Judge Dredd: One Of Stallone's Worst?

1995's Judge Dredd is widely considered to be one of Sylvester Stallone's worst movies. An ill-advised adaptation of the acclaimed comic 2000 AD, the adaptation was unfaithful, and many point at 2012's Dredd as the superior film. It certainly underwhelmed at the box office, beginning a cool streak in Stallone's career that didn't break until Rocky Balboa eleven years later. So what went wrong? We dig into it in this episode of Sylvester Stallone Revisited.
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#SylvesterStallone #JudgeDredd

[@fizola88]

I loved this movie as kid, I know all the flows now, yet still I love this movie

[@mrmaxaxl]

You mean flaws

[@brianpughsley8680]

I dug it when it came out but I do feel like it was a sequel to a better Judge Dredd

[@giuseppepacchiana8894]

I also agree I watched this movie quite a few times at home, as a kid on VHS dubbed in Italian, now that was awesome the voice actors really added to the movie, so I'm not sure why it flopped. Maybe I may also need to rewatch the original English version, perhaps I'd see the flaws?

[@hobbowizardanimations]

*flaws*

[@randallrutherford1384]

I love having a double feature starting with Karl Urban’s “Dredd” followed by “Judge Dredd” with Sly!

[@brucewilson3619]

Rob Schneider's imitation of Stallone saying "I am law" was the best part.

[@BASED-SENSEI]

Lmao...love that part

[@artboymoy]

It's not his worst. It's a really good adaptation of the comic source material. The only flaw I had with it was him taking the helmet off. But the craziness and sarcastic nature of Mega City One and it's characters came through. I love Dredd as well because it introduced Judge Anderson and was a really great action film on a small scale. I think both movies did Dredd as a character well, moving from an emotionless law man to one that has some leeway in how he dispenses justice by the end, or at least is able to bend a little.

[@conan6939]

People go on about the helmet removal. But what are they supposed to do? Dredd isn't a big francise. It has a small niche market in the UK where even there it's an underground following. You simply won't get the production a Dredd film needs without the already built in World wide fanbase. Both films failed because one needed a star to take a chance on a niche market and basically sell it off his name. It failed. The other one failed because it give the fans what they wanted but then couldn't cross over to the standard cinema goer. Both films are caught between a rock and a hard place. A HBO type series is probably the best bet for a fan.

[@oscarf5433]

Yeah, he had done much worse ha ha ha

[@shainewhite2781]

I heard that This movie had a lot of production issues, like Stallone refusing to wear the iconic helmet throughout the film as DREDD not once took off his helmet in the comics. Also he had a falling out with the director, Danny Cannon. Thankfully, we have the DREDD 2012 reboot

[@jamesmorant1406]

The 2012 movie was much better

[@artboymoy]

I like them both. I'm not sure how Dredd could have kept the helmet on with the way the script was written, but I miss the outlandishness of Mega City One in Dredd.

[@pmseddon8277]

If he'd kept it in until he arrested, I'd have had more respect for the film. Instead, Stallone couldn't wait to whip it off early on in the film.

[@treknobabble1701]

Even as a massive 2000ad fan, i can't help but love this movie

[@xavilend]

One of my all time favourite movies, this and Demolition Man are the rare scifi action comedy we never got enough of

[@jyesucevitz]

i understand the comic book fans complaint of Dredd barely wearing the iconic helmet. now i don't know how true it is but, I understood it was because the studio said: "we're not paying that much money to put Stallone in this movie only to never see his face." thus the reason. supposedly. it may not have been Sly's narcissism.

[@MsOpportunity68]

I'm a massive Judge Dredd comics fan, and I can tell you that in the comics Dredd's face has never been shown to readers, except after he was horribly scarred and made inhuman looking, after falling in an acid river in the Tale of The Dead Man story that ran in 2000AD in the run up to the Necropolis epic story. In the early days of 2000AD there was a suggestion that there was some form of horrible deformation from a couple of villains who saw his face in an early story. This was never given any form of explanation in later days, and largely seems to have been forgotten. In any other story where Dredd lost his helmet there was either a contrivance to cover his face or only his mouth was shown and the rest of the face kept off panel. There was also an episode where Judge Dredd was taking a bath as some ner-do-wells were breaking into his apartment in Rowdy Yates block that also followed this trope. As for the film, While not a massive fan, I've mellowed to it over time, and will occasionally rewatch it, but Dredd with Karl Urban was a lot closer to the source material.

[@wstine79]

"YOU BETRAYED THE LAW!" "LAAAAAAAW!" Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[@yamilvargas2219]

This movie is honestly a guilty pleasure of mine I love this movie . I just love watching bad movies from time to time and this is for sure one of them 😂

[@Oonagh72]

I loved Judge Dredd. One of my absolute favorite movies.

