How Much of an Impact Can Dredd Really Create?
When news first came up that Pete Travis, director of
Vantage Point (2008), was directing a reboot of the comic book character Dredd staring Karl Urban, fans were skeptical of what was to come. Let’s not forget, Judge Dredd already had his shot on the big screen in the 1995 one-liner galore
Judge Dredd, starring the one and only Sylvester Stallone. Although it is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, it is not even close to the big screen adaptation Judge Dredd deserves. Another problem facing this reboot.... it was being released the same year as The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises. How was it supposed to be a great film while these three mega films are still blowing our minds away? Of course, time and production moves on. We get our first picture, looks like a updated costume but nothing special. A poster, a couple more pictures, and then we finally get our first trailer. When I saw the first trailer, it reminded me a lot of
Punisher: War Zone (2008). The action, the premise, the violence.. it was very similar. Not to be too rough on Marvel’s attempt to give us a Rated R superhero movie, but it wasn’t the greatest film of all time. But yet, in this trailer, there are some cool things. The whole sequences with the drug, showing what it’s like on the drug and without it, the crazy guns, some potential is there. I don’t think fans were blown away, but they weren’t disappointed either. But as I viewed the trailer a couple more times, it seemed pretty good, something I wanted to check out. Just when you may think my desire to see this film ended there..... you are wrong. All of a sudden reviews came pouring in, praising the film. Some people, including our very own Josh Wilding, even said it was one of the best films of 2012. It currently holds a 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with statements such as “Sit back and enjoy, the movie earns every morsel of entertainment goodness,” and “an action movie with confidence, style and unapologetic brawn.” In this article, I’m going to talk more about what
Dredd will do for the genre, and shy away from writing a review. Relax and enjoy this article!
For those who are wondering “why would they even make a Judge Dredd reboot,” let me give you some history behind the character. Judge Dredd first appeared in a comic book entitled
2000 AD, which was published in March of 1977. Judge Joseph Dredd was cloned from the DNA of the first chief judge. In this time a large portion of the United States is a one gated territory, and the Judges take the role as policeman/judges. They decide the penalty, and they go out to either kill them, or bring them to justice. Since 1977, Dredd has grown to become a very popular character. In fact,
IGN ranked Judge Dredd the 35th top comic book character, while
Empire magainze ranked Dredd as the 7th greatest character. Yeah.... he is “no scrub” in the comic book world. Moving back to the big screen, like I said before, the
Judge Dredd of 1995 was nothing more than a Sylvester Stallone flick. Definitely a top 5 guilty pleasure of mine, it was obvious this character needs another shot at redemption.
17 years later, this present day, the comic book genre has changed immensely. Once a genre full of campy action, a few gags, and just simply a comic book put in a movie, the genre has completely changed. Movies such as The Dark Knight trilogy, The Spider-Man trilogy, The Avengers, Watchmen, and others have reshaped the image of comic book movies. Superhero movies now hold the highest box office results, and they are now great films, some even Oscar worthy. A serious tone has developed, plots have become realistic, and fight scenes are now real fights with blood and vengeance. However, only a few of the main characters have had there shot at glory. Lower name characters, and some very popular ones as well, have yet to had the perfect movie that suits them. This year,
Dredd can change that trend. The reviews seem to be pouring in with amazing feedback. People seem to love Dredd, and for a movie that’s sole purpose is deliever violent, R-rated action has turned into a very good film.
Hmm..... so what does this mean for the future of comic book movies? Well, if Dredd turns out to be as successful and good as it appears to be, almost every comic book character, yes I sincerely mean “almost every,” has potential to learn from Dredd’s accomplishments and apply them to there own movie. If Dredd does successfully apply this formula of extreme action and good story directing, dozens of our favorite characters have an opportunity to have on and off screen success. Characters including, but not limited to, that have a shot at succeeding from Dredd are The Punisher, Daredevil, Lobo, Akira and others. If movie studios understand how Dredd was great, and applied those different aspects to even more of our most beloved characters, we can see a drastic change in the quality and quantity of movies. The quality of movies will increase significantly. We will have more blood, more emotions, and a better all around piece that doesn’t try to hard to be the “next” Dark Knight. With quantity, if studios see what Dredd did, and sees other industries attempting to follow in its footsteps, they will put more movies out with the same mindset. It’s a win-win scenario. Unless a film is complete trash and has some major changes to the original comic book, any film chance we get we have to take. The makers of Dredd took this chance, and it seems they have made the best of it. It is up to Marvel, DC, and other companies to head in the same direction with projects they are on the fence about.
Dredd is hitting theaters very soon, and from what I’ve seen and heard, I cannot wait to buy a movie ticket, buy some popcorn, and sit down and relax a fun, easygoing movie that’s action will make me thrilled for more. Another part that makes Dredd so unbelievable is that it needs only a little amount to make a sequel. Studios don’t need to spend the big bucks to make a film good. It takes the right focus, goals, and overall direction to make a comic book come to life. I know some may question how I can be so high on a movie I haven’t even seen yet, and yes, it is a little strange, but from the reviews, and my gut CBM feeling, this will be a movie that will change the game. I’m excited to see how much ass Dredd will kick in this movie. I’m expecting violence, intense scenes, more violence, and a movie that will make a company like Marvel say “Wow, we need to do the same for Daredevil.” This is no easy task, but with the right direction and goals, anything is possible. Definitely go check out Dredd in theaters as soon as it comes out, and if this film really does deliver what it seems, we may be in store for a future full of gritty, violent, fun, and overall well made comic book movies.
If you believe Dredd will change the CBM genre, and are just pumped to see it, go ahead hit the THUMBS UP (Y) button! Of course, questions, comments, and ideas of characters who will follow in Dredd's footsteps are welcome all in the comment section below!
-CaptainDC