, that stuck with me for a while when I was young
I hope we get to see this original violent cut one day
I am afraid it never actually existed - not as a fully-locked edit anyway. It was probably a work-in-progress and all the related material is very likely to have been lost, like the NC-17 cut of "Predator 2" or the original ultra-gory edit of "Event Horizon". One can only hope there's still at least one low-quality VHS dub of the more violent edit gathering dust somewhere, allowing for the deleted bits to be featured in a future special edition.
That footage is VERY likely destroyed. Considering the story and the fact that there were two lawsuits and 3 mpaa submissions, they very likely decided it was more trouble than it was worth and destroyed or incinerated that footage.
UPDATE: Confirmation from a comment lower below from Savalas Seed that the footage is indeed destroyed.
@@the-NightStar "Boy, I hate being right all the time!". Jokes aside, that sucks but it was very likely: before the advent of DVD, there was no avenue for deleted footage and it was common procedure to dispose of all the material that wasn't cut in the final negative. I am actually more abashed (and pleasantly so) when deleted footage from 30+ years ago resurfaces. That doesn't negate the possibility that the footage might still exist on a video dub hiding in somebody's basement. VHS work-in-progress tapes were pretty common in the late-80s\early-90s, as that's what was used to show producers how the editing was progressing. That's how the extended cut of "Nightbreed" became a festival sensation about 10 years ago, so there's still some tiny bit of hope.
There's always bootlegs. Among Sylvester Stallone's back catalogue, and the most violent, bloody and brutal film in history, and I love it, is 2008's Rambo. It's well made, well acted, and well directed by Stallone. The climax, with John Rambo taking control of a .50 Calibre Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun mounted on the back of a Land Rover, with support fire from the mercenaries and the Karen Rebel Army, is by turns loud, bloody, gruesome and brutal. To sum it up in one word: Awesome 👌 👏 👍 😀
You have to wonder where the disconnect really was, as the director seemed to have been steering closer to the original materials tone whereas the writer and producers were trying to push for something more commercially accessible for kiddos. I'd kill to see the original cut.
Commercially accessible for unhealthy food tie-ins.
@@williamchamberlain2263 Yep, hence?
“Eat recycled food.
Recycled food is good for the environment and “OK” for you…”
Sounds like the ideal fast food ad actually…
...the comic books are pretty humorous in tone and are not that violent - you don't see people being torn to pieces by robots or anything like that. Bullet impacts are shown, but they are not graphic at all.
Bisley was super gory. Some of the earlier Dredds were banned for their graphic contents. Late 80s when they started being accepted though.
@@thermonuclearcollider4418 Not graphic at all, in a graphic novel? (^.^)
"if we had social media back then it would all have been over" - that one hits deeper than it should
Nah, the same ppl that own the media own social media. Nothing changed.
@@hansjuker8296 thats not true. the non-existence of social media back then limited the potential of shitstorms cancelling movies even before their release
If it was today an X-rated Dredd movie would be a success precisely because of social media.
He said: "If we had social media back then it would have been all over it" - as in why he had to explain all this.
R/im14andthisisdeep
I was listening to your excellent Judge Dredd audio commentary yesterday. This is a nice follow up! Cheers
this channel makes me feel like im watching the extra content on dvds, i do really miss that feeling. thanks for the great job
I’m surprised there was such an uproar about the toys and Happy Meals being associated with an R-rated movie. Robocop came earlier and was as hard an R as you could get, and they made toys, video games, a kids cartoon, etc.
To me I don't see an issue you guys could have promoted toys, let alone the movie was tame compared to today's standards
The soccer moms, the churches, and PTAs probability complained the loudest and got their demands met. They got Invader Zim a kids cartoon which aired on Nickelodeon 00 to 03 show canceled which was aimed at kids 10+, saying it gave kids nightmares. Which was BS the show was on season 3 before it got canceled. The PTAs, the churches, and the soccer moms, they'll do what it takes to get your shit taken down back then.
@@PurpleFlush as we used to say...."F*ck the Soccer Moms"!!!
"Robocop" came out in the late-80s, this was the mid-90s. By that point, American parents (it's always the American parents) had been complaining about their children being exposed to this kind of material for years and corporations were forced to budge out of fear of losing their profits. A few years earlier, "Batman Returns" and its darker tone had caused Warner Bros. to lose a similar deal for McDonald's happy meals and toys, which is why the third Batman movie by Tim Burton was shelved and the more kids-friendly "Batman Forever" happened.