[@kevinkorenke3569]

6:21 "he looks a lot like you." "Are you high?"

[@andu1854]

Dredd showed us what Judge Dredd should be like

[@NealKlein]

Good analysis. Good context recap. Very resonant. Proof that this channel is worth my time.

[@docsamson198]

When Stallone shouted, “I am da law!” in the trailer, the entire audience in my theater erupted with laughter. What does that tell you?

[@randyqquaint8400]

That it's going to be an awesome movie, duh.

[@loslocotaco]

Still so quotable today

[@danielfield7986]

I actually love it lol

[@evil_duck6405]

you remember this from 28 yrs ago ? wow :)

[@docsamson198]

@@evil_duck6405 You bet. A few people were imitating Stallone saying that afterward and it was hilarious. BTW, Diane Lane was quite beautiful back then.

[@michaelclark173]

My sister and I loved playing the video game for the SNES, I remember how excited we were to get to imposter Dredd. Good times😁

A good movie. He played a character not himself. ❤

[@Cyril29a]

Stallone had 4 films about being wrongfully imprisoned in the 90s. Lockup, Judge Dread, Tango and Cash as well as Demolition man. Maybe he feels guilt about something and subconsciously is making up for it by sending his innocent characters to jail.

[@mordaciousfilms]

Please, more retro B-Movie / Horror / Cheesy reviews... I have been enjoying these in-depth looks at overlooked, campy classics.

[@antonsimmons8519]

I kinda always felt like this one was Team Stallone wanting to try another futuristic action film, then being like "What can we use to sell it, though?"

[@sharebear421]

I loved this movie personally. Yeah it doesn’t display the comics well and dredd 2012 is much better but it’s still a dope 90s action movie. Kinda like a demolition man lite

[@Omar-wq9dz]

Had the director and writer had their way, the movie might have turned out better since there’s stories of Stallone requesting rewrites during production

[@RC19786]

another great time capsule review by Chris B, enjoyed it and agree with the assessment.

[@avalangrin4904]

I prefer the 2012 reboot of the movie Dredd with Karl Urban. Urban kept the helmet on and played the character closer to the comic book representation. 🙂

[@andrewblanchard2398]

06:52 FERGIE'S non verbal reaction sold that scene

[@shadowwarrior7218]

The Reboot with Urban is Mint!!!

[@vorhees2093]

I’d love to see you guys do Lost Highway, the David Lynch film with Bill Pullman snd Patricia Arquette. Love the video, keep ‘em coming

[@davidagiel8130]

I enjoyed Arnie movies more growing up, but as I got older I started to enjoy Sly just as much, even the bad ones. Demolition Man, Oscar Tango, and Cash are still my favorites apart from Rocky and Rambo.

[@dmingledorff]

Oscar is seriously one of my favorite comedies. Such a wonderful cast!

[@davidmylchreest3306]

I'll always remember what my Dad said to me walking out of the cinema. At the time there was a lot of controversy that Stallone was not tall enough to play the part. My Dad said: 'I guess that's how you make him look taller. Stick him next to an even shorter guy (Schneider) for the whole of the movie.'

[@Vaporvice84]

If I'm not mistaken, the original concept for Robocop was so much like Judge Dredd that they had to scale back and alter the costume almost entirely, cuz it looked too much like Dredd. Also, as a kid I thought Dredd and Demoliton Man were the same movie. I'd see bits and pieces of both on tv and never knew what I was watching (tvs didn't have guides back then) lol. Even both endings look like the same set, and set-up.

[@conan6939]

Robocop was made from a failed Judge Dredd script.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

​@@conan6939 yeh but robocop was more aslo unkind in spred by ironnman yers before the iron MSN movie was even. A thing

[@benjaminolson7206]

The extra dumb thing about the helmet removal is that if there's any actor of the period I can recognize by just his chin, it's Sylvester Stallone.

[@Bluboy30]

I remember seeing a trailer of this film before Crimson Tide that summer and I thought it's going to be a big hit. Disney hyped it up quite a bit too with their endless promotions for the film. Even though it flopped, I still enjoyed seeing it on opening weekend of that summer.