@@thermonuclearcollider4418 and that was one of the most shittiest movies ever made
This was brilliant. Steve is fantastic and such a good sport. I hope he continues to write and provides this amazing insight again for other projects.
I saw this film as a kid in the cinema 📽️ and absolutely loved it even though it was different to 2000AD but I always wondered why they didn't do a toy line 🤣
At least he's honest about it. All he wanted to do was to make a violent, hard-R rated film based on Judge Dredd, but no, studio interference had to happen. If they let him make it the way he wanted to make, it would've been a great film that is more faithful to the comics.
so glad this documentary was released. cheesy at times, but so great.
Wow this brought me back, I think I'll have to find it again and watch it. I remember seeing it in on video in 1996, then I also got the SNES game which was incredible at the time! Awesome property, thanks for the upload.
This was the first rated R movie I saw in the theater. I was 11 and my aunt agreed to let my cousin and I see it. At the ticket booth, my cousin became overwhelmed with fear and ran back to the car where my aunt waited to make sure we got in ok. I bought my ticket and, after pleading with him to join me, went inside and experienced this magical movie by myself. It filled my head with wonder and creative ideas I had never thought possible. I know "die hard" fans hate the film because it isn't a dark comedy about faceless oppression. But I love it. Still to this day, when I hear the drums from Alan Silvestri's score, my mind ignites with excitement and fervor.
I always thought it quite obvious that in the finale with the clones there's a lot missing
Agreed. It was barely coherent.
On an aesthetic level, I thought the film was pretty amazing, and still holds up to this day. One of the more impressive future cities in cinema. I think it stands alongside the Blade Runner series and Fifth Element in that regard. Despite a couple of moments of obvious green screen, this film is somewhat of a technical achievement for its time.
Fascinating! Love all your documentary/films. Would LOVE to see THAT cut of the film!
absolute gold, what a story teller! hadnt heard of the docu, but will be watching tonight! who would've guessed ide be drooling over judge dread nostalgia 30 years later.
PG-13 ruins movies. I know that it is done to allow a larger audience to watch a movie, but the problem is that I don't really believe the stakes as much when I don't watch the violence happening.
That's why Robocop is an amazing movie. The violence carries weight.
Also, kids are going to buy the comic books regardless of wether they are allowed to see it. Seeing a movie meant for adults is going to prime kids to want to know as much about the thing as possible before being able to graduate to the real thing.
Pretty much like; broader audience over quality, just for short term gains.
PG-13 was created so they COULD show that kind of Stuff but either MPAA or the studios Fucked it up.
Sly learned that the hard way when he went PG13 for Expendables 3
Its normal for films to undergo cuts for cinema. It is what it is. It doesn't always make them better to keep it in. Stallone's Cobra, a film notorious for its action, was also cut down from a much larger cut that was even more graphic. It doesn't always make it better.
That’s not why “Robocop” was a brilliant movie. Robocop was a brilliant movie because of the writing and the direction. Robocop knew EXACTLY what it was, and it didn’t have any large studio or giant superstar “movie stars” to derail it. It was basically Judge Dredd in style, without ever actually saying it.
So... can we get a Director's Cut on 4K Blu-ray or something?
😎
Also digitally put a helmet on Sly for the entire film.
I'm one of the people that didn't hate this movie. The fact that they put an A.B.C. Warrior in it bought a lot of forgiveness for whatever shortcomings it may have had.
Years and years ago, I heard Stephen J. Cannell tell that story about DeSouza writing a big screen version of Greatest America Hero, but Cannell never mentioned what film Disney blamed DeSouza for screwing up. Now, it all makes sense.
FYI - after the DeSouza debacle, Cannell ended up hiring Paul Hernandez (the writer of Sky High) to pen the Hero script.
It's sad. I have been HUGE FAN of both Stevens for over forty years now. DeSouza got his start writing for both Six Million $ Man and Knight Rider (before rewriting 48 hrs., Commando and Die Hard 1 & 2) while the late great Stephen J. Cannell created hits like Rockford Files, Hero, A-Team and Jump St. So having the two of them team up to create Greatest American Hero : The Movie was like a dream come true for me. Too bad it never came to fruition. Since Cannell's death in 2010, there have been three or four attempts at remaking Hero with Cannell's daughter leading the charge. Sadly, every pitch they have come up with was awful! I'd love to hear DeSouza pitch or even read Hernandez's draft. They have to be better than all the others.
Nepotism never works, they should call De Souza.
I would love a Reconstruction job on this movie, dropping Sly's comedy reshoots, putting back in the whole shootout with the clones etc.
Agreed, would be great to see the X rated original cut.
I was one of the writers on this movie, right before DeSouza. That film put me in hospital. The behind the scenes stories (all to do with the ineptness of the producers) are hilarious. Until Danny Cannon and Stallone, it was set to be directed by Tony Scott with Schwarzenegger playing Dredd.
I remember reading years back that a special edition laserdisc version of Judge Dredd was being prepped, potentially featuring reinstated cut footage.
The word was that Disney had destroyed all the cut footage and consequently the special edition laserdisc release was scrapped.
Really interesting stuff! So often the behind the scenes stuff is mythologized into stories about the mean old studio interfering with the director's vision, when there's probably a lot of examples of directors being hired to do a specific job and messing up!
This is fantastic! Love Steven E. de Souza, and I used to watch 1995's Judge Dredd quite regularly as a young'n! Hoping for a good blu-ray release that would go into the backstory on that film, so this is a fantastic free treat, thank you!
Man, what a great story. Steven is one of my favorite writers and this movie lives in my heart. I really like it. Knowing all that now, just makes it even better.
Wow, this was fun to watch. I had no idea about any of these things. Thanks for sharing!
Having grown up with 2000ad and Judge Dredd, the comic strips weren't bloodless so how the studio thought pg13 was a good idea I don't know.
I LOVE Judge Dredd and the later Dredd! I'd love to see a much longer version of Stallones film!
Release the Hershey Cut!
@@JDoe-gf5oz bow chicka wow wow
The dystopic vision of this movie is still fantastic. I'd love a 90s nostalgia movie or series with the same kind of exaggerated designs to come out now. (I liked Dredd, but I think the gritty-realism-Batman-Begins approach is wrong for Judge Dredd. It HAS to be all over-the-top.)
It's clear watching the film that huge chunks have been cut out, I'd love to see a version of that original cut.
Best thing about this movie is Hammerstein from ABC Warriors and the makeup FX for Mean Machine.
I remember watching the tv ads for this a week before the film was released back in Summer '95. Normally, at the end of these ads, the announcer would say "rated PG-13", "rated R", etc., but for this film he instead said "This film has not yet been rated". Normally that particular statement is used in promotional ads a few months before release (example: an ad or trailer during the Super Bowl for a movie scheduled for release in the summer), when the movie has yet to be finished and submitted to the ratings board.
The fact that the movie was one week from release and they *still* didn't have a rating was a big tip-off that something was wrong. The studio was trying in vain to cut this down to a PG-13 rating to keep the toy and burger chain deals. It still went out with an R, yet the final product is neither fish nor fowl; too harsh for a family-friendly comic book movie and too family-friendly for a Judge Dredd adaptation.
It would be great if they'd release an completely uncut X-rated version of JUDGE DREDD. This movie still has many fans and we all know that it got butchered before release. Dredd was always a very dark and brutal comic. So the 1995 movie would work even better as an x-rated release.
Greetings from Germany :)
I've never seen Judge Dredd from start to finish...... had no interest at the time. The video game was fun! The Dredd movie later with Karl Urban was awesome!
If you're a fan of the comic then don't bother! It broke my heart at the time, the mean machine is done well but Dredd takes his helmet off and has a comedy sidekick which tells you everything you need to know. I saw the later one at the cinema and was so happy they did the comic justice at last
Great deleted scene and story. Love that movie also. My brother loved 200AD. It was a great comic. proper weird, but Judge Dread and Rougue Trooper where superb.
The art direction very closely matched the comics/graphic novels, but the business minds and egos ruined the final product. The creatives behind the scenes working on production design probably knew about the original dread source material, and knew what it could have been
Fascinating insights fron the legendary Steven E De Souza himself, thanks
Honestly aside from him taking off his helmet this was a fairly faithful adaption of the comics. They captured the setting and overall tone well.