[@Constantine_IA]

If Joe Pesci played the role of the comic relief maybe it wouldn't be so lame this movie is very underrated it has amazing production design & effects it's like a 90s Blade Runner The practical effect of the ABC android is just spectacular and terrifying Stallone wasn't a bad casting he was actually the perfect actor for Dredd at the time the issue that fans have with the helmet is stupid nobody would've remembered that he played the role if he wore it in the whole movie like Urban I like the villains too Armand Assante has the time of his life playing that over the top anti-Dredd Rico Jurgen Pronchow is always reliable and great as a villain THE SCORE BY ALAN SILVESTRI IS PURE EPICNESS AND PURE TESTOSTERONE I LOVE IT Judge Dredd aged very well it's a cult classic of Stallone's Filmography

[@moorebounce]

Stallone taking off his helmet and the antics of Rob Schneider killed it for me. I will say the costumes were closer to the comic than 2012's Dredd. Dredd's only issue was him passing the trainee at the end.

[@Deathstroke4200]

Karl Urban needs that sequel to Dredd as soon as MK2 is finished.

[@YenRug]

Wasn't it one of your other JoBlo productions that explained that it was always intended to be PG-13, with the scriptwriter doing everything to write scenes that worked that way, but the director shot everything as if it was 18 rated?

[@ukmediawarrior]

As a Brit and a Judge Dredd fan all my life this movie is a guilty pleasure for me. It got half the character right and half wrong. It got the Mega City exactly right, it got the Judge uniforms right, it got a lot of the Dredd canon right. What it got wrong was Dredd himself. Now Karl Urbans movie is much better but it too got it 50/50 but in his case they got the character exactly right but they got the Mega City totally wrong. Mix up what both movies got right and you would have the perfect Judge Dredd film.

[@conan6939]

I bet like me, you'd 100% watch the Stalone one again before the Karl Urban one. despite his being the truer film for the fans.

[@ukmediawarrior]

@@conan6939 Yeah, I would, lol :)

[@monfisch]

Rob Schneider gave my friend a promotional letterman jacket from Judge Dredd, saying he was ashamed that he ever worked on the film.

[@theriffwriter2194]

In fairness: literally every mentor only exists to get killed. In fact the only exception I can think of is Gandolf. Who did die...but then came back.

[@roberthuitrado4273]

IT’s iconic for probably all the wrong reasons but I love it!

[@MaxskiSynths]

The sets and matte paintings were beautiful

[@Claymorw]

You did a typo there, you mean Stallone best

[@Liston29]

I wouldn't have known this movie was bad if you didn't just tell me. haha On a serious note I didn't know it flopped. I can see all the reasons why people would dislike it...but I really enjoy it. P.S New sub. I like the videos when you just talk in a normal tone. Great insight.

[@unlikelyspore1406]

Hold your tongue heretic, this is pure 90's solid gold cheese and i love it because it's " the law".

[@Mr_Oggie]

I enjoyed the movie when it came out but I thought the story they used should have been saved for like the third installment. Because the comic is big in the UK and Stallone is big in the USA I would have had the first movie introduce viewers to the world, explain some of the back story and then go around with Judge Dredd as he does some policing to play up the humor and campiness... then introduce a moderate sized baddie that Dredd ends up arresting in the end. Then for a second movie go with a bigger story that introduces a major crime lord and does a little foreshadowing to what will come in the third movie and have the movie culminate where Dredd takes down much of the bad guy's empire but not the boss himself. For the third movie they could pretty much keep the script they used for the original Judge Dredd movie except the intro stuff and initial policing Dredd does replace that with him going after and arresting the big boss from the second movie and then after that moving in to the whole Rico storyline. And I'm not saying the whole reason the movie flopped was because North American audiences didn't know who Judge Dredd was, but I do think that was a part of it and that just put all the camp and over the top aspects of the movie/characters out of touch with the mainstream audiences.

[@brianpughsley8680]

I thought that it was like a sequel as well

[@mustacheoneday]

JCVD so underrated, love all his screams before a final move.

[@equusquaggaquagga536]

Beneath his cackling mad supervillainy Rico was a man in a lot of pain

[@barrymurphy1337]

As a UK reader of 2000AD from the very first issue (that ages me lol) the mere thought of Dredd ever removing his helmet was blasphemy to me and I passed on this one big time. Loved the 2012 Dredd.

[@kevinkorenke3569]

Not having seen the video yet, having read the comics and having seen the far superior Dredd, I can safely say. Yes! This movie was a massive disappointment and was ruined by ego.

[@Malum09]

I’ve seen people say that RoboCop and Demolition Man are better Dredd adaptations before we got Dredd 2012.

[@AshGCG]

That was scary. I clicked on this as I was trying to find out what type of stylus my cheapish Retro Steepletone turntable takes. As I was typing in the model name you mentioned Dredd's brother. Both are called Rico.

[@TheElectricMayhem]

I love this movie. Armand Asante is a PERFECT foil for Stallone. The way he chews the scenery is amazing.