And years later, Dredd came out and did the comic justice...but the reputation of this movie screwed it at the box office. 👏👏👏
The weird thing is R rated violent films had toylines and cartoons, such as Rambo, Robocop, Aliens etc Because studios knew kids watched these films on the sly, on video mainly. I guess after Batman Returns (a mere PG-13) and McDonalds throwing a fit over content, things changed.
This is a classic example of an IP needing a large budget, but studios thinking they won't get the returns needed on an adult film. Again, crazy considering how much Total Recall and Terminator 2 made (for Carolco, the company previously managed by the founders of Cinergi).
From what I've heard a Judge Dredd movie had been a dream project of Danny Cannon's since he was a teen, so it looks like he was honoring the comic. The studio should have worked out what kind of movie they were making before shooting, as going the route they did ends up with a movie that doesn't please any audience. I do feel sorry for Danny Cannon on this. He should have just been allowed to make it like Robocop (which itself is something of a ripoff of the Judge Dredd comic).
Sounds like the film I’d love to have seen
They should release a directors cut
Back in 1994, I cycled to Shepperton studios and took some photos of the vehicles used in this film. Also some of the set.
Only a wire fence separated them from the pathway and stream round the back where people were walking their dogs
Please upload those photos.
Fascinating. I enjoy the 1995 movie, but I would have loved a version by Souza that was actually *written* for an R rating. There's definitely a disconnect between the comic relief, Marvel-level tone and goofiness and the darker elements, apocalypse, dystopia and horror-tinged clones of the actual film.
Steven de Souza, I knew you'd say all that.
that giant Robot was the reason why I went to see it in theaters
Robocop had toys in the late 80s. I had most of them and loved the original movie. Now I have a Peter Weller signed Alex Murphy figure with interchangeable exploding hand, blown off right arm and shotgun pellet riddled upper torso plus screaming head sculpt.
We could have got a Greatest American Hero movie? Damn that sucks
I seen the movie in theaters and I loved it, especially the video game. I even read some of the comics years later. I even own Dredd starring Karl Urban and the video game, Dredd vs. Death was amazing.
Nailed the visual, failed in everything else.
It's OK. Original comics are all over the place so the movie doesn't really jumble a lot of stuff.
except the music
that is still epic
The comic was accurate to the world it was potraying this was the Care Bear version
All I can say is: I loved the movie as a kid and I would have had my parents buy me the toys!!! I grew up loving Rambo, Terminator, Predator and Robocop, etc. I collect all the figures today. I just started reading the Judge Dredd comics last year.
Much repsect for at that time young (he was only 27) director, Danny Cannon.
But this is a movie Paul Verhoeven should have made and rated -R.
2:39
By the way, why was this deleted from the documentary?
It's great!
This was bloody lovely and fascinating to hear. But I'm just flabbergasted at how they just didn't edit out the very violent bits and use Steven de Souza's version for the kids = everyone wins... didn't they have a post production team back then or what? 😅🤣
Probably because Danny Cannon didn't shoot the film the way it was written. So they didn't have the footage to edit it Steven's way.
@@TheNameisPlissken1981 Ah right. Big shame that. Seems that Dredd hasn't caught a break, with the Karl Urban one being absolutely amazing but having utter shite marketing...
Maybe third time's a charm 😛
Watch judge Dredd for these 6 reasons... the practical effects, the set design, the score, Diane Lane, Armand Assante and James Earl Jones' awesome voice.
Not seen this since mid 90s bought today on xbox too watch tonight with my son... cant wait
This makes total sense. Judge Dredd Stallone movie should have been a violent satire like a Paul Verhoeven movie. Instead it was cut down to please the toy companies.
I could listen to Steven E. de Souza talk about movies all day.......
I hope this comes out on blu ray or 4K over here in the UK soon 🤞🤞
Swear to god when I was at boarding school in 1997 a student from SE ASIA had an alternate more violent cut of this on VHS, I have never been able to find it again. This kid also had workprints of MIB and other films as well that are rare/non-existent anymore.