[@darkodarko9]

i enjoyed judge dredd as a kid soooo much.. and i still remember it foundly :) every movie doesnt have to have a deeper story..just expoload stuff jump shoot and stuff..good movie for kids..nowdays if the main character is not somehow mentaly hurt or not well than "the movie is bad" damn.. i love the pure fun of older movies

[@whoknew2273]

One of the worst comic Adaptations to grace the big screen

[@joey_dangerously]

Someone get the narrator some coffee. I almost fell asleep listening to this...

[@Merylstreep1949]

I think if Arnie brought back Dutch instead of another Terminator it would be a big freaking hit and a cash machine

[@conan6939]

No he needs to bow out with King Conan in an 'Unforgiven' style film.

[@antoniokastrocarlisledemel6617]

Maybe it's cuz i was 9 when it first hit though i was already a major comic fan i hadnt started reading Dredd yet...i just thought it was some weird ass looking movie with one of my favorite actors but i loved Stallone so much(and i still do though Arnold I've always loved more) that i just wanted to see it cuz he was in it not to mention he had just been in 2 movies i absolutely loved(and of course i still do love em) in Cliffhanger and Demolition Man...i didn't know it was based on a comic til after i saw it which I'm sure helped me like the movie more but while it's far from perfect i still close to love it and though the 2012 movie edges it out(mainly cuz Karl Urban can do no wrong in my book) theres still several things it does better but it really needed to be at least 15 min longer..it needed to be more grim and incorporate more of the comics but I'll say lastly that it still to this day doesn't really bother me that he takes the helmet off..what irks me a little is how long it's off not that he took it off to begin with

[@Gustavowith]

Gonna have to disagree with you when it comes to the score. I think it's pretty dope. The main theme has a march-like satirical tone that makes fun of the extremist militaristic nature of the character while still being badass. That being said, I would also love to hear a Goldsmith score.

[@Destide]

Dredd needs to work as a Tv series theirs to much too the universe

[@DyDy94334]

I am...the law

[@daniskicker]

“I am the law!” That scene alone makes the movie.

[@slasherdope8065]

Luckily we eventually got that absolutely killer Dredd movie years later. It is no doubt THE GREATEST ACTION MOVIE EVER!

[@anthonycerulli1423]

No one: Armand Assante: THE LAWWW

[@edwardfitzpatrick8164]

Watch the video of de Souza interview about it. He explains he was hired to write a PG-13 but the director, who apparently was cocky and a bit of an arse was determined in making an R-rated movie. The studio was looking for Comic Book as in family-friendly. Dredd was never that. This is a character who has a higher kill count than the Punisher by several hundred million!

[@jamesyates4319]

He made a movie about arm wrestling and did something like singing with Dolly Parton. And he made Stop or My Mother will Shoot. Compared to those Judge Dredd is a masterpiece.

[@dionmarbury]

Smh.. this movie is great. It knew what it was.

[@ebogar42]

Best Judge Dredd movie to me. Had a lot of action and comedy. Rob and Sandra were pretty funny in this movie. Stallone was good too.

[@MrBoyYankee]

I unabashedly love this film. Although Dredd 2012 is superior and a certified classic. Judge Dread is good bad, time at the movies. A guilty pleasure.

[@SamskaraOrigin]

*This movie has been panned by all reviewers and critics, and they're all WRONG. The special effects were very-good, the plot was on-point, the THEMES (betrayal, corruption,duty, and redemption) were EXCELLENT, the acting was good, and the storyline (though a little crammed) was was metered and paced well. This was a story about "family" with Max von Sydow playing the father figure, and Schneider (who loves to chew scenery) was sprinkled in at the right moments. Thoroughly enjoyable movie.*

[@dank2171]

Caninal scene was the best scene and only scene i really liked. I also liked the billain but was a little too over the top in certain segments. Stallone felt like he was acting in a different movie. I love dread movie in the 2000's

[@wstine79]

To think that my high school buddies and I almost saw this in the theater had been for that SPECIES poster. This movie looks great but is silly.

[@ChrisOnStage2]

His worst?? Not a chance! Didn't you ever see "Stop! Or my Mother will shoot!"? THAT was his worst by far!

[@Captainkirk88410]

I loved this movie as a kid . In my opinion it’s the best judge dredd

[@bigdreams5554]

This movie pales in comparison to Karl Urban's Dredd movie, which was pure awesomeness.

[@lordofthereels6790]

I'd love it if Sly played Karl Urban's version of Judge Death

[@daniexists6]

Honestly, it's not one of the worst. It's not even in the top ten. You cannot beat the awfulness of Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot.