This movie was a sad attempt of trying to bring Dredd from comic to film, it felt dumbed down the moment they got Dredd to remove his helmet and reveal his face which to me personally was the killer let down, however, in the comic Dredd did actually remove his helmet in the privacy of his own apartment but they hazed his reflection in the mirror and drew his profile at an angle so you still wouldn't see his face.
They should've kept the original violent cut in the movie or even included Judge Death as a nemesis, would've more than likely made the movie worth watching to see Dredd and his arch-enemies the Dark Judges go hard at it.
The Karl Urban Dredd was more enjoyable to me.
I liked it. Stallone was good in the role. Of course it's not perfect, but is underrated
I want to see this cut!!
I remember back in the 90's in the VHS rental shop in Sweden, the back cover had screenshots that were not in the movie (like Dredd shooting clones with a shotgun with blood splatter from their bellies), I saw the movie and afterwards was like "hey, that scene wasn't in there"
I drokkin' love the snek out of this version.
I want the uncut version!
As a child when I saw these, I really enjoyed this movie. Never heard of the comic, never seen ads for the movie, Rambo with short hair? I've no expectations whatsoever. Still, I rewatch it like a million times. As a kid I shout 'Im the law'-Rico whenever I have a chance 🤣
1995 Judge Dredd is a great movie. I bought it on DVD in 2006. I once owned the junior novelization and a behind the scenes book. How can nobody not like this movie? It was violent, fun. Sylvester Stallone gave his all as Judge Dredd. Good practical effects. Good costumes and sets. An amazing soundtrack by Alan Silvestri. Epic heroic main theme. A shame it wasn't the graphic violent R rated movie Steven E. de Souza had written.
because the movie is shit
Haven’t you seen the video? De Souza didn’t write an R rated movie, he had written a PG13 movie. The director made the movie ultra-violent and it got an R only after heavy editing.
I remember reading that novelization before the movie dropped. I thought it was a great book.
Please release a directors cut of Judge Dredd!
Despite getting a 15+ Rating in the UK, there was quit a bit of marketing aimed towards kids at the time, including Sugar Puffs Cereal gifts and a kids' comic series. Odd as, for those who don't know, it's not like the US R-Rating where parents can take their kids should they wish, here no one under 15 is admitted.
I laughed so hard when he said that "Maybe he saved Jack Valenti's life in Vietnam"
When he says "X rating" are we sure he didn't mean "NC-17"? By that point, the MPAA had changed its rating system because the old "X" had become associated with pornography and producers willing to release an "adults only" mainstream film didn't want that kind of stigma.
Anyhow, nice story: Mr. De Souza already told it in written form some years ago, but hearing it from the man's mouth is a completely different experience. I am a big Judge Dredd fan - I have read pretty much anything published in the first 40 years of the strip's life - and I don't really get how people continue to associate the comic book with gritty ultra-violence. There's literally nothing like that in the strip. Yeah, people get shot, but you don't see blood gushing from the exit wounds. In terms of graphic violence, it is actually comparable to Western-themed, cowboys&indians comics from the 1950s. As for the grittiness, "Judge Dredd" is not gritty and has a great sense of humor - very tongue-in-cheek (well, it's British, after all), but very funny too. None of the things you see in the 2012 movie are from the comic strip. Judge Anderson never messed up with a guy's mind, making him believe his penis had been bitten off. And a character like Ma-Ma has no place in Dredd's universe, since she's a former prostitute turned drug dealer: there are no sex-workers in Mega City One (they definitely didn't exist in the stories from the 70s, 80s and 90s) and there are no real drugs in that world as well. In Dredd's world, people get addicted to super-sweet candies and they are ready to do anything (including killing) for them - just like heroin addicts, but that's part of the comic's humor and one of the reasons why it is so smart.
Let’s get that directors cut and a 4K release too!
The funny part is that there *did* end up being some toys released around the same time- sets of 2-3 in. figures. I have my original Dredd vs ABC, and eventually got the one I wanted as a kid which was Dredd on the Lawmaster.
The sparks from the guns always makes me chuckle. Like shooting robots
I'd love to see the uncut version!
This is absolutely fascinating
As a huge fan of the comics, I don't think that I've ever been so disappointed in a film when Sly took his helmet off.Great production values, awful end result. Many years later "Dredd" made up for it and thought it was magnificent.
Just like Halo, I don't give a damn If Dredd took his helmet off.
We got guys like Superman, Captain Kirk and James Bond dying and you guys are crying about a damn helmet?
@@ratedtriplex You obviously don't read Dredd comics then. It's the equivalently the Batman killing indiscriminately
@@supoa9489 no I don't. Played a lot of Halo though and it didn't bother me one bit when Master Chief took his helmet off on the tv show. I already know what he looks like underneath, he looks like Pablo Schreiber, the actor playing him. Mystery gone.
As far as superheroes killing in movies that normally don't kill in comics, I'm not too bothered by it. Didn't bother me when Superman snapped Zod's neck.
I get what you're saying but there's worse things that can happen to him than his face being shown on the big screen, like dying.
@@ratedtriplex
Fair enough as long as your consistent I can respect that. As far 1995 film setting, costumes, atmosphere and tone faithful the main problem trying fit mutiple storylines and villian in one movie. The removal mask was finishing blow.
I unironically love this movie. Always have. I saw it as a kid in the theater alone. I remember leaving and being kind of shocked no one stopped me lol
This is a deleted scene???? That was great.
I loved this movie as a young teen (first 15 rated movIe I got to see at 13 years old at an Odeon Cinema).
I’ve not seen it in a looooonnnnggg time. May need to rewatch it.
I watched a streaming version of this doc. and I assume this is apart of the Blu Ray Copy? Very interesting insight. It's a bummer that the director's choices caused the writer to be punished. That's Hollywood, gotta blame someone
Wait, what? So there's another Judge Dredd cut out there? Release the cut!!
Let's start a campaign for the de Souza cut!!!
It's a great movie! I love what the Director did. Cast was awesome. Scott Wilson had a small but memorable part. Music fit well, too.
Yeah i actually liked the movie a lot, I like Armand and Stallone acting as Brothers again like they did in Paradise Alley which is an under rated movie a little quirky but was fun watch btw. But its interesting to hear the reasons why it flopped back then but for me it had a robocop vibe to it and that movie was violent af so i wish we could see an uncut version of it.
That robot is spectacular. This is why I don’t really like CGI; it gives you shortcuts but detracts from the sense that something is REAL.
I never read Judge Dredd, but I was familiar with it second-hand via Anthrax and their song "I Am the Law." So I knew a bit about Dredd already going into the movie. Unpopular opinion: I LOVE this movie, warts and all.
A violent cut of the movie would've been interesting. I don't know if it would've made it better. But the story about the studio getting sued by the toy companies and Burger King is fascinating.
Judge Dredd isn't a kiddies comic, should have made it like Robocop 1987 wasted that big budget and gave him a fucking comedy sidekick! DREDD got everything right on!!!!
It was a kid’s comic though. Think pre-code comics in the US. 2000AD was extremely violent and aimed at 10 year old boys. Of course by 95 those kids who grew up with Dredd were in their 20s and 30s and they should have been the target audience for the movie, not dumbed down to PG13.
Stallone's Judge Dredd is considered by many to be campy popcorn entertainment and it most certainly was. Fantastic movie. So much fun to see in a theater.
I want to see this version. Its funny how Robocop ended up as a better Dredd movie than this one. Thankfully Karl nailed it the second movie.
Heck, Demolition Man was the better Judge Dredd film.
@@shadowleon659 I honestly think you could edit demolition mans big end fight scene to the point it could replace Dredd's and get away with it. Once he took the helmet off there was little to differentiate between JD and Spartan. Send a maniac to catch a maniac, what a tag line.
I still have all the Comics they released for the movie. Great stuff. Even if it was a bit watered down to what Dredd usually was
Fascinating stuff. The look of the movie was good. There wasn't enough swearing though.
What's crazy to me is when this released, I thought it was a sequel or something to Demolition Man. I was 5 or 6 at the time. It's a pretty good action flick.
I kinda considered it a follow up (not sequel) to Demolition Man.
The fact none of these guys realised Judge Dredd was never meant to be kid friendly still blows my mind at their arrogance. Dredd was punk, gritty British dark humour not toy lines and Burger King. You can’t shape Die Hard into Home Alone. Failures all the way around and as for taking his helmet off. Shame on them! No respect for the source material. Like others have said the start was fantastic and it looked amazing. Wasted opportunity