[@goodburger1114]

I love this movie

[@deezee2965]

I have to say one thing. After seeing the movie, I can't read Judge Dread comics without earing Sly voice on the character.

[@spaceodds1985]

Reportedly Danny Cannon was dating Diane Lane during production and he was miserable?!?!😮

[@JoBloOriginals]

Not sure how that could make someone miserable haha

[@twk8520]

I still enjoy it good on many levels despite flaws. One of the first Comic based movies that the main character played it straight and not goofy. Stallone tried to ground it even with the comedy he tried to stay true to the origin. I get people complaining about the helmet but remember the movie needed a face a star especially back then. Karl Urban did good job on Dredd but His face covered all the time I believe made it hard for people to relate to see him as human and not a robot. Considering how cold Dredd is to begin with Which can effect non comic moviegoers being invested. Probably why it didn't do well. Robocop started as an everyday guy who suffered greatly investing the audience. Judge Dredd is hard he's stoic like batman without the tragic childhood just a horrible world he control's

[@Corehaven22]

It's actually a pretty fun movie. The source material was a bit darker and more gritty but for a mid 90's adaptation of Judge Dredd, and I repeat, a mid 90's adaptation? It doesn't get better than this. And it was fun. Honestly this is a movie that gets dumped on too much.

[@SparkyMarkyMark23]

The hero in this film hardly wears his helmet. Cause they didn't want 2 cover the stars face.

[@axelstone3131]

I love Judge Dredd. Saw it when I was younger. Never agreed with the hate. Was unaware of the hate at the time I watched this on VHS.

[@mbryson2899]

To me it came off as a pale Sly followup to _Oscar_ and _Demolition Man._ He was pretty good in those, very on point.

[@vikingodin1986]

Karl urban is dredd

[@eclipsehorse8693]

'Judge Dredd'- another fun popcorn movie that you're not supposed to take seriously at all- a bit lacking from the source material, a bit of a pop send up in places. i liked it, and went to theater to see it, i had a great time, and in the end for an audience member, isn't that the end goal? Sure Stallone removed his helmet and wasn't rough and gruff like the comic book version, but if he were, quite a bit of the movie wouldn't be filmable. I think they struck a goo enough balance to tell the story. I loved seeing Jurgen Prochnow chew scenery, and Arman Assante having what amounts to the time of his life as Dredd's villianous brother. Could have done without Rob Schneider to be honest, a little goes a VERY long way. Art direction and the costumes were good, they kind or reminded me of 'Blade Runner' mixed with Schumacher's Batman movies. I think Karl urban's take on dredd got closer to the source material and really gave us the Dredd we wanted- now where's the damn sequel?! lol

[@Tiger_Woo_dds]

No. Why? Diane Lane

[@DNOstalgia]

I knew you'd say that! Not my fav Sly movie. Keep punchin!

[@Ninjastar202]

It was almost there for me. Those clones at the could have been done better. They looked good but acted too crazy for me.

[@DPops-yf4zp]

Judge Dredd had all the right ingredients to be a hit and more importantly, a good film. The budget and star power were there as were the talent infront of and behind the camera. It suffered from a bad script, the wrong lead (sorry as a Stallone fan he wasn't right for this), and terrible marketing (it was marketed like a kid's movie). In contrast, Dredd 2012 was a masterpiece. Unfortunately it too was poorly marketed (if advertised at all) and fans were still suffering the burn from the 95 version.

[@joebro391]

Now do The Shadow (1994)!!!

[@darthhauler9947]

Are we forgetting Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!

[@thecunninlynguist]

Dredd wasn't too bad. Stallone rocked it

[@rylymbona]

I always loved Jean Claud Van Damme movies when I was a kid but they're so funny now when I watch them.

[@revillj1]

This is a classic movie 🎬. It was great I watch it all the time.

[@camdflage]

I really enjoyed it, and continue to do so, as it captured Dredd as he was in the comics at the time.

[@dylankrogers]

I always liked this movie a lot, while remaining aware that it’s not really a “good” movie. It’s quirky, campy and amusingly weird.

[@denniscox4008]

This was a great comedy movie, but Stallone's absolute best comedy was "Oscar".

[@BlackDoveNYC]

I don’t think Stallone’s blue eyes are off putting. Wasn’t Assante also wearing contacts? What was the purpose of having those characters have blue eyes? Seems pointless.

[@rogerfurlong1535]

I'm trying to think of a movie/show that Max Von Sydow's character doesn't die in.

[@Hvanudetfornoget]

Honestly i liked it, it haven't aged great, but to me it's a totally acceptable movie.